Top 5 Welding Books (What Every Welder Should Read)

One of the most useful resources a beginner welder can have is a good book. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t very good at welding until I got my hands on a few workbooks and guides from my local library. These texts were a great supplement to the welding I did weekly, and It improved my skills.

So if you are serious about getting better at welding, I think you should take a look at a decent book for you to study in your free time.

Studying welding in one’s spare time will increase one’s welding ability dramatically. It will help the welder to achieve welds that one would not have otherwise been capable of achieving. Also, studying welding will save much time practicing due to teaching techniques that one may not have been able to know without the help of a suitable welding book written by a master welder.

That is the main reason why I created this article. I wanted to talk about the best books, guides, and templates for beginner welders, trying to learn the ropes of this craft. I have learned a lot from the books that I recommend below, so they are well worth your money, especially if you are looking to learn specific welding techniques & procedures. So without further ado, please enjoy it! I hope you find this article useful.

Welding For Dummies

Also known as the welder’s bible, this is perhaps the best beginner’s book (listed on Amazon) I have ever read on the art of welding. If you want to get into this, but aren’t sure how to start or don’t have anybody to teach you, then this is the book that you want to have handy!

I love this book because it gives you a quick, concise, but throughout explanation of the basics of welding, safety considerations, the most important equipment you should buy, and more!

The Welding for Dummies book has always been a to-go choice for anybody just getting into any kind of discipline or craft, and I think they have done a really good job with the execution of this book. Expect to learn how to weld the most common types of materials, the proper techniques any welder should learn, and of course: detailed images to go with it.

It truly is the best book there is when it comes to newbies, especially when you consider the fact that this book is everywhere, unlike some of the other choices on this list. 

There’s also another big benefit of this book and another reason why I recommend it so fervently: it’s very affordable. It is perhaps the cheapest book on this list, which is a big pro when you consider the fact that other professional books out can easily go for more than 100 bucks. Not only that, but as I said above, this book is pretty much available everywhere. You will easily find this at your local Barnes & Noble, and if not, it’s always In stock online on amazon.

Audel Welding Pocket Reference

Every welder would appreciate having this welding reference book on hand. It is a nice compact book to have on hand for beginner to intermediate welders because its hard to remember everything, and this book is great for reference. It is different from the for dummies series book above because it goes more in-depth on not only welding but brazing and many different metals that you will encounter when doing odd jobs and DIY. 

If you are going to be purchasing this book, then I would recommend that you buy the paper version and not the kindle one. It is because unlike the ‘For Dummies’ book above, this book is great to have on hand and in the workshop. That way, it will come in handy when you need it the most, like how to proceed with welding a specific material or thickness.

Not sure how to weld aluminum the proper way? Want to learn more about the deadly fumes that welding can emit? You can find all this information inside this pocketbook. 

Now this book does not cover all different types of welding in-depth like TIG, for instance. It does, however, cover aspects of welding, including Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), which is what many beginners or hobbyist welders use.

On the other side of the coin, if you are looking for something more in-depth for something like TIG welding, I would check out: TIG Welding Secrets book on Amazon. I’d say that this text covers a broad scope, including Oxyacetylene welding and cutting, so if you are looking for something that will give you a comprehensive how-to on a specific type of welding you may like one of the other books listed in this article.

But if you are interested in the fundamentals on a wide variety of topics related to metals and welding, this is a solid choice.

Welder’s Handbook: A Guide to Plasma Cutting, Oxyacetylene, ARC, MIG and TIG Welding, Revised and Updated

Another great, easy to read the book, not only will you learn the basics of welding relatively quickly if you read this book, but this book also contains specific information that pertains to auto work.

If you are looking for welding information for that specific industry, then you probably can’t do better than picking up this book here (inexpensively on Amazon). The only problem that I have with it is the fact that the information in it is somewhat outdated, but that doesn’t mean that It doesn’t have pertinent information in it. 

While this book will have comprehensive information on MIG, TIG, and arc welding in general, where this book shines is the fact that it contains a lot of auto-related welding info. There are a few plans inside this book that will help you build a race car. Aside from this, if you are looking for anything related to auto restoration, this book will be well worth the read, with specific diagrams on how to do several things. 

Other than this, this is also a good book for marine and aviation applications. I would personally recommend this if you are looking to do any kind of welding-related to those fields, but if not, you might be better off with another book on this list, like the first or second choices above.

How To Weld Scrap Metal Art: 30 Easy Welding Projects You Can Make At Home

You could say this book on welding scrap metal art goes hand in hand with our website. As you probably know, Gizmoplans is a website that offers you all sorts of DIY welding plans on many different projects. Be sure to check out our article on projects you can weld and sell here, and our other post on where to find free scrap metal here.

This book, along with our related blog posts, will give you a bunch of ideas on creating inexpensive welded items. You can earn some spare change by just investing a little of your time. Or, maybe you just want a cool design for your backyard, or a unique hand made gift. While I would like for this book to be a little bit more detailed with some of its projects, it is still a great addition to any hobbyist.

For someone just starting to weld, this is a great choice to learn how to weld for fun. You could, as mentioned, also use this book to make money on the side. You won’t believe how much money people are making by selling these finished projects on Facebook groups, craigslist, and even nationally on Etsy.

Many people are making excellent part-time cash by creating their unique items. This book will help you get your creative ideas flowing.

The only thing that I would like with this book is to be a little bit more detailed on a couple of projects. Many of the projects are good for beginners because you are welding art, and art does not need structural integrity. Plus, the projects can be done out of scrap, so you don’t have to worry about wasting valuable steel.  Check out this fun book on Amazon here.

NOTE: As you probably know, I also provide DIY plans on this website. If you want to learn more, please click here!

Welding Skills

This is the most comprehensive book on welding. And for someone looking to get into welding as a career or seriously looking to weld for a living. This is perhaps one of the most technical books with many full-color illustrations as well as different applications. With it being more technical, comes a bigger price tag, so as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. For complete details, check out the welding skills book here on Amazon.

This book might be a little bit more technical than what some are looking for, but if you are like me, I dig in deep when I want to learn something new. For me, half the fun is learning, but for others, you may just need more of the basics, like the first book we recommended in this article. So I would recommend it to people looking to work on this full time or are serious about welding in general. The pros of this book are undeniable: Expect to become a better tradesman if you fully apply the information on this book. 

One of the problems that this book has is the fact that it’s a little bit too expensive than some of the other choices in this article. Because of this and the other factors that I mentioned above, I would only recommend buying this if you are serious about learning. Part of the reason why it’s so expensive is that reportedly, copies are really hard to come by. If you want this book but can’t afford it for any reason, it might be wise to just find a used copy. 

Aside from this, you can’t go wrong, check out the details on this comprehensive welding skills guide.

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