welding training

[Dodge]

NakedAnvil: I have indeed had the "snap, crackle, pop" LOL and have to admit I don't always wear earplugs when I work at home. I probably was a little over zealous with my OP; I welded in a manufacturing company with 20 or 30 welders and fitters, hammering on street light and traffic poles and transmission pole shafts; sometimes big enough to stand in the large end. Hydraulic pumps running constantly; powering machines to cut and form steel parts, etc, etc. My home shop is like working in the silence of a library by comparison

Side note: Our Safety Director claimed he wore his steel toed shoes even off the job. (He wore a suit and had steel toed "wing tips") At work he was required to have the safety shoes, but THAT, I feel, is over the top!! LOL

[Charlotte]

Dodge, As laboratory supervisor I wore, safety glasses, steel toes, and ear plugs for twenty years.

When my safety shoes wore out after I retired, I bought a new pair last year.
When I start grinding I wear all that stuff plus a face shield and a leather apron.

[Charlotte]

PS I still have hear loss but that stems from working in the mill back in the 60's and some other times and places where I didn't realize how very loud it was.

When I worked in the mill as I went to sleep I could still hear the clang of heavy walled tube falling into steel cradles and the whistle/roar of high pressure natural gas blasting though open furnace ports.

[Charlotte]

Welding helmets are playing very vital role in welding training.

So click below for more details.

Featured welding helmets

Awh! You want to take the fun out of it! There is nothing like the thrill of fumbling around in trying to find the joint while the morning sun reflects of the inside of you helmet! (and a crowd of "old hands" stands around drinking coffee)

[Demonknight]

I have to agree 100% with nakedanvil about the hearing thing. I have grown to depend on the sounds of the welding almost as much as the visual. Especially when tig welding on aluminum. I can tell all the way across the shop if a guy has his machine set right or not. I can weld with ear plugs, but it just ain`t right not hearing that crackling and sizzling that tells you just the right time to move and assures you that you are digging in just right.
I`m not exactly clear on what the young lady`s point is. Welding at a professional level is a skilled trade and like most skills, require a good deal of patience, training, and hard work to master. Welding can be a dangerous job and depending on the area of welding you chose, can be a very hard job. Women`s careers in welding have many opportunities and many of the best aerospace welders are women, known for their steady hands.
Whether you make a career of it or just a hobby, welding is very rewarding and satisfying.

[metalworker]

Demonknight I agree at 100% with you and nakedanvil. My ears guide me too

[johnpeter]

I found a welding school directory when i browse google, http://www.everlastgenerators.com/welders-schools.php

[JeremyP]

I agree with Dodge on the hearing protection. For me its an absolute must when working for any length of time.
The noise of a mig welder on short circuit is definatly at least 100db. A hi freq tig arc is nearly as loud, not to mention when you fire up a grinder or chop saw. If I dont put them on before I start working the sound drives me up the wall.
Especially if someone else starts cutting or grinding near me!
As far as needing the 'hear the weld' I dont understand that at all. Is there also a special ring in the anvil I should be listening for when I'm forging to make sure I'm getting the best possible strike?
Everything you need to know about the welding process can be seen while your welding.
If you can't see it, you either need a different shade in your helmet or you need a few thousand more hours behind it :)

[clinton]

Ted: You ever try welding with ear plugs in? Man, you don't realize how much you're paying attention to the sound! Drives me nuts trying to weld that way.

with all do respect nakedanvil I personally use ear plugs when welding because I dont like getting sparks in my ear and it has happend to me a few times. Some times the only way you can tell what you are doing is by sound because you cant see the weld but other than that I do not rely on the sound myself more watching the weld pool and knowing when to move. Ya sparks going down the ear is no fun you can hear them burning as they go down yeeowww!!!

[NeatGuy]

I remove one ear plug when welding open roots on pipe and plate so that I can hear the sound of the arc penetrating correctly. One never knows when someone will fire up a grinder.

brad

[Johnnie C.]

I can tell you what welding training is. I weld am a Union Pipe welder, I weld everyday for a living. Welding training teaches about the welding process, what certain process are used for, and on and on and on. You can learn all of that from online or through books. The main training is welding itself. Welding training teaches you techniques for all process, Stick, Mig, and Tig. I have been welding since I was 16 years old and I'm now 26, after welding for 10 years I still learn something new each time I strike an arc. The only way you can get a job as welder is if you have training. My opinion is even after you have been to a welding school you don't turn out as welder. There is a lot to learn about welding, in a class room setting or welding shop setting, you may be the best in your class. When you get out the real world you are put in position they don't teach in school. Welding school will teach you the basic techniques needed for welding, and if you don't know the techniques you might have trouble getting hired as a welder.