a little bit of spot welding

[AndyPandy]

In my younger, impecunious, days, if something broke I'd have a go at mending it. I became quite adept at troubleshooting everything from washing machines to simple car maintenance to general DIY.

Nowadays I can afford to delegate certain tasks to professionals who would do a better job and more quickly than me. I still like to turn my hand to new tasks as a skill challenge, however.

I have a smallish trolley where one of the wheel brackets has come apart from the frame. It was welded in place. I quite fancy the idea of buying some basic welding kit and learning how to weld. I fully appreciate that this may be the only bit of welding I ever do, so it won't make sense economically, however it would be another box ticked in the 'things I have done' bucket list.

"Go for it" or "Really not worth it once you've bought the kit, the safety gear and completed an online course"?

I'm sure my local mechanic would do it for beer money next car service and there may be a local "bring your stuff to repair" group if I'm dissuaded. Might be fun to have a go, though...

[monabri]

can you not hire welding gear ?

[Urbandreamer]

I have never owned welding equipment, though I tried a bit of welding on a car sill many years ago.

From the depths of my experience equipment is not really the issue. TIG or MIG are more difficult than simple gas welding, because you can see more with gas. However gravity is more of an issue, People I have spoken to talk of welding as like using glue. Having a LOT more experience of soldering I know what they are talking about.

If you are going for any form of arc welding, invest in safety equipment and pick your clothing. You want to cover every bit of skin with natural materials. It can be cheap, but should not be synthetic.

Clean the surfaces and apply flux. WHAT'S FLUX?

Well it's a common misunderstanding that this is a simple act of applying molten metal. Metal OXIDIZES! You can't weld or join rust or other oxides. What you are attempting to join WILL react with the air when it gets hot. Blacksmiths use to weld by applying flux, heating to white hot, then beating to weld. The result weighed a lot less than when they stated. This is because the oxides are lost. Pattern welding can loose some 30% due to the oxides flaking off. It's less of a problem with what you want to do.

The purpose of flux is to ensure that the metal doesn't react with air. TIG and MIG welding are modern methods of achieving the same.
My experiences date from "arc" welding rather than TIG or MIG.

[DrFfybes]

You can hire one for a day from a lot of places.

Also usually plenty secondhand from the usual online portals.

[Sobraon]

MIG is good fun, second hand welder £30, £7 for Gasless Welding Wire and a £10 for an automatic mask, a few Youtube videos and enjoy the ride!

[AndyPandy]

can you not hire welding gear ?

That hadn't occurred to me - thanks. We've got a local hire shop. Whether they will rent to me once they realise I don't have a Scooby though....

"So, do you want a MIG flux capacitor or a TIG?"

"Errrrr"

[Mike4]

Seeing as you ask specifically about spot welding, I bought a spot welder a year or so back. I use it to repair eroded earth electrodes on a particular make and model of boiler where the manu has discontinued the part.

One of these. It works wonderfully well for welding very thin stainless steel.
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/csw13t- ... ith-timer/

[9873210]

Have you checked any local Men's Sheds, makerspaces, and the like?

Some of these will have welders and accessories you may be able to use, and possibly advice either solicited or unsolicited.