What you need to do to get better at welding
Practice
They say “practice makes perfect” and this also goes for welding. If you are a newbie to welding you most likely still need a lot of practice especially if you are trying to do it as a hobby and there’s no one around you who can help if you hit a bump in the road.
The initial struggle might scare you away but don’t be, no one could do anything without learning it first. Another saying goes “it takes ten thousand hours to be a professional at something”. When you see those amazing welds online and you aren’t getting them don’t compare yourself you will get there, just keep on practicing.
I recommend getting a plate and giving a few runs just on the surface flat. When you feel more comfortable try putting two plates next to each other or in a T shape and welding them together. Remember to tack at both ends of the joint before welding, don’t stress about the distortion of the metal just try and get a sufficient weld.
When you feel very comfortable try welding at different positions like vertical or at angles. You can attempt overhead welding but I would recommend avoiding overhead welding like how you would avoid parallel parking. It is still a good idea to practice it a bit.
The real secret to welding is simple. If you just make sure the two metals are joining properly while you weld, your weld will most likely come out perfectly.
I would recommend watching youtube videos on how to weld the specific type of welding you are looking to weld. Here’s my recommendation for the best welding type for all uses.
Builds something square
After you have practiced and you feel a bit more confident the next thing you should consider is to build something that has to be squared all around. This is an amazing practice for newbies because you will gain a lot of experience in a short time. First start with something small then you can move on to something like a table.
You will most likely encounter problems that you will have to overcome like distortion due to welding, getting something squared before and after welding, and making sure your welds are strong enough to do what is needed. In my post about measuring tapes, I discuss how to check if something is square. Basically, you have to check the diagonals of the object and if the sizes are the same then you know it is square.
Knowing how to build something square is a valuable skill for anyone working with metal or wood. Imagine offering to build something for someone that has a square element in it and not building it square. It will look very unprofessional and cheap if you have a wobbly or visually skewed item.
Some ways you can avoid distortion from welding is clamping what you have to weld down to a thick piece of plate or clamping/tacking a stiffener on before welding to keep it from distorting. If it has distorted you can apply heat to where you welded or the surrounding area and pull it squared and hold it into place till it cooled a bit.
I discuss more on metal distortion in my post on common problems with MIG welding that you can check out. Look for the workpiece deformed on the table of contents, it is close to the bottom.
As shown in this image you shouldn’t be too worried about your welds because with an angle grinder you can easily grind the welds to look better or even completely grind them out so you can redo them.
Note that there isn’t a full weld, because it isn’t necessary. Only welding as much as you need will help prevent distortion.
Another piece of advice if the plate is making a gap at the joint. Give a tack and hit it down before the tack cools down. This will bring the plate into place and keep it there. Just be careful to not use too much force or too little the amount of force depends on the situation.
Welding workbench
You can buy a workbench or just buy two trestles and put a 10mm(3/8inch) plate on it and you will be fine to start with.
If you are looking for a proper workbench I recommend reading my post on tools you need for metalwork where I cover the workbench in more detail and even give an idea of what metals you will been and how to build a proper workbench for welding.
This is a great project to start with because it isn’t that important to build a super neat or square table. It is only for you to work on and can be improved over time.
Small challenging trinkets
Try staying away from those basic “sculptures” people mention because it is too easy and boring. You will build if, feel good for a few minutes, then you are just sitting with a piece of junk that you will most likely throw out after a while.
Invest your time and build something you are proud of that you would want to display. It will be a lot more challenging than just simply tacking pieces of junk together.
Build something with curves that you have to cut out, clever ways of hiding the welds, and that has a rounded shape. Try using all the different tools for metalwork giving you experience not just in welding, but in a lot of other tools also. You can see all the tools you will need to do metalwork. There are fewer tools for metalwork than woodwork. Don’t panic, it takes time to learn all the tools but before you know it you will be a pro at it.
A couple of years ago I build a small shield out of a 3mm(1/8inch) plate inspired by the medieval crusader shield. It didn’t take a lot of material but there’s a lot of thought that went into it. Personally, I am proud of it and have had it displayed in my apartment since I made it. I also made the metal flower on top for my wife while we were still dating.
Here I drilled a few holes into the back plate to weld the cross. I did this to hide the welding in front. When I made this I set up the challenge of not having any weld to be displayed in front.
What can I weld and sell?
Essentially when you do something for money you want to do a short time, with minimal material, and at the lowest cost as possible with it still looking very neat. That is why you should consider what you want to do. If it is large items that you build on orders then you can take a bit more time, but if you want to make a bunch of small items to sell online then aim some something simple.
Small items to large products
I made a simple curved round bar with a v-shaped round bar at the bottom to hold my headsets. This is a simple item that can be reproduced very quickly with all the above-mentioned criteria met. You will most likely only sell something like this at a low price.
If you are a bit more skilled you can try to make furniture, mainly desks, similar to those you buy and assemble yourself but of higher quality. You will be able to easily sell it online or in a shop and still be able to transport it with ease.
Freelance welder
Else if you are looking to just weld for money you should consider becoming a freelance welder. Your work might not be so stable as a normal 9 to 5, but you will most likely make more in the long term.
You can easily buy a quality MIG welding machine and go to places to do quick welding or you can offer yourself as a welder that companies can hire when they might be short-handed on a job.
This is a great side hustle to have, especially if you sit in front of a computer the whole day. You can advertise your services online on social media or advertising websites. It is a great idea to include some of the work you have done in picture form to show what you are capable of.
