Welding

Hello, I'm new here. Also new to welding and would like to ask for some advice. I got the basics as far as I know, I have an old MIG welder my father barely used, hopefully still in working order. Also I have some steel scrap lying around on witch to make my first failures. And of course safety equipment, especially eye protection. My biggest problem is the space. I hear it should be well ventilated which limits me to outdoors. And this is a problem because I live in a city. I have an access to an inner block yard I could utilize pretty much at my disposal as it mostly goes unused. See pic related. There are some flamables but they're behind a tarp so unless I do it right next to it I wager it will be fine. Problem is the UV light the arc produces and I don't want to blind anyone. I came up with a frame with some cloth in it that should block that and hopefully catch the droplets as well. Is this a good idea? If so, do you think cotton fabric is up for the task? Any general advice regarding the subject is also appreciated.

If you have to go with cloth use something flame retardant, no way cotton is up to the task. What you have in your drawing is a basic curtain an its what you would find in a lot of shops. Think shower curtains. As far as ventilation is concerned a window fan, cardboard, duck-tape, and 3in dia dryer vent works great for short term ventilation for a verity of tasks. Make yourself a hood for the intake side off the fan, make 4 triangles that meet up in the center to get you close to your 3in dia hole you will be making. Be sure that this is not flat but a pyramid. Grab something 3in in diameter, Tape all this in position. Remember to consider the amount of weight you that will be hanging from this intake while you are mounting it. slide your intake pipe into position at the point of pyramid. Tape it all together, use a clamp to hold the dryer tube to the intake pipe. Use strong tape, cheap stuff will fall apart in hot conditions. On the other end of your intake I like to take a metal clothes hanger and twist it into a stand or hook depending where i need the most exhaust. Also, get a auto tinting mask, this will make learning a lot easier.