My Mk2 has failed it’s MOT due to the usual sill rot so I have decided as the car is only worth scrap now, I will use it over Winter to practice welding and bodywork. With this in mind I have not welded before and was curious as to whether anyone has used any of the courses through local colleges which proved useful and could recommend one? Also what kind of welding should I be aiming to use for this kind of repair.
Alternatively, maybe some kind of bodywork course that covers it?
My son attended Tyne Met on the coast road mate or you could ask Tyne North Training also coast road, just down from college.
Tyne north deal with apprenticeships but may be offer some coursework.
I did basic MIG at Gateshead College on Team Valley. I’m not sure I came away with enough skills to tackle my car, but that’s me not the course
You want one of the new inverters on the market that are semi automatic to use and ideal for the home repairers in garages and drive ways.
We have just put one through its paces and cannot fault it for the price.
M-m
Hi Wayne,
Could you post up what you tested please?
Very much welcome your recommendation 
Cheers, Tim
Ok let me make this clear, i am no way involved with this company , on commission etc, just someone that was curious if they were any good for the cost, because they seemed to good to be true and well…Chinese ,but they seemed to talk the talk, but wanted to know if they walked the walk( what films that out of) so on that we tried one of their machines to be able to give a personal verdict on a product they sell being honest whether good or bin…
Smart welder/semi automatic , you can pay very good money for one, but with the technology these days everything moves quickly and a Chinese Co ( as it seems always the case) called Hitbox ( also under other names) produce some really nice affordable welders/invertors and are really good value for what you get which start at a silly price of £50 odd for a stick/arc/MMA upwards, and go higher depending on what you need as you move into mig,tig, gas /gassless, for steel,S/steel, ally.
We got the dearest from their range which was not mega bucks compared to others on the market upto 2k plus which offers the same fetchers ( if not more) .
The 5 in 1 SYN 200 pro Mig,tig,MMA and also bought the spool gun for aluminium , so it will do the lot with a simple program in screen that works it all out for you mask on and glue metals together.
The quality is very good for the cost , its not a 2k machine but will do what high end machine will do and some, its compact enough to move around,( although we rest it on a welding trolley for ease) we tried mig steel from thin body panels up to thick pieces of steel with gas ( Co2 )and with out( please note gas-less mig needs flux cure wire) with different thickness of wire for 0.6/0.8/0.9/1.0, we also did the same with S/Steel mig wire ( with Argon gas) thin to large and was spot on with welds and penetration, we then swapped to tig ( it comes with one rod) and again could not fault it on what it was giving us form thick to thick again ( argon gas).
WE never got a chance to try the stick/arc/MMA , but with how it preformed i am sure there will not be an issue.
We also took it to a S/s fabrication Co to get their welders to try this little machine that is pennies compered to the ones they use, and they loved it and were in total shock in how easy it was to set up and use , and when they i told them the cost , they did not believe me.
The 200pro starts at around £300 depending on what extras come with it, so read the adverts and shop around, we like this because of the ease of tapping in everything we are going to be using and pressing go, plus all the options one machine can and be used for.
As much as this will make the setting up to start welding so much easier, you will need to know the does and don’ts on prepping to do so and while doing so ,although this will help with the confusion of regulating and setting everything, you will need to do some home work on welding…
Like i said this was the dearest in their range simply because it can be programmed , there is far cheaper in the range ,and none are pocket killers…
I really recommend these, very good value for the money, link from the bay off e for reference , loads of places sell their range, so shop around…
Videos…
I can only be honest, if it was rubbish i would say so, hope it helps.
M-m
Thank you M-m… food for thought for a guy who who wants to renew his ‘apprentice-level’ skills much later in life. New technology and equipment seems to offer a quicker route to competence, so I’ll be looking a lot deeper into the info you’ve given
If you are planning on getting a MIG or TIG welder then this was the best company I could find for gas supplies as they have no rental charge other than the deposit.