Reddit mentions of US Forge Welding Economy Chipping Hammer

Tools? Welders' chipping hammer, a wire brush, and a set of mig pliers. A combination square and a tape measure. That's all I really needed in my first year.

My first year welding, the journeyman I learned from would not let me use an automatic shade. I learned to start an arc in the dark, by feel. It was hard and frustrating but it made me a better welder and I now insist those I teach start out that way for a least a few weeks.

Practice? NO PRACTICE WITHOUT PRIOR INSTRUCTION. The men who taught me were insistent about this. If you don't know what you're doing or why, you're just going to develop bad habits trying to figure it out on your own. Practicing geometry and layout skills, and learning about welding electrode/wire selection and work positions, machine setup, etc. are a different story. They're important knowledge for a welder who wants to go places, and are a skillset many don't have.