SwampThing

Well, I'm sure we've got a fair share of professionals here at YT who make a living doin fab work and whatnot, but I'm interested where everyone started off learnin the tips and tricks of the trade. I'll tell you first off I don't even consider myself an amature welder. I learned in my buddy's garage with a little 110v MIG welder making zip guns and seats to go into a bumper's trailer reciever. Our skill hasn't improved much, we're basically just drunken rednecks with a touch of pyromania I'm just wondering how most of yall went from welding railroad spikes to bumpers for deer slaying to fabing up front/rear end replacments and whatnot. Did you go to school, get a job as a apprentice somewhere, or what? I mean it's fun and all just screwing around with a welder, but sometimes you get a hankerin to make something a little more grand

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da_bigg_wigg

I'm in the same boat as you SwampThing. My skills are terrible, and I'd like to improve. It doesn't help that at the moment I don't even have access to a welder since I moved away from home. My dad's welder is a piece of crap anyways. I know it, he knows it... I think he got it for free from some work raffle. For welds that you couldn't give two ˟˟˟˟˟˟ about if its perfect, but as for anything nice and clean fuggedaboudit...

the_4runnin'_beast

I like to think I'm pretty good. Pretty much self taught. Always came natural to me.... Damn, I want a TIG welder!

waskillywabbit

I learned to weld 20+ years ago at a junior college during the summer. It was hot as crap welding in June/July/August all day long, but I wouldn't trade the skill for anything. If you want to learn how to weld "right" either take the classes at a junior college/trade school or have someone who knows what they are doing teach you, i.e. you don't want the blind leading the blind here. Welding is a skill that takes practice and if you don't have some guidance there are a lot of things you can do wrong and still weld, but IMO anything worth doing is worth doing "right". There is a LOT more to welding than just owning a welder and using it to stick metal together.

SwampThing

Exactly. I mean I know offroading shops have fabbers and whatnot, but who'd honestly want to hire someone with limited experience and questionable knowledge. "I see you put you had experience with a plasma torch on your resume. And what kind of experience would that be? CUTTING A TRUCK IN TWO WHILE DRINKING IN YOUR UNDERWEAR IN THE DEAD OF WINTER!? You are SOO hired!"

the_4runnin'_beast

HAHA!!!! Using any sort of welding/cutting tools in your underwear is always a good idea!

In my metal shop class in high school, there was a freshman who had no idea what he was doing (weird, huh?). One day, he finished welding and went to go quench his metal...The only problem with that was the fact that he didn't turn of the torch! He set it down on his work station and came back, in utter amazment, to his hoses being on fire! Let's just say, he didn't do any more work for the rest of the year.

surf4runner

a friend scored an lotus w/ a bent frame. we pulled the body and unmangled the frame.
he showed me how to weld on some exhaust tubing and scraps, then the frame. it was a fun car and it came out well for letting a teenage amatuer have at it at least it drove straight.

i wouldnt rely on my skills w/o someone experianced to inspect afterwards

i almost enrolled in a school that specilaizes in underwater welding, for wrecks and the oil industry.

bballchrism

i havent completly learned how to weild yet but i am learning first my dad brought home this peice of crap arc weilder that he got for free its so hard to strike a arc, now i am learning on my freinds tig weilder sooooooooo much easier . my weilds arnt that good but i am still learning

drguitarum2005

took a class at my local community college last summer. it was a blast!

HarrisonP

I was lucky enough to have a dad that owned a small engine shop and some very nice equipment. Started off with mig and stick, then just this past year the TIG. Got a lot of experience with the plasma cutter and now I am doing all of the metal work at the shop.

burtonsoldier

taking a class at a community college is the best route first off your getting credit for welding second, you get real good instuction and third you dont have to pay for all the metal and rod you use other than the class fee, i mean who wants to pay for all that scrap metal and rod when you can do it on the cheap.

seanz0rz

im going the self taught way till i can find some kind of time to take a class either at my university or the local community college.

4Crawler

Took a few years of evening classes at the local adult-ed center:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri....shtml#Welding

Well worth the small cost involved. Plus really helpful to find out what processes work for you and what features and capabilities you want to find in a welder for the tasks you plan to do.

BruceTS

I first started oxy/acet welding when I was 14....self taught. then learned how to stick weld a few years later, then got a MIG welder in 86' and finally a few years ago purchased a TIG.... Most was self taught, but learned a few tricks from experienced welders.......

rhah

Learned ARC and MIG working in Heavy Equiptment/Welding shop and learned TIG at a machine shop. Pretty much self taught and a little reading a few years back. I have my CWB and now putting time in for my Advanced.

Ringmaster

I learned in high school shop somewhere around 36 years ago now. Kept on welding, trying new things, and now I fab for a living.

How things have changed over the years, Plasma cutters, Wire feeds, Tig, all the sheilding gase's we have now.

Much improved over the old farmer rod we used to burn in the 70's.

Cebby

I was taught by a guy I used to work for. That guy could weld the crack of dawn if you could get a clamp on it...

Robinhood150

Started back in jr high metal shop...oxy-ace, mig and stick. Did minor repairs on my dad's farm equipment with the buzz box. Took the welding classes required for ME in college, helped build our solar car and various other things for various classes. So mostly self taught with some classes thrown in here and there.

hamstrungtaco

i learned from a co worker who used to weld submarines, and another who is now learning orbital tig, but a lot of it i just practiced on my own, read books and such, but i would also try to get the pros to critique them so i could get feedback

99LimitedKS

I learned in a high school semester course. Oxy-ace, stick, MIG, and TIG.