MIG welding and advice

[DampRobot]

Always consult the manuals, and defer to experts. I am neither, just someone with a fair bit of FRC experience and a bit of welding practice under his belt.

First off, congratulations! Welding is a great resource to have, and although MIG welding is more difficult with aluminuim, don't let that stop you. Compared to TIG welding, MIG is faster to setup, so you can run more beads, but is more difficult to get right. Finding the right wire feeds and power levels are very important to getting good results. Think of it this way: although our main student welder and I love TIG welding aluminuim, he welded two full 1/16" alu frames last year with good results. MIG is still a great way to go.

I wouldn't recommend welding in there, at least not just with a window open. Others have more experience with this, but we weld in a dedicated booth with one of those welding safety curtains. The walls are plaster, I believe, but the floor is some type of concrete or sheetrock. We weld on an (unfortunately not flat) metal table. Keep in mind, technically, exposing even concrete to high temperatures can have disastrous consequences. (Such as when doing aluminuim casting, the molten aluminuim can vaporize moisture in the concrete with, shall we say, dangerous results. Welding shouldn't get the concrete close to those temperatures, though, even if you weld right on it.) So, be safe. We also use a fume hood. In your case, I'd consider welding outside. If you use appropriate safety equipment, don't weld tired, and have proper training, welding isn't dangerous, and it's quite fun. Don't be scared away. That said, consult experts and manuals first.

One last thing, this probably isn't the first time you've heard this, but welding is hard. Like really hard. Welding practice is not only a lot more fun than CAD practice, but essential to getting good results. You're going to need at least several days in the welding booth before getting even passable results. Also, warping is a real issue. Weld on a surface you KNOW to be flat, and check everything's squareness after tacking and every weld, squaring everything again if appropriate. Weld carefully, and be smart. Oh yeah, and in case I haven't said this enough already, listen to those with the most experience (the experts).

Good luck, have fun and be safe!