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Welding For Dummies

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Get the know-how to weld like a pro

Being a skilled welder is a hot commodity in today's job market, as well as a handy talent for industrious do-it-yourself repairpersons and hobbyists. Welding For Dummies gives you all the information you need to perform this commonly used, yet complex, task.

This friendly, practical guide takes you from evaluating the material to be welded all the way through the step-by-step welding process, and everything in between. Plus, you'll get easy-to-follow guidance on how to apply finishing techniques and advice on how to adhere to safety procedures.

Explains each type of welding, including stick, tig, mig, and fluxcore welding, as well as oxyfuel cutting, which receives sparse coverage in other books on welding Tips on the best welding technique to choose for a specific project Required training and certification information Whether you have no prior experience in welding or are looking for a thorough reference to supplement traditional welding instruction, the easy-to-understand information in Welding For Dummies is the ultimate resource for mastering this intricate skill.

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2010

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131 people want to read

About the author

Steven Robert Farnsworth

4 books1 follower

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5 stars
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40 (38%)
3 stars
22 (20%)
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6 (5%)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Scott.
10 reviews
July 13, 2018
Great book to read before starting any actual welding, covers all of the different methods. I only wish the illustrations were in color.
Profile Image for Daniel.
456 reviews16 followers
October 1, 2020
What can I say, I like learning about new things!

Personally welding used to fall somewhat outside my normal sphere of direct interest, but a particularly special woman in my life does it for a living and I wanted to be able to better understand her days and her job. Im by no means an expert after reading a single low level text on the subject but.. I do think I will be able to better understand and support her (even if only a tiny little bit!)

Anyway. The book. Its honestly not a great for dummies book compared to other entries. It has the style and sense of humor I have come to expect, and its still full of new information that was relatively easy to digest. But to list a few gripes the chapter order is at times pretty poorly thought out, the examples are almost universally drawn instead of an actual picture to use as a more accurate reference, and it takes the author a LOT longer than it should to actually define what certain main welding methods actually are instead of just talking about the pros and cons.

You can still pick up a lot, and as always the book would make more sense if you are actively immersed in the subject, but it isnt as good as some other for dummies books at providing that initial gateway into the hobby/craft/skill.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
52 reviews
January 11, 2026
A nice overview of stick, MIG, and TIG welding, with some other interesting stuff thrown in, like oxyacetylene. I think the black and white, low-resolution photos hold this book back. I think the descriptions of angles to hold while welding are also difficult to visualize and would benefit from additional photos or diagrams. Overall, this is an engaging and accessible read. I'm glad I started learning about welding with this book.
Profile Image for Stephen Rose.
321 reviews49 followers
March 29, 2025
Such a great intro to Welding. I’ve done a little cutting and welding but want to improve as be also teach my kids. This was a great intro to not just the tools but also the metals! I appreciate the charts with metal composition and welding requirements. There is also a practice project of welding together a grill that I’m looking forward to doing with the kids.

⚠️ Parental Warnings ⚠️
None
Profile Image for Cody Wilcox.
48 reviews
December 10, 2019
Good for beginner knowledge

This is a good book for starting out. Now I need to practice. Will be referring back to this often.
Profile Image for john lambert.
285 reviews
February 25, 2025
I really liked this book. I'm a big fan of these dummy books, going back to the original 'dummy' book, which was stolen from my VW van as I did laundry in Seattle in the late 70s. What a bum, stealing my bible. How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot. That's not my misspelling! It kept that old van going!

This book, welding, is simple. The author is funny and writes well. The explanations of the different types of welding (stick, tig or mig) are great. I'm going to buy some equipment in the spring and start putting together some 'art.'

Wish me luck!!
Profile Image for Hom Sack.
554 reviews13 followers
December 19, 2014
Definitely more that I wanted to know, but all good. It is fairly comprehensive for an introductory book. I learned enough to stick to copper pipe and electronic soldering for the time being. The question is whether I should keep the new Flux Cored Welder and Auto Darkening Welding Helmet until then.
Profile Image for Kale Stafford.
8 reviews
Read
October 6, 2016
a kid at southalnd named asa needs to read this cuz hes the shittiest welder i know and maybe hed learn something
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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