And this is what he said was a stress fracture, not enough to fail or anything but I just can't make up my mind if its a scratch or if it is a stress fracture. The direction makes me think it might be a fracture but who knows. Only defect on either and again, not enough to fail the bend

I took a summer/no credit welding course at the local college. The instructor was excellent.
He stated that he'd rather teach us than the kids he teaches in a 4 year degree class.
All they want to do is check a box, because they are all going to be the boss.... not some dirty welder.
I did have a dumb (really dumb) young kid in my class who thought he was going to get a job welding after taking this summer "fun" class.

I'll be honest this class has me a bit stressed out. I was kind of like that kid to be honest when I first started welding. I had a very simplistic view that you slap some metal together and weld it and get paid big bucks. I had no clue just how intensive the whole program was going to be, and how the real world hiring process is when it comes to welding.

To give you an example, I am stressing a bit because our instructor has said that it's a pass or fail class. You bend a vertical up plate and you pass. So we were all thinking that between now and when class ends, so long as you bent one you were good. We were wrong, he said last Thursday hes going to do it just like a job interview, where you get a numbered piece of metal on the last night of class, and you have from  when the class starts to when it ends to weld it, and bend it. If rips, you fail and if it stays solid then you pass.

Now my main problem with that is that the class is not even at the point where we are doing vertical up plates. We still have several guys who are welding on vertical troughs and have not even gotten to the 2g plates.

But I will hand it to the guys in the class, they shaped up quick. I can honestly say everyone is giving it 100% now, no one is leaving before 9:20 and everyone is trying to understand what they are doing wrong.

I took welding in my senior year in high school.  I liked gas welding, hated stick welding, was ok with MIG, but loved Tig welding.  As we learned each style, we'd have to perform various welds (flat surface, sideways, overhead, up/ down) with various combinations of thicknesses.  We also had fabrication projects.  Local farmers would bring in items to weld, and we'd log our time and mark our work so it could be recorded.  Lots of grape growers who needed special hangers made.  Teacher had made a 32 Ford frame the year before, and several customers were donating to the class for us to build additional frames.  Once the fixtures were made, it became easy to do multiple parts.  The frame instructions were originally in paper traced on to cardboard, then we'd use the cardboard templates to cut the steel.  It was really cool to see the flats get tacked on and bended into more complex boxed in frame shapes.

We also learned how to use a plasma cutter, cutting torch, pattern cutters and a carbon arc cutter.  If you never seen one, it's the stick welding version of a cutting torch.  Crank up the power, insert a carbon rod, and vaporize everything in your way.  If you're talented, you can make a fine cut.  Otherwise it looks like you used a hand grenade.

Funny you mention that, the guy I had mentioned earlier who's ex Army got tired of waiting to use the band saw and asked if he could fire up the plasma cutter. I'm over near by grinding table when all of a sudden I see this blinding light, a wooshing sound and him hooting and whooping. When I heard it stop, I turned to see him with the biggest shit eating grin, and walking over with these straps that looked like they had been cut with an F-18 after burner.

I really wish I had done this in HS, and especially TIG. I had a really hard time getting the hang of Oxy fuel welding, and just couldn't get it to work right, as I would either get the puddle to hot, and not feed the rod right or not get the puddle hot enough and it would just make huge clumps. The thought of having to feed a rod, and manipulate a foot petal while holding a torch has me a bit intimidated haha.

With gas it was like a gentile sweeping motion, keeping the right angle to preheat the metal while sweeping the flame, keeping both sides to be welded molten.

I was not much of a hands on person, more of an academic, so welding was a bit of a challenge.  The teacher and a para-professional were there to help, otherwise it was move at your own pace.  Some of the kids in the class were naturals, and picked everything up really fast.  It was a strange feeling watching the instructor perform destructive testing to check a weld.  It also kept others from pulling your work from the scrap bin and claim credit.

For awhile, a nearby Whirlpool plant would donate sheet metal scraps, then we had to pay for it.  I never heard who they went to for scrap after that.

You know it was really surprising to me how many people do that shit. In every class I saw at least one person trying to pass off someone else's work as their own. Not in this one, as you can grab someones work and try and pass it off, but if you cut it and it's got a flaw your still going to be making a new one.

But what's really stupid about that, is you can get away with it for a while but eventually your going to hit a wall. That wall will come when its time to do the qualification classes which are required to graduate in both the basic degree, or the advanced degree. And in that, you have to follow a very specific protocol and weld everything to heat temp ranges, and make it exactly as the plans call for, and the inspector will check you at each process. From what I understand you do the cutting, angle work and then he checks it. Then you tack it, and if you do that right he inspects it and tells you to move on, and then when your done they finish it out, cut it and send it off for bending and X rays.

There's just no bullshitting that, and I know I personally wouldn't want to get to that point and then be exposed as a dumbass.

Kinda stoked, I got a new phone tonight and I'll be able to take more pictures again so I can hopefully explain the steps further for some of you who may be interested in taking classes, or just practicing at home.

So new phone, expect some cool pics, and maybe a video if I can do it right

In high school, I think a small portion of the students were there to fill an elective they thought would be easy.  I had taken several years of drafting, and wanted to some shop courses to apply my design and print reading knowledge.  It sure helped me appreciate vocational skills.

So tonight was somewhat of a bust, Our teacher was out sick, and so we were all bullshitting around talking about what's working and our plates for about 30 mins and didn't get started until almost 6. I start laying some pieces out, tacking my first 3g plate up and getting my station set up how I wanted. I need a coupon to extend my plate higher so it would miss the stand and I see a couple of guys who I was just talking to, packing up. I assume they are just bailing when they said that we had to stop welding in 30 mins, to go to some meeting and wouldn't be able to weld again until 8.

So I'm pretty fucking irritated and go start trying to lay down my root pass and that went to hell. So I ended up cutting some random scrap metal with the plasma cutter with a buddy.

We then get to go listen to a presentation/pitch from a local AWS rep, who had a whole slideshow and shit explaining who they are, what they do and why we should join the organization. He was a really nice guy, and I'm not knocking the AWS but that shit was timed terribly seeing as we have 4 fucking class periods left, to learn 3g and practice it before we take the final that determines if we even pass the class. He really wanted us to join as students, and open a charter and went on a really long sales pitch on why we should. The time share guys, have nothing on this guy. He was a pittbull when it came to getting new members. Just terrible timing, and I think he probably would have gotten much more interest had he come earlier in the year.

So by the time I got back, I start trying to lay my root and start the passes and this machine is just fucked up. The handle of the stinger was fucked up, and kept falling off, and the welds were just not stacking right. Using 1/8 rods at 125 I was damn near melting the quarter in backer, and I finally realized some dick had gone through and had fucked with the settings. So instead of wasting more time trying to unfuck that machine I just moved booths. My plate was FUBAR, and It was almost 9 so I just ground out the welds I had laid, and did some horizontal welds to practice my cover pass.

So I ended up with only a couple pics, but I did get a video of the plasma cutter

And my first attempt at it. I kinda fucked up a bit, and using 2 different height metals made for a nice shower of sparks. Really fun to use though.



Buddy using it


And this is what I wasted a lot of my night making. I was so irritated by the end I just tacked the plate to the holder (hence the dark brown spot on the bottom right). I knew I wasn't going to cut it, so I just used it to clad a bit and practice my cover pass.

Good job OP.

It takes a lot of guts in todays instagram world to document your early failure and eventual growth.  You have come a long way.

And the lack of initiative in other students is in all classrooms.  It is a byproduct of our educational system, where people who do perfect work get As but people that learn nothing and give 0 effort still are allowed to pass.

The only bright side is hard work and a positive attitude is still rewarded for the most part in the real world.

....And if you did this everyday you would realize the error of your post;  but it did inject some levity into the OPs thread so we should leave it

Thanks man, I found pretty early on that I actually enjoy doing this and figured that someone out there would be interested and may try a class or two after seeing what it's actually like. You can learn a lot on Youtube, but having an instructor in a class setting makes a world of difference.

As far as the other students go, a couple of us are really trying and putting in a lot of work. A third of the class is there because they turned 18 and I assume had to go to school to live at home. Another 3rd just don't care, and I frankly have no clue why they are even bothering to continue.

I mean tonight, the same guy I mentioned earlier who got mad and was throwing a fit that he had to make like 20 troughs, and who was trying to cheat by making them really tight V's instead of right angles is still trying to bullshit his way through it. He gave up on his vertical trough after making who knows how many, and moved on to the 2G plate. He made one while the teacher was out Tuesday and prepped it cut it into straps, and wasted all of last class on that, took it home to grind it more, and then ground it even more tonight. By the time he was done, he had cut it down to about 3/8ths thick and tried to bend it. The reason he ground it so much was it was riddled with porosity, and undercut. The teacher refused to let him bend it because it was ground to nothing and no longer even close to spec. He then spend the rest of the night pouting about it and instead of trying to learn why he was making mistakes, was openly telling everyone how he was going to cheat and cut the straps from the middle. One dude who was actually a welder at a company (known for being the worst in the area) has just stopped coming altogether now.

The guys who left after 10 mins got to spend the first hour grinding tables though, which was pretty funny.

Like I said, this is something you can't bullshit your way through. Even if you pass the class, what are you gonna do when you have to take the exact same test to be hired somewhere and they stand there and watch you do it.

Anyways, I got a bunch of pics tonight of the process, and my first cut on the 3g plate. I watched some videos on it to figure out what I was doing wrong, and started fresh tonight with a new game plan.

The layup



I did forget to take a picture of the cover pass/ finished product

Cutting the straps




Cutting the backer off


The strap about to get tabs added


With tabs


A new one, I'm on the 3rd pass but it's kinda hard to see from the picture.



I figured some of you might be interested in my machine, so here it is


So now onto the bend (I'll grab some of the bending machine next week)
Root pass bend. Flawless



The cover bend. Not great. It ripped

So that was a bummer. It took most of the class to prep this bad boy, and I was surprised at how well my first one came out. He said to cut it and I was hoping that I was going to nail this on my first try too, and got over confidant. So I'll try and explain what happened so you won't make the same mistake I did because I knew it was a risk, and I got sloppy. I laid the root perfectly, really burned it in, and was confidant that I had that down. I start laying stringers up the middle and sides and get to the cover pass. I got in a hurry and didn't want to wait for it to cool down, and started getting some serious sticking issues, and I got a bad electrode. I knew it was bad, and it was a mistake to keep using it. It was laying uneven and kept going out, and restarting and when it does that you are injecting porosity into your work. I laid it about 3/4 of the way up, and chucked it. I went and ground the pass out and when I did that I saw it was riddled with porosity all along that pass. I SHOULD have back gouged it further and really cut that shit out, but being in a hurry I decided that I would burn it out with the new pass.

The second mistake was not going one stringer further on the cover pass on the same side as the problem occurred. I knew I was close to the edge of the plate and I didn't overlap it far enough that it filled in all the way. I'll try and paintshop it so you can understand what I'm saying.

It really sucked dick that this was not only the first cut I failed, but that it was in a spot that I had never had any problems with before. My number one area of concern was the root, and the cover bend was usually a formality. The fact that it ripped where it did, and on the side that I knew I should have worked on was a kick in the balls. It is a great lesson on how even a small mistake can fail an entire piece, and in the real world be devastating.

So this is my Paintshop explanation, so you can understand what I'm saying if I didn't articulate it well. I the bottom right plate In this is an example from a previous week, and only to show the line I'm talking about.

I can tell just from looking at it, exactly what side it was that failed. I should have ground the pass out, relaid it and laid another one where the red line was.

So still doing 3G plates and nothing much has changed, however everyone is pretty fucking worried about the final. It became clear tonight our teacher has extremely unrealistic goals for this class. I confirmed that the final is going to be determine if we pass the class.

Now keep in mind, there are 2 other classes with 2 different teachers for a total of 3 classes and 3 teachers. We are the only class that has been told that we either weld a perfect 3g plate and bend it, or we fail. Our teacher went to the other 2 classes homework tables, and said that not one of the students in those classes would pass, and "failed" every bend they had done. I'm talking bends other teachers had passed them on, and said would pass in the real world...

I bent my 3rd plate tonight, and have not had one pass his examination yet. In fact, no one has had a 3g plate pass yet. My friend was failed on his bend, and I stopped and took a picture after class of it. It took me nearly a minute to find what could even slightly be considered a defect. If he's not bullshitting us about this final, then I expect everyone to fail including myself. Only 3 of us out of like 8 guy are actually even on 3G. And one of those just gave up on horizontal because he wanted to start practicing the 3G plates were going to be tested on. Everyone else has yet to make one perfect enough to pass our teachers bend test, and with only 3 classes remaining I don't really see how they are going to be able to transition to 3G for the final and have any hope of passing. (He won't let them move on to 3g until they have a perfect 2g bend)

Frankly I'm pretty stressed about this, as if I don't pass this class I can't take the spring classes as this is a prerequisite class for qualification classes which are only offered in the spring now. This one class could set me back a fucking year.

Only took a couple pics, seeing as there isn't really much I haven't already covered.



This is actually the second one I made tonight, I didn't really like the root fusion so after the first cut I put it aside. I may end up cutting it, but I doubt it.


My bend tonight. It was failed for having a needle size hole in one of the 2 bends. I think it was the cover bend.






And this is my buddys bend. I'll probably have to highlight the defect as I doubt its going to stand out to anyone.

Highlighted the defect on my buddy's and Mine. It looks big, but that's because I enlarge the photos to try and make mistakes clear. The hole in mine is about the size of a dot of ink, or the head of a needle for reference. The marks on the bottom left of mine, are from me having to use a hammer to knock it out of the bender and some nice deep scratches from when I pitched it across the back parking lot, after it failed

Vertical up is more challenging then overhead. Do you get to use the same arc welder every class? Are you getting a D1.1 cert all positions unlimited thickness?

Were supposed to switch machines every class, but the reality is that there are only a limited number of booths that have correctly working stands (the plate holder) and over half the class goes to the same machine every time, which further limits which booths are available. So for the past few classes I have used the same one. And ya that's the cert that I'll be going for in the next class, the qualification class. The qualification 2 class is open root pipe which I'll also be doing.

This class, Wel 124 is a prep for qualification 1 class and is basically an introduction to out of position welds. The goals are supposed to be to introduce you to what you'll be doing in the next few classes and get you into welding out of position. I really have no clue why it's become a make it or break it class, as that's what the entire next one is for. In that, you send your plate off to get an X ray and weld 3G in front of an inspector for the end of that class.

So still not doing great with the 3g plates. Its really irritating because you really just can't tell exactly how its going to play out until you spend the time to prep and actually bend the mother fuckers. I have a couple more ready to throw through the saw, but the one I did all the way through tonight failed worse than any of them I had done so far. Our teacher was to busy dicking around with some other people to get us metal coupons, so I had to use 3/16 straps. I asked another teacher about it, he said it would be OK, so I used those since it was that or nothing. Well problem with using smaller coupons is they have more play and sure enough, both bends shifted 1/3 of the way through, causing the bend to shift and bend off center again.

I was able to help one guy pass his horizontal though, so that was cool. Looking forward to this class ending next week. I guess some of the other guys asked the program manager about our teacher failing us all based on the final, and apparently he has been previously warned about it. He's supposed to use the grading system and not do a pass or fail. Who knows what that means, and I personally am expecting the final to be what he said so I'm just trying to keep banging these out until I get it down.

Anyways here's the couple pics I took. The bend was on the root, and it failed mainly on the same side (I fucked up and bent it on the same side, not that it really mattered because it had already failed) I highlighted where it failed, and basically shows where it failed to fuse, and I guess I got some undercut or a slag inclusion.





I bent the one that tore bad a week ago even further hoping to see it rip open like a bitch, but it didn't.




The one I did tonight. I also fucked up and bent the same side.

Sorry its been a while since I updated this.

Passed with an A in both classes. I ended up being the first one to complete a flawless 3G bend on the final night but I decided to stick around since a couple of friends were still working. I got bored and ended up doing a 2G just to kill time, which also passed.

The hype of "bend or fail" was just that. In the end, I dont know if it was from the shitty students complaining to the program manager or if it was never his intention to do it that way at all, but we were given much more leeway than we had all class. Most of the class did 2G since they had never gotten to the point of advancing to 3G, and three of us out of like 10 were the only ones to do 3G.

He even allowed them to grind out mistakes, and re-weld straps that had serious flaws. Only one kid ended up having to do that, and it was the same kid that spend 80% of the class standing around, on his phone or eating snacks/smoking blunts in the back parking lot. The night of the final was the first time he had even bent a plate, and it went about as well as you can imagine. Even after rewelding he had fucked up his straps so much, and ground them so much that they were twisted with extreme highs and extreme lows. When he bent them, it was the first time I had actually seen a strap break in to multiple pieces. I assume he failed the class.

But ya, next Monday I start on qualifications and hopefully in the second part of the semester (its divided into 2 eight week classes) I'll be able to overload a TIG class.
Attached File

Congrats OP.

good job ..great post thanx

Thanks, I'll try and keep it updated but this next class is pretty much the exact same as the one I just took, only at the end we send our 3G plate off to be inspected, cut and X-rayed and assuming it passes we get a cert saying were able to do industrial steel welding.

In fact it was supposed to start tonight, but we got snow and schools closed.

If I read correct the classes are $400 a pop? That's a fair deal considering the cost of consumables and plate alone.
Been kicking the idea of taking some classes just to expand personal knowledge.

I

The price covers plate, and mig wire but not stick electrodes. It may be different in other states however.

So second class of actually welding was Monday. I have a new teacher, and after being out of class for winter break for over a month I was a bit rusty. I think the teacher doubted that I had done any bends, or even had a clue what I was doing lol. Hes a really nice guy though and really knows his stuff but I don't work well with someone standing over my shoulder, and he was actually hands on, guiding my hands while I was welding a 2g plate lol. I mean these booths are not that big, and long story short after that I think he just thought I had bullshitted him about passing my other class with a 2g and 3g bend.

So Monday I go in determined to get back in my groove, and bang out some quality welds. So I started with a 3g plate, and proceeded to bend that bitch. It passed perfectly although there was a tiny pinhole from porosity that came from having electrodes stored in my locker since December . I didn't get any pics of it as I finished it as class ended. Not my prettiest cover pass, but it was solid.

I applied for a couple AWS scholarships, and hopefully I get one. I really like the new teacher, he has a ton of experience and is incredibly knowledgeable and what I like most, explains why things are done the way they are. And even better, we get to start doing something new soon which is open root plate, so that should be interesting as I really hate 6010, but I also like the challenge.

If I do end up getting a scholarship, I am hoping to finally be able to buy a new hood, so if you have any recommendations please post em up. I can't wait to get rid of the 30 buck pos I'm using now.

Here's a couple pics, nothing too interesting but text posts are boring.

Very cool, OP.  Do all the instructors & students smoke?

Actually not one so far has haha, I mean at least not when I'm out burning a death stick.

As far as students though, I would say probably 50% smoke or dip, and the other 50% just don't realize they smoke yet.

So I knocked out another bend tonight, this time I did a 2g (horizontal) and had a 3g (vertical) almost done, except for the cover pass. This teacher ends class earlier than all my other teachers, so I have less time to do these. I'm used to going in at 5, and wrapping up and walking out by 9:30 but we are ending at 8:30, and I guess because it's super cold he wanted to finish even earlier so I had to be done by 8

Which means, except for myself and usually one or two other guys everyone else is out the door by 7

Anyways, got some pics of the 3g I did Monday. Not really sure when we weld the plate were going to send off to be tested, but I'm gonna just keep banging these out until I'm confidant I'll nail an X-Ray 3g test that's coming.

Had to hit up the welding store, but man new electrodes make a world of difference, and the student discount is a really awesome thing that they do for us. Saved me quite a bit.

Horizontal root pass.



Vertical (3G) root


Little time on the bandsaw


The bends I have done so far.





And this shows where the root pass is, when you bend it. It's vital to lay a good root because if you make any mistakes, they show up when you go and bend. Even a small slag inclusion, or spot of porosity can cause your bend to tear

Getting better at my vertical cover pass, still not exactly what I want but its getting there. Finished the 3G plate I was working on last week, and bent it. It passed flawlessly so that's now 3, 3G bends I think and one 2g with one more to be completed on Wednesday.

I will be starting open root plates Wednesday so that should be interesting since I really suck with 6010's but I'll watch some Youtube videos on it, and see if I can't get it down before I start my pipe welding class this summer.

Didn't take many pics, but here's what I got.

Vertical plate being cut.


Vertical plate getting its cover pass.

Well I have to say I impressed myself. First night doing open root, and I did a 2g bend which, while not great was better than I expected. I spent a couple hours between Monday and today watching 6010 open root videos, and then some stuff on 6g pipe tests to get a feel for what I need to be doing.

I bought some 6010 3/32 rods yesterday but a buddy in class brought his Lincoln 5p+ and I got half those (1/8th) because the 3/32 seemed like it was going to be a bit small.

I asked the 2 guys who had been doing open root on how to set up the lands, and a few questions about spacing and they ha a few tips. They were doing theirs in the flat position, but I had been watching mostly horizontal and vertical open root videos so I decided to go big and start on 2g.

So without further delay, here's what I did tonight.

I forgot to take a pic of the fit up on my first one, but this is the root pass using 6010 5p+ at 70.






And here was the bend. I had a LOT of trouble with my cover pass tonight, something was going on with my ground and I was getting electrodes starting and stopping and that shot a lot of porosity into my weld. The root was somewhat expected though, being my first open root attempt, and I knew I had a lack of fusion in a couple spots but I wanted to see how it would come out, so I went ahead and bent it knowing there was going to be problems. It helps me a lot to be able to visualize the parts I fucked up on, and we only learn from our mistakes.

Left is the cover bend and the right is the open root bend.



But I managed to start one before class ended, and would have finished the pass but the exhaust fan was turned off before I could finish it. Shows the keyhole well though, and I have high hopes for this one. Second attempt at 2G open root

Sorry for not getting updates in very fast. I have not been taking as many pics, simply because I have been scrambling to try and weld as much as I can during class because my teacher really does not like to be there past 8. He's a great teacher, but It really sucks when your trying to learn something new, and by the time you get everything set up and all your stuff prepped, you have a couple hours to actually weld. I kinda miss my old teacher, who while have been a hardass was great about staying from 5-9:20 which I really preferred. I may start trying to go in and weld on my off nights, as only having 2 and a half hours twice a week is not cutting it for me.

I tried some overhead welding, and while not terrible at it, definitely need to start practicing it more and I also really need to get the protective gear so I'm not getting shit falling down my shirt. Also tried some 3-G open root, and it wasn't bad at all. Monday was kind of frustrating though, I was having problems with my machine and getting a good ground, so I spent most of class trying to get that worked out. I did a 2g open root bend on Wednesday though, and my root actually went great but I had problems with my cover pass again, I really don't know why I'm screwing up that as its something I have been doing for so long.

Midterm is next week, not really worried about it but we do have a written test.

I also got my AWS scholarship application almost completed, and it was enough to qualify for my local district scholarship but I still need a reference email from my teacher who said he never got it to qualify for the 5 national scholarships that are available. My old teacher sent his in, and I got the statement of financial need statement done, along with my transcript approved so it's literally down to my currant teacher sending one email between now and March first. Kinda stressing about it, but I have been asking him for weeks and I don't know what else I can do.

I was really hoping to get a new welding helmet, but with my truck tires starting to show wire, and my dog being diagnosed with a brain tumor, I don't think I'll be able to do it unless I get a scholarship

Anyways, enough blogging and bitching, on to the pics I did get.

Open root 2g plate before being bent.




Left side is the root bend, and right is the cover pass I somehow managed to fuck up


Root pass on another plate


Vertical pass on 3G open root.

Sorry about your dog.  Our Manx, the friendliest cat, got cancer and we had to put him down.  

I really appreciate it, it's something that we have known was coming for a few months now but after getting an official diagnosis, it just became very real.

Sorry for not updating this in a bit, I have been slammed in class trying to get as much done as fast as possible since we seem to be ending class sooner and sooner each week. Not to mention missing one of the two days of classes last week because of snow and the school closing.

So a little bit of an update on what I have been doing. Last Monday I was doing some open root and my teacher asked if I wanted to knock out my plate test that would be sent off for X-raying so I decided to crank out a few more 3g plates to get ready for it and was going to do it that Wednesday which was snowed out. So tonight I wanted to do a couple more, and while waiting for that to cool work on open root.

I laid a pretty good 3g plate down and it capped pretty nicely but I may do one more just to be confidant in my ability before actually doing an X-Ray test. We have 2 weeks left and apparently can even send it in midway through the next 8 week class, but I think I want to get it done so I can focus on the TIG class that's in the second 8 weeks.

I have just been struggling with my cover pass, as I had a couple poor bends that were mainly failing on the cover bend, something I never really had a problem with.

And I finally figured out why. I was showing a guy in my class who just advanced to open root how to do the fit up, and lay the tacks in and how to feather them out and I noticed he had a hood that I was considering buying so I asked if I could try it. I laid down my first bead on my cover pass on my 3g plate and my god. I can't even describe the difference. I bought a cheap 30 buck mask when I started my classes, as I didn't really know anything about welding and figured it wouldn't make a big difference. Since then I have been struggling with vision, and just simply not being able to see the work while I'm welding. I can usually see about a half inch below the actual weld pool, and a half inch above it, and a quarter inch on both sides. Everything past that is pitch black and what ends up happening is I go crooked when doing stringers with no defined edges, because I have no point of reference and can't see shit. It's gotten to the point where I'm keeping my head about 8 inches from the weld, just so I can see the pool clearly since the fucking lamp in the booth, trips the auto darkening feature on my mask before I can even strike an arc.

I tried on his, and it was like the heavens opened, and someone put a spotlight on the entire plate. I could not only see the fucking entire plate, but I could see the weld, the area above the weld and really and truly it was like welding with out even having a mask on, but not being burned and blinded. I made the best, and most straight vertical pass I have ever made in my life. I was able to see exactly when it fused into the sides, how far I had to go before I reached the end and exactly where I needed to be to keep my stringer straight. I felt like I had been robbing myself for a year and I honestly just kinda wanted to smash my hood into a million little pieces just to justify buying a new one (as if I need another reason).

So now I have to figure out where I'm going to scrape 275 bucks from so I can buy one, and pay the 500 for my next class in the next few weeks.

This is the one I want to smash into tiny bits and currently use.


This is the one I tried out and fell in love with.

And heres the few pics I took this week and last week. Still have a lot of learning to do

3g Plate I was working on.



I typically run stringers from root to cap, but I wanted to try out doing a weave so this was my first attempt at that. This is the 3rd set of passes, after the root pass, and hot pass.



Had problems laying the cover in again, so I ground it all out so I could practice laying it in correctly. (Last week)


Tonight's 3g I had one more pass on the right side to lay after this pic was taken


Fitup for a 2g open root.


The first open root of the night. It did not go well. I'm not sure what happened, I did everything I normally do and thought I had good rod angle and was doing my whipping motions right, but It just did not turn out correctly. Keyhole kept getting to big, I kept digging into the topside too much which added a ton of metal to the weld causing it to sag, and it didn't fuse well at all.

Good to know about the helmet.

A good helmet can make life much better. I used a Miller for the 10 years I welded, but a buddy of mine had an Optrel and loved it. They have a more budget friendly helmet that is still true color and might be a good option for you.

Don't get me wrong, if you are only welding recreationally once or twice a year a 300 Buck hood isn't necessary unless youre financially able to swing it. But for me I figure it's an investment because its something I'll use daily, and from just glancing at the sentinels you can get 6 replacement plastic len's for like 13 bucks. And hopefully a quality hood will last me for years. I was starting to wonder if I needed a cheater lense because of how poorly I was able to see everything, but now I know better. Kinda wish the company's would send schools a couple masks, that way students could try on the various offerings and make a good decision the first time. I think almost everyone in my first few classes bought the same harbour freight/northern tool one I did but I'm one of like 2 people still using it. That 40 bucks we spent could have gone towards a good hood to start out with, instead of one you'll outgrow after 2 classes

He was blind the whole time - and still getting good welds.

I did some more practice plates for the X ray test, and I was planning on knocking that out as well tonight but I started getting down into the older electrodes and started getting some really irritating porosity and inconsistent welds so I have made an executive decision.

Last class is Wednesday so I'm gonna do the test Monday, and over the weekend I'm going to just brake down and rob my savings and go ahead and get the ESAB sentinel. I tried on another buddys Miller and he said it was about 300 and it did not impress me nearly as much as the ESAB.

I really hate to pull money from my savings as I'm constantly having to put half or more of my checks back into it, just to cover what I keep having to spend. Especially with my rent coming up, and the next class to pay for but I really don't want to fail out on this test after paying so much money for this class. I'm also looking at it as an investment that I'll hopefully have for 3 years if I keep it well maintained and it's comfortable so I know I'll have it when I start looking for jobs.

And with the student discount Airgas gives us, I'm gonna head over and see my guy and pick it up from them, along with a new box of electrodes. With the discount I think he said like 270ish and most are selling for around that same price online. Airgas has been really good to us students, and thats something that I kinda imagine is nationwide and worth checking out if you become a student. ARC3 also does a student discount.

I'm also hopeful that I'll get that scholarship now that all my references and transcript have been verified. Kinda cool story about that actually. I had been trying to get my current teacher to submit his reference since middle of January but he said he never got an email and as much as I really like him, he kinda flaked on me. He said he would be more than willing to give me a good reference but I think he just kept forgetting. But I saw my first welding teacher, who's a really cool old guy who I used to shoot the shit with after class, because his truck was loaded with pro gun stickers, including the NRA and VCDL. So I asked him if he would be willing to do it, he said absolutely and I went home Monday, changed my reference to him, and even though I know he's not only not tech savvy, but stated he rarely ever used his email. Well by 9am Tuesday it was submitted, and an hour later verified and approved. Gun people really are the best people

Heres a couple pics from tonight, I forgot to charge my phone up so I didn't take many.

First open root of the night is the bottom. I started to get the hang of it again but I have a long way to go.


Second root of the night, I forgot to brush it clean to show the weld. Half to 75% laid perfectly and the other 25% I started to go to slow and my drag angle went to shit.


Bit of undercut next to my restart

Alrighty guys final class was tonight, Qualifications 1 is complete. Hopefully I'll keep that 4.0 going and get my AWS cert back soon.

So I decided to go ahead and get the ESAB hood, cost me 327 and I bought a new box of electrodes specifically for my test. And that "new box" was fubar. I don't know what happened to them but they were the worst electrodes I had all year. I had 3 give me ARC blow, and had several that halfway through the rod, the remaining flux just fell off in huge chunks resulting in restarts in places I didn't want. I borrowed a handful of Excaliburs from a buddy and was able to weld it the rest of the way decently but I had some concerns. Restarting in the root, and the previously mentioned arc blow made me just unhappy with the way the plate came out, and I asked if I could do a second one tonight and I could, so I did. It welded much better and I used the Excalibur sticks and banged it out. Cover pass had one bad restart on it, and not because of porosity or anything, I somehow just missed about 2 millimeters when I restarted so there was a gap, and I had to just add a bit there which sucked but I laid the root in much better, and the fill went in good as well.

I'm pretty sure it will pass, but I have a long history of choking on tests so who knows.

Grabbed some pics of everybody's plates all together, and some I am just baffled at how they passed visual inspection. I have a bad feeling the AWS inspectors are going to love us all tenderly.

I also caught on fire. I knew I was on fire, and I was also almost done laying the root so I finished the pass and put out my burning pant leg.



Hot pass

Really not sure how a couple of these are going to pass anything. (same kid who spent most of the last class eating doughnuts and playing on his phone)


Notice my missing pants section, freshly burned off. It was almost tempting to just let it go, as it was so toasty and it's fucking freezing today.


My first plate, My pic came out blurry so I tried to use a few filters to make it someone more viewable

And the final update. I am going to try and get in a TIG class, but as I think I mentioned previously they changed the number for that class, so I was searching for a class that used to be 130 and became 163 and it was filled up before Christmas so I am just going to show up on both nights for both classes, and stand around until someone drops the class or leaves early. If I don't get into this class, I will be set back a year to graduate. They now only offer TIG in the spring and if I can't get a spot, i'll be waiting until next summer to complete the classes. The other required class is advanced TIG (thin metal and pipe tig class) and obviously the TIG 101 class is a prereq. Which really fucking sucks, and at this point I think there are a bunch of us that this happened to, and were all probably be showing up to a full class, and fighting in a pit to decide who gets to attend.

I am in the pipe class this summer, so there's that but If I can't get in TIG this will be the last update (pending questions) for a couple months as I won't be in class.

It's been a hell of a semester, and I can't wait to get back in there and start posting pics of my shitty tig welds for you guys to laugh at

This is a very interesting thread.  Hope you get in.  Have you talked to the professor?

Great thread.

Jealous about your class.  I would only do it at hobby level.

Last year I binged buying a Millermatic mig and suckered into buying the miller mask with their promo deal at the time.   I stopped at the local welding shop while they had a dealer expo with both Lincoln and Miller reps and full demo trucks on site.   The Miller rep gave me Free Miller welding gloves, said I was good for a $1500 sale later.

I was. Millermatic, spoolgun, helmet, wire,

Ya I actually had talked to both of the teachers who will be doing the TIG class. I was told to basically show up and hope for the best by both. One ray of hope is actually from a guy in my last class, who said he may be dropping out because of work so I called dibs on his spot but he won't know until right before class.

Its just a matter of logistics unfortunately. There are only I think 16 TIG machines so that limits the number of people per class, and there are only so many nights to do class in. I am however irritated they spent over 10 grand per virtual welder that sits in various classes used for maybe one hour a semester. Not to mention the untold thousands spent on a robotic welder, that in the entire time I have been in class has never once been plugged in let alone used.

They could have gotten a ton of the multi process machines for that money.

I'm hoping I can pick up a used machine sometime in the future and possibly do repair work on the weekends for some extra money. But if your ever interested in honing your skills look into a community college class, a lot of guys actually do that and take only the classes they are interested in.

I can't speak highly enough about the instructors I have, and I imagine it's the same at almost every local college. These guys have a true passion for it, and every teacher I have had goes to work usually at 4am and will come straight to school and teach until 9. And you know on a community college check their not in it for the money.

One of the new teachers is a young guy actually a little younger than me (I'm 28) who completed the program 6 years ago and was asked to teach the introduction to welding class, and it was really cool to see him come in and inspire a bunch of first time welders. He even bought a bunch of stuff using his own money to give away as prizes for making the best weld. Stuff like chipping hammers, new gloves and wire brushes etc.

All and all, Its been a fantastic experience so far and I think that's part of why the program is so packed.

Well boys, I showed up Monday to my previous teachers TIG class, and he said come back tonight and see how it's looking and bring an add-drop form. There were like 4 people missing on Monday and about the same tonight so he signed off on my add-drop and I was officially accepted into class. Started Tig welding tonight, and man it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be but I am having a problem getting used to using both hands, and controlling the pedal.

Just some simple cladding work, just getting us used to what it's like to manipulate the torch and use a filler rod at the same time. I started to get the hang of it, and hopefully I can stop fucking my tungsten rods up and having to go sharpen them every 15 mins.

I also wanted to add, that if any of you guys who picked up a TIG welder, or really any welder and are attempting to learn welding yourself, feel free to post up your progress here too. And if your interested in following along and doing the same projects at home that I'm doing in class, just ask and I'll tell you each week what we're working on, and what joint's/positions to do and you can post your results and all the professional welders can laugh at us together

Only took a couple pics, mainly because it looked like shit and wasn't all that interesting to look at.