Category
Learn to Weld
For a first bead and beyond: settings charts, aluminum and stainless, common mistakes and starter projects, from makers' own guidance.
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Welding aluminum: can your machine do it, what to add, and what changes from steel
Aluminum takes AC tig or mig with the spool gun your machine's maker names. Which gun fits which welder, 4043 vs 5356, pure argon, and cleaning the oxide.
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Welding stainless steel: which filler and gas, and how to stop rust spots and warping
308L for 304, 309L for stainless to mild steel, under 5 percent CO2 for mig, argon for tig. Why stainless warps and discolors, and what causes rust spots.
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Mig welder settings chart: six door charts side by side, and how to fine-tune from yours
The same 18 gauge weld is 4/45 on one Miller, D/4 on a Lincoln and 15.2 V at 195 IPM on another. Door charts from six manuals, and how to fine-tune.
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What a welding starter kit really costs, measured against the welder
A flux core starter kit costs about four and a half times the cheapest welder. Every item priced relative to the machine, with the method stated.
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Beginner welding mistakes: twelve common ones and how to fix each
The twelve mistakes most new welders make with a wire feed machine, how to spot each one in the bead, and the single change that fixes it.
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How to weld: your first bead with a wire feed welder
The first session with a mig or flux core welder: prepare the metal, set up from the machine's chart, hold the gun, run a bead, and read what you made.
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Mig vs tig vs stick: which welding process fits your projects
What mig, flux core, tig and stick welding are in plain words, what each suits, what each needs you to buy, and which to learn first.
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Welding for beginners: what you need, in the order you need it
A plain starting plan for a first-time welder: pick a process, check your outlet, buy safety gear first, set up a safe space, then practice on scrap.
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Welding projects for beginners: ten to build first, and five to leave alone
Ten first welding projects in order of difficulty, what each one teaches, the steel to buy, and the projects a beginner should not attempt.