How did you get started in welding and fab work?

[deereman75]

Well, my dad has always done woodwork in the home shop.
He does shaker style furnature in cherry. (hobby only)
Anyways, he has had me in the shop with him since I was less than a year old.
He grew up on a large grain farm in alberta, and always told me stories from growing up there. Anyways, being a real early farm, it had an old blacksmith shop in adition to the standard repair shop.
Those stories always had me wanting to do some metal work.

Anyways, when I was 9, I was rebuilding an old lawn mower, and the shroud had a chunk missing.
We bought one of those bernzomatic oxy mapp paper weights, and although it kind of worked, in general it was so terrible, that my dad decided to buy one of those lincoln porta torches.
When air liquide said that they are illegal to fill or transport in canada, he realized that he was trying to cheap out on tools, a lesson he learned long ago in wood working.

Anyways, he returned that POS to home depot (his review actually got them to stop selling them!)
and got the best rig air liquide had.

We have done a lot of work with it, everthing from making anvils, to crucibles, to carts ect.
But, I always wanted more. Anyways, I finally talked him into a used lincoln tombstone, and thats when I joined here, and really got things going.

Now I have a DC longevity stick machine, tig rig, 4 cutting torches, metal lathe, vertical bandsaw, kalamazoo belt grinder, ect.




These forums sure are good at spending my money..... LOL

 

[k0ua]

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??
.....

You need to stop agonizing over it and get a welder.:devil:

You have always been able to cut and remove metal. You can saw it, file it, drill it. Lots of ways to remove metal. But you have never been able to put back so much as a molecule of metal. But with a welder you can put back metal. Fill holes, join pieces of metal together, build back surfaces, you know, fix things..Why in the world would you not want to be able to do that?

Sure it will take some time to learn, but can you imagine the feeling of accomplishment you will feel when you create or repair something?

Now go out and buy a welder

James K0UA

 

[ericher69]

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; http://s57.photobucket.com/user/big_G_01/media/Dump trailer/068.jpg.html wich eventually turned into this; http://s57.photobucket.com/user/big_G_01/media/004_zps5b542e6a.jpg.html Eventually he came and got it back, but another buddy's L140 took it's place. LOL

Oh you are one of those...

 

[weldermike]

Oh you are one of those...

He he! I get it

 

[deereman75]

I wouldn't mig a trailer with any machine I could afford.....
I just wouldn't trust it...
Took easy to get a good looking, but weak joint.....

 

[NS Gearhead]

Oh you are one of those...

Hey now! He can come and get it anytime he wants... and it's hard to justify buying my own when his is sitting there. LOL Not to mention this is the same buddy that came and got 4 chord of wood that I fell, limbed, blocked, trailered out of the woods, split by hand, stacked... and helped him load it in his trailer. We're good to eachother... I'm no mooch. : )

Oh, and the first guy would leave his truck at my place while he would go to work in Alberta two weeks at a time. When my work schedule allowed I'd bring him to the airport and pick him up... not to mention work on his truck when he requested.

 

[weldermike]

Hey now! He can come and get it anytime he wants... and it's hard to justify buying my own when his is sitting there. LOL Not to mention this is the same buddy that came and got 4 chord of wood that I fell, limbed, blocked, trailered out of the woods, split by hand, stacked... and helped him load it in his trailer. We're good to eachother... I'm no mooch. : )

Oh, and the first guy would leave his truck at my place while he would go to work in Alberta two weeks at a time. When my work schedule allowed I'd bring him to the airport and pick him up... not to mention work on his truck when he requested.

No we meant Jeepers! That crazy cult. The ones that go crazy with 130amp mig welders and go rock crawlin and muddin every weekend and drive home sideways wondering why every other weld keeps failing on a weekly basis. And trust me, I'm not funnin on you, just good ol boys cutting loose and having fun.

 

[Shield Arc]

The ones that go crazy with 130amp mig welders and go rock crawlin and muddin every weekend and drive home sideways wondering why every other weld keeps failing on a weekly basis.

I've heard you can build bridges with them there welders.

 

[NS Gearhead]

No we meant Jeepers! That crazy cult. The ones that go crazy with 130amp mig welders and go rock crawlin and muddin every weekend and drive home sideways wondering why every other weld keeps failing on a weekly basis. And trust me, I'm not funnin on you, just good ol boys cutting loose and having fun.

Oh, yup that's me! LOL But none of my welds on the jeep or trailer have failed ; )

 

[weldermike]

Oh, yup that's me! LOL But none of my welds on the jeep or trailer have failed ; )

I weld up alot of heavy equipment, and see some head shaking damage on a daily basis, but I'm yet to find a operator who caused the damage. Double wink