On 31 Oct, 18:42, "MrFerrous" wrote:

Would one of the temptingly cheap arc welders from Screwfix be a good place
to start learning?

Maybe, as they are cheap. The trouble is that stick welders are only
good for thick stuff, whilst it's the thin stuff that rusts out first
and needs fixing. Really you want a wire-feed (aka MIG) welder, but
that's far more money.

For 6mm and over, stick is fine. For 3mm, stick is still fine, but
takes a bit more care. For under 3mm, find a MIG.

Gibson's "Practical Welding" http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/
0333609573/codesmiths is a very good tutorial for all the processes.
There are things you need to learn, then you need to go and practice.
Courses are best (especially as you get hands-on before buying
equipment), but self-taught is fine, so long as you are reading a good
tutorial (Random fiddling isn't so good).

Automatic helmets are wonderful.