How To Weld (Motorbooks Workshop)

I am new to welding. It's something I've wanted to do for quite some time but I just finally got around to tackling it. The first book I bought was The Welders Handbook. I read it cover to cover. It was OK, but left me wanting. After reading the reviews here I ordered How To Weld. I wish I had read this book first! Todd Bridigum does an excellent job of organizing the information. The book builds knowledge in layers. Todd discusses not only the obligatory safety items (which he still manages to keep interesting), but also different types of metal that you may find at the yard, how they are sold (sheet, linear foot, pound, etc), tools useful in metal fabrication, joint designs and positions, and brazing and soldering to top it off. This isn't just a book on welding, it's really an introduction to metal! When I first decided to learn to weld I just wanted to be able to put two pieces of metal together and have them not come apart. After reading Todd's book I have so much more appreciation for certified welders and the jobs they do. This book will teach you the finer points of developing a good weld without trying to make you a certified welder. It strikes an excellent balance between a cursory overview of welding and a full technical manual. This is exactly what every home/hobbyist welder wants. After giving a full lecture on all the different types of welding and the geometry of the weld (with tons of great color photos and drawings) , Todd sets up detailed welding exercises specific to each type of welding technology - accompanied by yet more pictures. This is some excellent instruction! There are also plenty of sidebars with excellent, more technical, information that will keep this book useful as a reference for years to come as well. If you are new to welding you will not be disappointed with this book. My one critique item would be that on page 42 he talks about "CJP" without defining it. I had to turn to Google to figure out that it means "Complete Joint Penetration". He eventually defines it eight pages later on page 54, but it would certainly provide more continuity to have it defined when it is first used.

I you want to KNOW the principles of metals and welding, this book written by Mr. Todd Bridigum will enlighten ANYONE beginner or professional welder. A short story; got injured two jobs ago. Sought something more exciting to do. Didn't have the funds to go to an accredited school so what did I do? Went to Goodwill to see about training. The very first thing I chose to be trained in was WELDING! I have welders on both sides of my family including my grandfather born and raised in Montgomery, Ala. Needless to say, I was just a number to them. After going through all of that paperwork, NOTHING! They just waisted my time. Fast forwarding to NOW, Mr. Bridigum MASTERFULLY wrote this book to open your mind to the very idea of metal fabrication and how YOU can do it with ease. I've been in and out of this book discovering so many details and knowledge about welding. My neighborhood library is sick of me taking THAT MUCH TIME in the same seat reading this book! How do you not become excited with this publication? Do you want to be a welder and an accomplished one? GET THIS BOOK!! You won't be disappointed and send Mr. Bridigum an email of thanks once you complete this valuable training to get you going. Go get your "puddle" on!

I have recently started welding again after about a 20 year layoff. I started by buying a bunch of welding books and reviewing the more modern techniques and equipment. This book is one of the ones that I have found to be well worth the trouble. The book is well written, complete and concise. The images are extremely well-done and seemingly on-point. The book covers all of the conventional welding disciplines...SMAW (stick welding..), GMAW (MIG welding..), GTAW (TIG welding..), and FCAW ((flux-core..) as it relates to MIG..). Note that for an journeyman, or competent welder, some of this information may seem to be a little basic. But, that is the way it is intended. It is a journey through the welding disciplines describing the techniques, the similarities and differences, and the best practices for each. In particular, I found the sections on TIG and MIG to be particularly helpful. The section on basic arc stick welding was a good review, but since little has changed in the preceeding 20 or 30 years it was just a little redundant to me. If you are completely new to welding, or new to the current technology as embodied by modern equipment, this book will really start you off on the right path. This book along with one other, Farm and Workshop Welding: Everything You Need to Know to Weld, Cut, and Shape Metal would make up a great core for learning the necessary subject matter for welding with today's technology. Both of these books are extremely well written and edited. The images are very good and meaningful with respect to the information as it is being presented. This book has a useful index (although it is somewhat limited..), and a small topical section on "Resources" which I found useful as well. If you are interested in learning about welding, you can't go far wrong with this book. I recommend it for everyone other than an experienced journeyman. I am glad that I purchased this one and Farm and Workshop Welding: Everything You Need to Know to Weld, Cut, and Shape Metal as well. It's not perfect, but almost!! Four stars for an almost indispensable reference.

This book is a required textbook for a welding class I'm taking, but it's not written like a traditional textbook. The writing isn't full of technical jargon and it's written like you're having a conversation with the older guy at work that has learned over the years and is passing down that information. The book covers a wide range of subjects like all of the arc welding processes and even includes gas welding, safety, oxy-fuel cutting and even some interesting history about welding. I've read most of the book before my classes started and it gives me a lot more confidence than just going into class blind. Each welding process chapter gives a detailed description of why you would or wouldn't use the process, the common beginner mistakes, how to weld in each position, and even gives exercises you could do on your own if you just bought this book to learn on your own.

Sent to teenage grandson, he love it.

I am a retired engineer and have worked in the heavy energy industry all of my professional life which encompasses 37 years. I ran industrial maintenance departments, which included a lot of ASME/API/AWS code compliant welding, for most of that time and although I am not a welder by trade, I have welded using most of the commonly used processes. I thought I new a lot about welding. However, after reading this book I gained new insights. The author provided a highly detailed and superior, but not overpowering, level of all necessary back round theory relating to the various welding processes such as Stick, Mig, Tig, Brazing, etc., including equipment theory of operation, selection, and shop set up needed to be understood to support an apprentice welder in his/her quest to achieve full journeyman welder status. The author also details exercises that the apprentice should perform to both teach and reinforce proper equipment set up and use, proper welding technique, and includes photos and discussion on how and why both poor and desired results where achieved. In my personal library I own many books pertaining to welding. Some are better than others. However, if I had to recommend just one book for a person wanting to embark on a career in welding, I would have to recommend this text as my first go to choice. I feel that it provides an outstanding degree of all the real life information an aspiring welder must master in order to be successful in this trade without being repetitive nor boring. A great source of welding information. Highly recommended.

I'm fairly new to welding. I am currently reading this book now but it is full of good info. Not only just welding exercises, but the explanation of the process, what to look for, what to stay away from, safety, all types of welding, soldering, brazing etc. Plus it has an in depth section of all the typs of metal, melting points and so on. For the price and that fact that it's a prime item I couldn't pass it up. I take it to work with me to read. It actually has me intrigued to learn more. Anyone can weld but not everyone knows all the important details needed to be a sucessful welder. And lastly it's not some cheesy pictures, the pages are thick and have plenty of pictures. Plenty...

This is probably the only book available that would allow somebody to learn, practice and become proficient in all major methods of welding on their own (or with the assistance of a more experienced welder). I'm "proficient" in both MIG & TIG, but Oxy/Acetylene has always mystified me & I can "do" stick (but don't enjoy it). Just quickly reading through the book has given me a new understanding & impetus to pull out my Oxy equipment and "get proficient" (as well borrow as my cousin's old "Buzz Box" stick welder that he's offered me & get better at that also). The target audience is for general welding, but does cover a lot of areas for which many readers would have an interested. If you're one of those looking to learn/refine your welding technique to just work on cars, there is a better book for you (see my other reviews), but it would still not hurt you to have this book for the well written text and the exceptional color photographs, as well as the numerous "skill development" exercises/projects that are included for each chapter.

Gift for my newbie husband who says it’s amazing and teaches the basics very wel

if you already have basic idea this is great reference material , clearly divided into sections for easy acess , but no book compares to experience ...so find some scrap and keep trying

Questo libro dovrebbe essere tradotto anche in italiano. Molto semplice da capire e sia per avvici

This is a great reference book to have, it covers a wealth of information of all major types of welding and is extremely helpful for the novice welder who needs help or guidance in establishing or maintaining good practice. Not everyone can (or is willing or able) to attend welding classes and this is such a useful resource to have on hand when you just want to check on what you are doing. Its full of clear helpful pictures and no waffle. I carry this book with me when I weld and use it to help guide me through. Highly recommended and kudo to the author for making the dark art of welding achievable to all who wish to take the leap even if this is their only resource they can use.

I found this book the ideal tonic as all the previous books I bought were very stodgy and hard going and could not keep my attention as they seemed to be written in a blindingly dull drone, this author I found to write in a normal conversational manner with good, concise explanations of the many seemingly indistinguishable terms and abbreviations, I would recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of taking up any kind of welding for the first time.