How did you get started in welding and fab work?

[muddstopper]

Never thought about before, but this thread got me to thinking. back in highschool the teacher at the agriculture class also taught shop. The school had all kinds of wood working tools, and I wanted a gun cabinet. The teacher got me started building my gun cabinet and I would work on it just about everyday during my study period. This was back in the earyly 70's and I sold that cabinet a few years ago when I decided I needed a much bigger one, Which is also hand made. Made the cabinets back when I was building a new home. The things he taught me has really came in handy. That old shop teacher also taught a little welding, oxy/act cutting and a little auto repair. After getting out of school I was always needing something and never had the money to buy, so make your own sort of was the only way I could have what I wanted. Need a trailer, find some steel and build one. Need a wood splitter, find some more material and build one. Need a car or truck, find a clunker and fix it up. The only real instructor training I ever had was while in high school and those lessons have stayed with me for a life time.

Thank you Wilbur Roberts, You where a good influence on a lot of kids and the lessons you taught are still being handed down to future generations. RIP

 

[ericher69]

Started around 15yrs old in shop class high school.

Had a shop teacher Ed that took a shining to me since I showed interest and willingness to learn.

Anyways did my co-OP in a small local fab/welding shop and the first week there the owner had me sweeping the floors.

One of his senior weldors says kid put the broom down your coming with me.

Owner boss says "where is he going". Henry little French welder says; the kid is here to learn and he won't learn an f-in thing sweeping the floors so he is coming with me to the job site.

We went off and I ended up doing root passes on pipe (once he believed me to be ready) and many other cool things.

My grandfather was a welder by trade and my uncle is so I guess it runs in the family.

Started off with my father buying a small AC stick welder (don't remember make) upgrading to a Canox Sparkler then a Lincoln SP170-T and now a New Millermatic 252.

I still enjoy welding/fabrication to this day (even though I do not rely on it to provide for my family) because of the devotion that my mentors had to the trade.

 

[ultrarunner]

No shop classes offered in High School.

My interest in restoring cars led me to take welding and machine classes at the local Community College... liked it so much I did the full two year program and became a certified welder...

Decided I wanted more and transferred to get my 4 year degrees in Engineering and Business while working my way through school.

After graduation I was offered a position in a Tool and Machine company making components for the Space Shuttle... worked with a lot of talented people... many had learned the trade in Germany.

The day the Space Shuttle blew up I was on the shop floor and two days later someone from NASA was on the shop floor directing us to finish work in progress only because the program was put on hold...

I could see the handwriting on the wall... today... none of the companies we designed for even have a presence here anymore. Lot of fab and desing jobs came through the shop for companies like Kellogs, James River, Hexcell, Owens Illinois, Caterpillar, Crown Zellerbach, etc...

Started buying homes to repair and rent... figured one every year of two would be a good start.

About two years later, the local Hospital had a crisis with their emergency generator and one of the supervisors said she knew someone that could fix it and that led to my accepting 1991 current position as Hospital Engineering Director in 1991.

I do have a small home shop that has made a fair number of repairs for the the hospital... have a Bridgeport tape mill, Southbend Lathe, spot, mig, arc and gas welding equipment and nicely equiped service van that is now been with me for 23 years...

TBN has some really talented craftspeople that produce some amazing work... I still have lots to learn!

 

[weldermike]

I got a erector set and a soldering gun for christmas when I was 8, and I lost my mind and went insane.

 

[Ed of all trades]

My dad got sick when I was 10 and we had 200 ac of open land and 64 angus cows, plus calves and 2 bulls. Someone had to take care of them so I was elected. I was cutting hay the next year, I was 11, and the mower broke. I went in the house to tell daddy and he said we would have to find someone to weld it. I said why don't I just do it, even though I did not know how. He told me how and I went down to the shop and welded it. I bet I welded that piece 10 times before I got it to hold but after that it held for years. Got to junior high and high school and took shop, got a little better at welding. Have worked at welding shops building stairs and rails, and ran my own repair service for a while. Have welded everything from log skidders to guns with a stick welder with good results. Still have the old AC Lincoln buzz box I used that day when I was eleven, Need to get some leads on it and use it for old times sake. That is how I started, would not advise most 11 year old kids to try it but it worked for me.

 

[CJONE]

Dad was a welder for the ironwokers in detroit, then moved to Northern Michigan and went to work welding for a oilfeild company. I went to a 2 year trade school for welding when I was still in highschool. Went to work for a oilfield trucking company as a mechanic. We had a crane section repaired at a local welding company, it failed because of poor welds. Told the boss I could do better so he let me repair it. After that we never sent anything out for welding including truck builds. Another mechanic was a very good fabricator and he taught me alot about truck builds. A good friend of my dads was/is a pipeline welder and taught me how to weld pipe. The rest is history so to speak. As far a welders, I have a portable stick/mig and 2 stationary migs. Don't do alot of welding anymore maybe 1-2 times a week but I still enjoy it. CJ

 

[kg7il]

That old shop teacher also taught a little welding, oxy/act cutting and a little auto repair.

My start was in High School, late 60's. Same start as many. I could really burn a lump back then. Went years without giving welding a second thought.

I start out out honey -- I gotta fix this and it only costs ..... look at what I can save next time too

Since getting the mini-farm and the tractor, the need arose. Wife had ok'd a used welder one from a swap meet / rock show but a little research showed it was not priced well.

Some time passed before I picked up the Lincoln Weld-Pak 125HD Wire Feed.

It seems that wire-feed helps, or my skills matured without practice. Certainly not a welder, just a handy man that needs things fixed.

I have successfully welded a cracked weld (3 places) on the 60 Rotary Cutter, repaired the hanger pins for my landscape rake's tines, secured the stop on the fence post driver and . . . . you know how it is.

My first real project will be the Grizzly for getting the rocks out of my new garden area.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/293158-working-design-grizzly-vibrator-input.html

I have also joined the Welding Web for more focused info, but love it here in Tractor Country.

 

[compact]

I haven't gotten there yet but here's a recording of a typical dream where my 2 halves battle eachother:

MUST--STOP--LOOKING--AT--WELDERS-- Welding is a time sink. I don't need to weld I can bring it in. Its not cost effective.
MUST--GET--WELDER-- I'll be a more complete person
MUST--STOP--LOOKING--AT--WELDERS-- I hate walking by the Ironman 230 at TSC...I think it's possessed and wants only to make my marriage difficult
MUST--GET--WELDER-- She lets me have a tractor and mini-ex because I'm supposed to build things...maybe some decorative welding projects...
MUST--STOP--LOOKING--AT--WELDERS-- Then I will need other stuff
MUST--GET--WELDER-- YES!! other stuff!!
MUST--STOP--LOOKING--AT--WELDERS-- The 3/8" steel top bench I just got for $20 and is now in my basement is no excuse to just get a welder
MUST--GET--WELDER-- Nice bench in basement is perfect for metal fab
MUST--STOP--LOOKING--AT--WELDERS-- I don't have time to learn and know basically zilch so I should just forget it
MUST--GET--WELDER-- Since when has that stopped me??
.....

 

[timster2]

I use to go to my grandparents place for the summer back when Long Island was rural. Neighbor had a welding business and seven kids all the boys and myself use to work for ice cream money chipping slag and wire brushing his welding prior to paint. At ten years old this was fun for an hour or two a day. As we got older we helped doing some fabricating, he had contracts making overhead guards for a fork lift company. We would help with the bending and watch the automatic cutting torch, which I thought was the coolest thing running on its own little rail road tracks. Eventually learned to weld and spent summers as a teen welding and fabricating as well as helping my uncle repair trucks.

One of the first big tools I bought was my craftsman AC buzz box back in the late sixties, still have it today still works just fine.

 

[NS Gearhead]

Well I just started welding three years ago. Every time I had something to weld (wich was often being a Jeeper) it was a mayjor PITA. I found that anyone I knew that welded always had their own projects to do... and my stuff was low on the priority list. One day I was telling this to a buddy and he volunteered his little Migpac 10. So I learned on a couple pieces of scrap and made this;


wich eventually turned into this;


Eventually he came and got it back, but another buddy's L140 took it's place. LOL