[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Learning to weld (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 6/8/2014 6:15:36 PM EDT
| I was recently hired as a pipefitting pre apprentice, and I'm trying to get a head start on learning to weld to improve my prospects once I'm an apprentice. So far I have a great book on theory, and I'm watching youtube vids when I get the chance by weldingtipsandtricks, and ide16rus. I'm working as a welders assistant at work, and I'm signed up for a basic arc welding class in August, but won't get much hands on practice until then. Can anybody recommend a decent dvd series on welding for beginners? I'm planning to learn stick, then mig and tig as I advance. Any other advice or recommendations? |
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It's a physical skill. You won't know jack until you actually physically do it. This. If you have the space for it you can find old AC buzz boxes pretty cheap. My dad taught me to weld on an old Forney using a lot of hours and a bunch do scrap metal. When I moved onto MIG it was a snap. |
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It's a physical skill. You won't know jack until you actually physically do it. I understand that, that's why I've signed up for a class. In the mean time, I enjoy watching videos that show the electrode, arc, weld puddle, and how weld beads are affected by changes in travel speed, technique, and voltage setting. I find it helpful to understand what I'm looking at before I try hands on learning. Eta- I'm not sure how that mad face icon got there, but I appreciate your feedback. |
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If you can use a caulk gun, you can MIG weld.
Stick welding? When the machine is dialed in correctly you can almost go to sleep and do it. Starting the arc is the hardest part. Get a steady position, usually locking your elbows tight against your sides, if the position allows. It's something you have to do to learn. reading a book or watching a video will give you theory but putting that shield down and getting in the smoke is where you really learn. TIG welding? it's cake once you figure out that you have to maintain a certain distance off the part, travel speed, torch angle and dipping the wire technique. |
| I have worked with guys who could weld pipe with their eyes closed and it looked like it was painted on it was very consistant and smooth as glass. Weld a plate together was a different story. Like wise the guys welding structural steel couldn`t weld pipe if their life depended on it. Keep your eyes open and learn a little from everybody. Good luck. |
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fit up is just as important as burning rods Quoted:
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pipefitting pre apprentice- LOL yea, don't worry about welding for awhile... better to learn how to run an angle grinder and wire wheel. 
I've been studying this as well. I can't figure out if the land is the same thing as the root face... Anyone? |
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I've been studying this as well. I can't figure out if the land is the same thing as the root face... Anyone? Quoted:
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pipefitting pre apprentice- LOL yea, don't worry about welding for awhile... better to learn how to run an angle grinder and wire wheel.
I've been studying this as well. I can't figure out if the land is the same thing as the root face... Anyone? Yes, land and root face are the same thing. |
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Buy a welder and start welding. Your instructors will correct any bad habits, and you'll be able to practice at home. This! You can know everything there is to know about metal and welding theory, but it won't mean shit once you put on a helmet and pick up a welder. There's a lot of muscle memory involved. Hit Craigslist and find yourself a cheap Lincoln tombstone stick welder, a good angle grinder and some scrap iron. Then start making metal stick together. ETA.....It sounds like you'll have plenty of time to practice before they ever hand you a welder. |
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This! You can know everything there is to know about metal and welding theory, but it won't mean shit once you put on a helmet and pick up a welder. There's a lot of muscle memory involved. Hit Craigslist and find yourself a cheap Lincoln tombstone stick welder, a good angle grinder and some scrap iron. Then start making metal stick together. ETA.....It sounds like you'll have plenty of time to practice before they ever hand you a welder. Quoted:
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Buy a welder and start welding. Your instructors will correct any bad habits, and you'll be able to practice at home. This! You can know everything there is to know about metal and welding theory, but it won't mean shit once you put on a helmet and pick up a welder. There's a lot of muscle memory involved. Hit Craigslist and find yourself a cheap Lincoln tombstone stick welder, a good angle grinder and some scrap iron. Then start making metal stick together. ETA.....It sounds like you'll have plenty of time to practice before they ever hand you a welder. Yep its a physical skill, run beads until you turn a 1/4 piece of steel into 1.5 inches... Then doing it again... And again.. When your done with flat do the same horizontal.... Then vertical.... And overhead... Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted: fit up is just as important as burning rods Quoted: Quoted: pipefitting pre apprentice- LOL yea, don't worry about welding for awhile... better to learn how to run an angle grinder and wire wheel. I didn't weld offshore, but I worked with a ton of them, fastest way to burn rods practicing is to never have the welders screaming for you to fix your shit! Give them good surfaces, make their job easy, they will work with helpers to break them out. |
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Quoted: And the fine art of rolling up welding leads. Quoted: Quoted: pipefitting pre apprentice- LOL yea, don't worry about welding for awhile... better to learn how to run an angle grinder and wire wheel. And the fine art of rolling up welding leads. |
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Quoted: It's a physical skill. You won't know jack until you actually physically do it. Pretty much this. I'm not saying watching Youtube vids and studying books can't help, but for most people it can be hard to understand what's going on and how to apply it to your own welding until you've actually done it. Welding is just as much of an art as it is a skill, and everyone has their own doing what works for them. If you want to be ahead of the curve from the start I'd recommend learning welding blueprints, symbols, types of joints, and things along those lines. |
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Quoted: And get proper protective gear. A couple minutes of arc welding is like an hour of full sun on the beach. You will get sunburn on any exposed skin. Any exposed clothing can be hit by sparks and tiny balls of molten metal and may catch on fire. Ditto for shoes. Two words: 100% Cotton. Getting burned sucks enough without your shirt melting to you. |
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Quoted: When you do start welding, I recommend getting boots with a met guard. There is nothing worse than a piece of molten metal inside your shoe. Something like this... or this... I highly recommend those Timberlands. They're some of the most comfortable boots I've worn, and extremely durable. |
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Why??? Quoted:
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Take gas welding first? Why??? Because it will teach you coordination, controlling the amount of heat you put into the base metal and how much filler metal to add. Gas welding is most similar to TIG welding but the same principals apply to stick welding too. If you do become a Welder, you might have to do some brazing or soldering, and your gas welding experience will help you there. I used to enjoy doing a bit of gas welding once in a while after months of stick and MIG welding. |
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It's a physical skill. You won't know jack until you actually physically do it. Go find a place you can practice a couple hours every day or every other day outside of work with someone who is not at your work and willing to throw you some pointers and teach you. Its 100% hands on. No a out of watching is going to give you any advantage. With stick, just slowly push forward and if you are steady you will have a row of dimes. Mig, in a 1/4" sweep side to side as you push, as long as your steady you will have a row of dimes. Experiment with temperature and wire feed so you don't have to waste time figuring that shit out when your working. Penetration is the name of the game. If your to hot it will eat away the metal your wanting to join. Good luck and have fun with it. Wear your leathers also!!! You wi thank me when hot slag falls on you and DOESNT burn thebfuck out of you like it has me a bunch of times and actually burned out part of my tattoo and had to have it retouched. |
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It's a physical skill. You won't know jack until you actually physically do it. I hate to say it but this is correct, you can read all you want, watch all the videos you want, but until you actually do it, all that is worthless. Now once you actually strike an arc and get some practice in, the videos might help, but till then they are just time fillers. speed |
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Why??? Quoted:
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Take gas welding first? Why??? I would say because you start with the basics, but also, because if you can weld something with oxyacetylene you can learn to tig it. The skill does carry over in my oppinion. And yes I have learned and done both, ending in welding fuel tanks in aluminum and stainless with a tig. speed |
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Find an old Buzz box, buy 5lbs of 6013, pick up some oddball end cuts and other scrap from the steel supplier.
Burn up the rod figuring things out, using the theory and vids as a rough guide. It really is 10% theory and 90% art, and you can't even form a notion without burning rod. You might as well be learning to sculpt marble online, without picking up a hammer and chisel. You will get more out of a welding class if you have a rough grasp of the skill to start with. If needed, you can sell the Buzz box for what you have into it later, if not, they are damn handy to have around for practical repairs and fabricating. |
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Quoted: Find an old Buzz box, buy 5lbs of 6013, pick up some oddball end cuts and other scrap from the steel supplier. Burn up the rod figuring things out, using the theory and vids as a rough guide. It really is 10% theory and 90% art, and you can't even form a notion without burning rod. You might as well be learning to sculpt marble online, without picking up a hammer and chisel. You will get more out of a welding class if you have a rough grasp of the skill to start with. If needed, you can sell the Buzz box for what you have into it later, if not, they are damn handy to have around for practical repairs and fabricating. |
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The clamp style holders are nice for that, but this kind is so much easier to work with. http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/electrode-holders-resistance-welding-27038-3872031.jpg Quoted:
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All the video's in the world won't help the first time the rod sticks, and won't come off and starts turning red racing up to the stinger. The clamp style holders are nice for that, but this kind is so much easier to work with. http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/electrode-holders-resistance-welding-27038-3872031.jpg Yep!! +87! They suck for thawing frozen pipes though. 
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Quoted: The clamp style holders are nice for that, but this kind is so much easier to work with. http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/electrode-holders-resistance-welding-27038-3872031.jpg Quoted: Quoted: All the video's in the world won't help the first time the rod sticks, and won't come off and starts turning red racing up to the stinger. The clamp style holders are nice for that, but this kind is so much easier to work with. http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/electrode-holders-resistance-welding-27038-3872031.jpg I only had it happen IIRC twice (but I don't weld much) and only at the dive school I went to with older machines. The first time I tried stick welding with a nice new machine it was set to "lift start"... THAT took a minute to figure out... |
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Because it will teach you coordination, controlling the amount of heat you put into the base metal and how much filler metal to add. Gas welding is most similar to TIG welding but the same principals apply to stick welding too. If you do become a Welder, you might have to do some brazing or soldering, and your gas welding experience will help you there. I used to enjoy doing a bit of gas welding once in a while after months of stick and MIG welding. Quoted:
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Take gas welding first? Why??? Because it will teach you coordination, controlling the amount of heat you put into the base metal and how much filler metal to add. Gas welding is most similar to TIG welding but the same principals apply to stick welding too. If you do become a Welder, you might have to do some brazing or soldering, and your gas welding experience will help you there. I used to enjoy doing a bit of gas welding once in a while after months of stick and MIG welding. Yes This is the way I was taught |
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I agree with everyone that it is a physical skill that your must practice to gain proficiency. BUT....the vids from welding tips and trick are very valuable for learning the basics. Concepts like arc force and the "dig" of stick welding. Vertical uphill MIG. Arc balance in AC. Electrode selection. Even weld testing and etching. It's not possible to get good without practice, but watching those videos will make your practice far more productive.
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Quoted: This. easiest way to learn how to run the puddle Quoted: Quoted: Take gas welding first? This. easiest way to learn how to run the puddle |
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I am an electrician but have worked around a lot of great pipe welders in the oilfield and general great welders of all kinds.
I also started welding about the same time I started working with my father when I was 12. I had an old ac welder and a junk pile. I made a gunsafe out of old tank Iron. Get this it was a saltwater tank but never had a gun rust in that safe! The point I am making is that I had no instruction and nasty metal and the wrong welder. But I learned how to weld. It is a hobby to me. Though I have tig welded copper bus bars and now have a mig welder and two dc welders and a bobcat gas welder . I do not think it would hurt you to have a small welder and set up to burn some rods. I would use every resource available and old time welders who like to teach can be a great resource. You will learn that the fit is as important as the weld. Being the best you can be may or may not be good enough. It is not all skill and practice, there is something more to it not exactly art but knowing how to hold your mouth. With the new machines welding is alot easier. I got a lot of old welders stories. they will wait god luck. |
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If you can use a caulk gun, you can MIG weld. Stick welding? When the machine is dialed in correctly you can almost go to sleep and do it. Starting the arc is the hardest part. Get a steady position, usually locking your elbows tight against your sides, if the position allows. It's something you have to do to learn. reading a book or watching a video will give you theory but putting that shield down and getting in the smoke is where you really learn. TIG welding? it's cake once you figure out that you have to maintain a certain distance off the part, travel speed, torch angle and dipping the wire technique. I would respectfully disagree with the assessment that stick (SMAW) and/or Tig (GTAW) is easy. Perhaps running jet rod in the flat is, but as a welding instructor I can attest to the fact that learning how to pass an AWS open root 6G on pipe using either process is NOT easy. |
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I've been studying this as well. I can't figure out if the land is the same thing as the root face... Anyone? Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
pipefitting pre apprentice- LOL yea, don't worry about welding for awhile... better to learn how to run an angle grinder and wire wheel.
I've been studying this as well. I can't figure out if the land is the same thing as the root face... Anyone? The land is the flat surface ground off the edge of the bevels of plate or pipe - a 1/8" land is common for open root pipe fit-up. |
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When you do start welding, I recommend getting boots with a met guard. There is nothing worse than a piece of molten metal inside your ear. Something like this... http://www.tnasafety.com/images/METGUARD.jpg or this... http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-80m4B8WeTqY/TqDMmsncvmI/AAAAAAAAA0g/Im26gQRmtck/s1600/TimberlandMetGuard.jpg Fixed it for you. |