Noob welder, looking for info. Good questions

[turbotalon1g]

Thanks guys. Sadly my broseph is working hard as a professional, I think minimally at 40hrs/week, those ballin' ass manifolds don't make themselves.

I'd love to sit at his work, but I don't know if his boss would like that although I'm good at keeping people on task and working hard.

While at Toll (5 mins) from my place, i spotted some nice ass winter welding gloves for $5. I have a manual darkening helmet right now, I haven't tried any good auto darkening helmets, i tried a cheap one and the delay was terrible and would mess me up.

Right now I have some scrap metal and I might take this freakishly warm week to go and collect some scrap from a welding place I used to deliver from and get metal from.

I'll keep this thread updated with my progress, I don't get out too much usually during winter and in my current state winter will be different.

[GG_9_SE]

If you have the money Speedglass auto darkening helmet all the way! But they are $300+. Runnings has some decent ones for about $100 though.

[Pushit2.0]

I would buy a nice Miller auto tint, they are a little less then the speed glass and are just as good for the home welder. I bought the miller auto tint one with flames, it looks cool, but I use it for MIG welding or Plasma cutting only.

I could stop by some time after work and show you a few things if you want. When I worked at the MIG welding shop I used the top of the line speed glass auto tint, man that was a nice helmet.

Miller unit:
http://www.airgas.com/browse/productDetail.aspx?Category=118998&product=MIL229364

Speed Glass:
http://www.airgas.com/browse/productDetail.aspx?Category=132500&product=H0304-0012-21

~John

[turbotalon1g]

That would be awesome, thanks guys.
I have some small scrap tubing laying around that I can practice on, with the cold weather coming in, I think I will be starting here soon.

[Shane@DBPerformance]

I am blind in the dark and can barely tack weld with a MIG, but I see a lot of broken stuff and I will say that "pretty" welds doesn't mean anything. I get plenty of cars in with awesome looking welds that have cracked within a week of actual use on a car. It seems like everyone on the interwebz drools over pretty looking welding and bags on ugly welds(which often are perfectly fine, will hold, and will pass tech). I see a lot of exhaust manifold with nice looking welds that didn't have even close to enough penetration and crack after a few real heat cycles. People try to MIG weld intercooler piping also, which often leaves hundreds of pinhole boost leaks around each weld. Just have your brother teach you. :) I tried to learn for a long time, but then later found out that I have an eye disease and can't actually see worth a shit compared to normal people, so I leave that to other people.