Free online course Welding Basics

About the free online course

Welding is one of the most practical hands-on skills you can add to your professional toolkit, whether you want to qualify for shop work, maintain equipment, or tackle durable DIY fabrication. This free online course is designed for beginners who want a clear starting point and a confident path forward. You will learn how welding works at a fundamentals level, why shielding gas and flux matter, and how to think about creating a strong, clean joint rather than simply melting metal together.

A major hurdle for new welders is choosing the right process and setup. Here you will build decision-making skills that translate to real purchases and real work: what to look for in your first stick, MIG, or TIG welder, how material thickness affects machine selection and settings, and why stick welding can be a strong option when conditions are less controlled. Along the way, you will develop the practical mindset that separates safe, consistent results from trial-and-error guessing.

The course also bridges the gap between theory and doing. Through a beginner-friendly project approach, you will see how planning, measuring, and preparing parts fit into fabrication, including how panels can be cut for a build. You will also learn the everyday habits that protect your investment and keep results consistent, with maintenance insights that help you prevent common issues before they show up in your welds.

As you advance, the focus turns to aluminum, where many welders struggle when moving from steel to a metal that conducts heat differently and demands cleaner technique. You will explore MIG welding aluminum with a spool gun, including recommended shielding gas, and then step into TIG fundamentals such as torch grip, hand movement, puddle control, and smooth filler introduction. Troubleshooting guidance helps you understand root causes of problems like porosity and how to avoid them through better preparation, process control, and technique.

Finally, you will gain exposure to higher-level TIG controls used for aluminum work, including AC balance and frequency, and how waveform options can support tricky joints or mismatched thicknesses. By the end, you should be able to choose an appropriate process, handle key equipment decisions with confidence, and practice a technique-first approach that leads to stronger, cleaner welds.