First welding class tonight

Gary_in_Indiana · Sep 14, 2002

Franz,

Our instructor told us how things should sound before he bothered to tell us how they should look. He said we'd hear it before we'd see it. I won't get into what analogies he used so as not to start a debate over the sound of bacon frying vis'-a-vis the sound of steak on the grille. Suffice it to say that the sound of a good weld being put down has been covered. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

gmason · Sep 16, 2002

Here's a picture of on of our welding booths. Walls are all painted black. You can see the Lincoln welder in this booth, and the gas tank for the mig welders.

gmason · Sep 16, 2002

Here's picture of the board that has samples of the good welds processes that we need to follow.
gary

Gary_in_Indiana · Sep 16, 2002

I like that idea and wish we had that. The second class is tonight and I'll try to report in tomorrow. The one thing I'm going to make certain I do tonight is have my throat covered. I'm still a little tender there from the 'sunburn' from last week resulting from a low collar and a long neck my helmet didn't fully cover. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Anonymous Poster · Sep 16, 2002

Gary, you've discovered the difference between teachin and learnin. You learned a valuable lesson.
Another one I can save you the learnin on is NEVER CARRY MATCHES IN YOUR SHIRT POCKET.

bgott · Sep 17, 2002

Or a plastic Bic or other disposable lighter.

wroughtn_harv · Sep 17, 2002

Don't forget the boots! I don't wear boots with a ridge around the toe. I've see guys who did dance the dance cause eventually one of them there dingle berries burnt through.

I wear lace ups. I've heard guys complain how that with lace ups it takes too long to get out of them when a dingle berry hits home. But I figure a dingle berry has a much greater chance of getting into a pull on than it does a lace up.

My wife is ironing behind me reading over my shoulder and talking. She's insisting that I mention that ya'll shouldn't be like me and work in a t shirt. Them pockets are only for pencils anyways, right?

I guess she doesn't want any of ya'll to have the little freckle looking thingys I have all over more'n anywhere's else. Them dingle berrys do like to party!

Gary_in_Indiana · Sep 17, 2002

Fortunately I have no need of matches or a lighter. Smoking is a vice I never acquired. I did get my first burn hole in a shirt last night from a piece of slag I chipped off. The boots I'm using now are really smooth with no places for anything hot to get caught where it can't be kicked off quickly. They are pull-ons but high enough it's highly unlikely (yeah, I know) anything would burn through jeans and fall down inside. At least that's how it's supposed to work. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

As to the class itself, last night was spent trying to get a series of welds to overlap 1/8" atop the first bead. My work isn't ready for any kind of grading but is getting better. As with so many things, it's practice time that makes the difference. Actually, I had a rather nice set of beads I thought would do the trick until the instructor looked at them and told me they were far closer to 1/4" than 1/8" wide.

I have to admit it was far easier to do the 1/4" than the 1/8" buildups, too. Those smaller lines were far tougher to get down properly. I'll give it another shot next week. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

bgott · Sep 18, 2002

I was cutting some metal one time when a glob of slag dropped through a hole I didn't know was in the toe of my lace up boot. I started laughing and the guy next to me asked what was up. I told him about the molten metal that was burning it's way down between my toes and he asked what was so funny about that. I told him it was funny because there wasn't a f**kin' thing I could do about it. I had some slag get in my ear, that durn near killed me. I could hear it sizzle as it went 'round and 'round and down my ear canal, the almost killed part is when I tried to sit up under the bailer I was changing bearings on. I worked for a junkyard when I was a kid, that's were I learned to not even flinch when the slag falls on my chest. If I haven't done it in a while I'll dance around until I get used to it again. I don't have a real steady hand cutting freehand under ideal conditions much less while laying on my back flopping around trying to keep those little dingleberries rolling until they cool off.

wroughtn_harv · Sep 18, 2002

It don't take you long to learn to ignore the feeling and oh dear of burning. One bumping of body part into something and knee jerk reaction is something someone else does from then on.

I've had more than one dingleberry loose in the ear. I'm not sure if the pain is worse than the sound. I do know that I can smell through my ear. Cause when it's happened there's been a stench of burnt flesh I could taste!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

It only takes one time for a dingle berry to land on a metal watch or ring for you to decide jewelery is for other folks. That brass and gold heats up instantly all around. So instead of having a single owee about the size of pencil point you have this nice burn where the glitz lived before you decided it wasn't important anymore.

I had both pants legs on fire one time. That was hilarious, in retrospect.