I've got a bunch of woodworking tools, table saw, band saw, drill press,
jointer, planer, etc. But I know almost nothing about metalworking, except
for one intro session at Ft. Knox. They fired up a torch & let us jr.
officers cut some metal plate -- I guess the point was that "Maintenance
Officer" Lt's would then know which end was supposed to be lit... ;-)

Anyway, this afternoon part of the seat frame broke on my 1995, 136,000 mile
Viagra^H^H^H^H^H^HFirebird. I peeked under the seat and it's a broken bar.
(Perhaps my 250+ lbs over 136,000 miles since 1995 has something to do with
it. g) The bar has holes & it doesn't look like I can just drill some
holes and bolt another piece of metal to it. It needs to have something
welded to it.

I could just take the seat out & take it somewhere to have it welded. But
I've been wanting to start working with metal as well as wood. This seems
like the perfect opportunity to "sneak" it past the wife: "Getting it fixed
will cost xxxx. For only yyyy I can get the tools that let me make this
repair, and fix future problems too!"

We had an arc welder on the farm when I was growing up, but my house was
built in the 1960's and is "electrically challenged." I have to be very
careful when running my woodworking tools or I'll trip breakers. A hair
dryer plugged into certain living room outlets will also trip a breaker. So
before I rewire, I don't think an arc welder will work.

The metal of the seat frame is kinda "light." The piece of angle iron I
have to weld to it is "heavier." I have some similar "light" pieces of
scrap I'd practice with before working on the frame.

I'd like to spend as little money on a welder as reasonably possible. I'm
willing to spend the "proper" amount though. I've upgraded a table saw and
drill press, so I know the dangers of buying too low.

Are there some sites and/or recommendations for how I can start down the
path of seriously working with metal by successfully fixing my car seat?

Thanks!

-- Mark