psychobilly451, welcome to CHR. You may get a lot of answers to this, but my suggestion is to look for courses at your local community colleges or vocational/tech schools. Hands on learning and training for welding and fabricating is probably the best way to learn the trade and the tricks. You could do it on your own with books and video, but it would likely be time consuming and prone to errors. You could also look for a friend who has some experience and learn from them. But if I were looking to do it, I'd be looking for courses first. just my .02.