Taking Some Welding Classes

[Egon]

designed to get your feet wet

Yea; the footwear, Wear wool/cotton socks and keep the laces tight on the boots. :thumbsup:

Or wear a pair of them in style running shoes with the big tongues, laces undone and a pair of neat nylon socks.:laughing:

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

OK,shipyard welders are not just ship yard welders,you got burners,you got some sub arc wlders and some flat flux core welders,[no welders in the mix so far],than,,,you got some steamfitters/pipefitters/boiler makers who are welders[well],for the most part anyways...so,just saying a shipyard welder is a welder and has a good job,,you ain't been there have you???and you ain't a welder either if you say that,,are you..

There are all kinds of welders in a shipyard and all kinds of ship yards. Yes I have been there, but never worked there. I have friends who have though.

 

[mbohuntr]

By all means take it seriously, I lost an aquaintance, as well as nearly myself a couple of times. The simple things can kill you. Don't lean on the table and touch the stinger, Don't weld on sealed objects, or containers that used to contain flamable stuff, Don't run the acetylene past 14psi (BOOM), Blaa,blaa blaa. (Seriously, pay attention to safety, enjoy the pain of fresh burns, and HAVE FUN!!!):thumbsup:

 

[Denwa]

You can get plenty of ideas for welding projects by checking the Build It Yourself and Customization forums on TBN.

Also check the web for simple 3pt hitch implements you can weld up.

Thanks. I'm sure I'll come up with a couple of useful ideas. One thing would be a grinder pedestal using a school bus brake drum and some pipe and plate.
D.

 

[Denwa]

This is the type of course level that is designed to get your feet wet and give you a little "play" time. Very few come out of those courses ready to hit the shipyards. But they are valuable and exactly the type of courses I recommend for our customers that call and ask advice and want me to give them a crash course over the phone in welding.

Zactly. Doing this so get a taste and to start to figure out what gear will fill my needs. Speaking of gear Mark, your web site is way too good. Makes a guy want to buy things. ;' > The site is really on the right track. Making it an educational resource will keep folks coming back for answers and a look see at what's new or now interesting. Good on ya.

I'd recommend that you take the 101 course very seriously, as the majority of it is likely to cover very basic safety issues related to welding.....

Not to worry, I have a healthy respect for hot sparky things and anything with voltage involved.

As far as clothing, get you a lightweight welding jacket or long sleeve heavy denim or ...............

All good advice, thanks. Not a fan of burns, especially my nipples ;' >
Appreciate you contributions here. Great to have someone very knowledgeable and on the other side of the counter contributing to the forum. All things being equal, if I buy new, I'll be be giving you a call.

Dennis

 

[Denwa]

The nice thing about taking a weling class is that you will probably use different brands of welders. Unfortuantely it sounds like you will only do GMAW, not stick, tig or O/A welding which I did in my first welding course. In my course I saw different machines and used different methods of welding so that I coule make a better choice of welding machine when I finally bought a couple of machines.

There are many more levels of classes available beyond what I'm signing on for now, all the way up to several certifications. Doubt I'll try to make a new career out of this, but at least I'll learn how not to kill myself while I'm mucking about figuring things out.

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[Denwa]

Yea; the footwear, Wear wool/cotton socks and keep the laces tight on the boots. :thumbsup:

Oh yeah, boots, have to dig out some old high tops and a ratty pair of Carharts so's I don't burn up the newer stuff. Or myself.

Or wear a pair of them in style running shoes with the big tongues, laces undone and a pair of neat nylon socks.:laughing:

*I* won't, but I'll keep a sharp eye out for the folks that do. Cheap entertainment as long as it's not one's own skin on fire ;' >

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[Denwa]

By all means take it seriously, I lost an aquaintance, as well as nearly myself a couple of times. The simple things can kill you. Don't lean on the table and touch the stinger, Don't weld on sealed objects, or containers that used to contain flamable stuff, Don't run the acetylene past 14psi (BOOM), Blaa,blaa blaa. (Seriously, pay attention to safety, enjoy the pain of fresh burns, and HAVE FUN!!!):thumbsup:

Serious I will take it for sure. The fresh burn thing must be kind of like the pleasure some folks seem to derive from the pain of getting a tattoo. ;' >

If you're willing, I'd be interested in "hearing" some of your horror stories. Real world close calls or fatal errors always stick in my mind better than just the theory.

In the diving business a couple of the consumer publications finally got around to having a regular feature titled "why divers die" or some such.
VERY educational. In any activity where you aren't likely to get a second chance if you make a serious blunder, it's very instructional to learn of others mistakes to help avoid doing the same yourself.

Regards,
Dennis

 

[mbohuntr]

One of my first welding jobs was in a boiler factory many moons ago. We used to line up the boilers side by side on a platform called "The Block" There was a steel plate that ran along the floor on the block that we used to bolt our ground to. Well, that plate didn't run all the way across the block. The last boiler the crane set wasn't on that plate!!! I was sweating hard, and wearing 3/4 leathers (open back) I leaned back on the boiler behind me and placed my left hand on the shell of the boiler in front of me, and struck an arc... The only reason I'm still here is because it wasn't my right arm and passed the current through my heart. About 15 years ago, I was teaching an apprentice to fit up, and he touched the stinger to my bare arm as I was holding a piece of channel iron. A friend died when he rolled onto an exposed lead as he was laying in the shell. I also saw the result of a man welding on a sealed square tube. Half his head was caved in. He survived, but what a lesson....The rapidly expanding gasses exploded the tube. Welding is great fun, and I'm proud of the scars i've earned from slag going down my shoes, my forearms, and best of all, laying on my back in a shell, welding overhead with 1/4" E6010. (nowhere to hide, just grin and bear it... )

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

I hate 1/8" 6010 overhead, I can't imagine 1/4".