So I did a thing...

I've been meaning to learn to weld for a long time. I have a crazy idea for a next project (Mercedes 190SL body on a custom roadster shop chassis ) which will involve a LOT of welding so I guess it's finally time to learn how to weld. I just picked up this beast of a machine. AC/DC MIG and TIG, pulsed MIG and pulsed TIG, Al MIG without a spool gun... way more machine than I'll ever need but actually less expensive than the Miller multiprocess machine. Now I just need to get a tank of gas and some scrap metal and the sparks will start flying. I've purchased and read this excellent book already but am thinking of doing a couple of semesters at a local community college to learn MIG and TIG welding properly.

Trying to learn everything this machine can do all at once sounds like a terrible idea so I'm going to focus initially on MIG welding mild steel plate and sheet metal. I'll start off with short arc welding with C25 gas and then move to pulsed MIG spray transfer with C10. That should probably cover 90% of what I need to be able to do. Then I'll try to tackle the TIG side.

Those of you out there that know how to weld, what are your top tips for those new to welding? I've watched about a million YT videos already but always love to hear from the seasoned pros.