How did you learn to Weld.

[Oak Hill Forge]

My Dad bought an old "Will-Weld" 50's vintage welder in about 1962. Our first project was a lawn tractor from Popular Mechanics. We finished it and I wrapped my leg around the axel on it's madien voyage to the gas station to get gear oil in the transmission. When I healed up he came home with a pile of scarp metal and said "WELD" ... we only had one sheild, so I never saw a weld before I did one. I was 11 at the time. I have since taken dome advanced welding classes learning how to O/A weld as well as TIG. I now have O/A, a Miller Econo TIG, Miller Syncrowave 300 TIG, a Miller BIG 40 portable machine and a Lincoln 225 AC/DC machine that's at my Dad's. He's 84 and still welds frequently !!!

[TNBen]

I learned a little on how to use a gas axe from my dad when I was still in high school. We were cutting out the old city pool filters which would spit metal all over me. That was when my dad said "Boy you need to learn how to swear so I can tell if you are really hurt or not."

Much much later in life as the owner of a sawmill I had a young man working for me that did all of our welding and did a beautiful job. Then one day he didn't show up, something was broken and I ended up upside down in the mud with the arc welder. Ugly ugly welds. In building up some green chains and cant decks I would spend several days in a row doing nothing but welding so I got better. Now I only do little bit every now and again and the lack of practice shows but the welds still seem servicable.

I enjoy learning about blacksmithing and I hope to learn how to forge me couple of cant hooks and a couple of peaveys just to be able to say that I made them.

[james gonzalez]

Started in my home town JR college O/A welding horrible sculptures in the auto repair dept. Years later found myself in Boston with a full grant to art school. Spent all my time in the basement metal shop. I laid down a few miles of bead then got a job at a local weld shop making fence and grilles. Went into business for myself and eventually bought an old lincoln tig. Still learning.

[swat253]

Believe it or not, I learned MIG about two years ago from watching as many YouTube videos as I could. Went out and bought a used Century MIG at a pawn shop, sales guy threw in some gloves, a chipping hammer and a cheap hood, so I rushed home looking for any possible piece of metal to practice on. I'd sputter and spark, run inside and scan the welding forums and welding videos, then run back to the garage and go at it again. I eventually added argon and got the hang of it. Then I spent some time in my father in law's shop and played with his 220 Volt MillerMatic MIG. WOW! What a smooth buzz compared to my 110! Three weeks ago I started watchin stick weld videos on YouTube and I bought a small 70 amp welder on sale at Northern Tool for $69.00. I picked it up rather quickly, but the low amperage left a lot to be desired. So back to the FIL's shop... Two days of stick welding with the Miller Bobcat and I'm quite impressed. One of his workers taught me a few tricks about forming the puddle and such. That helped a lot!

But to answer your question; I guess I'll always be learning to weld. I'm never really satisfied with my beads; especially after I see the "stacked dimes" here and on other welding sites. I'm starting to watch a lot of Oxy/Acet videos now...

Edited April 7, 2009 by swat253

[Dodge]

When I first saw Easy Rider in 1969, I HAD to have a motor sickle like Dennis Hopper rode. I was told, "Kid, they don't sell 'em that way, you gotta build it that way" So as soon as I could, I got into the metal shop class and learned to weld. First real project was turning my Honda 305 scrambler into a chopper. It was ugly as sin but I did it all my self; from the home built hardtail welded on to the stock frame, to the sissy bar and the extended brake and shifter controls Even when that 68 Ford Mustang hit me and ended my Marine Corps career, Nothing broke (cept me ); bent the heck out of everything but the welds all held Did a little more tech school welding and eventually ended up welding pro for 20 + years, til that MC wreck caught up with me again...

[Ten Hammers]

Dude, I took a hot little red head to that movie. Believe this. It was 25

[unkle spike]

My Dad was a certified welding instructor and metal fabricator for around 40 years. I didn't learn to weld from him however, when you're young it is un-cool to hang around your folks. I took a welding course in high school, although they didn't teach MIG. I actually remembered all the stuff my Dad talked about all those years, and when I finally got a MIG in my hand I was pretty good at it. Although I don't do it daily, I can weld to satisfy my needs. And occasionally when I get stuck, I call Dad for advice. I live around 800 miles from him, and would give most anything to spend time with him learning all the things I missed.

[Steel&Clay]

Im an art student at the Tyler School of Art, and began stick and MIG welding about a year and half ago in a sculpture class. I began a metal fabrication class this semester, and have been learning TIG, Oxy/Acet, Plasma Cutting, and forging. Since this semester I've been making a lot of sculpture work with clay and steel structure/armature and can't get enough. I've gotten quite a bit of time working with the MIG over the past year, and have just recently started focusing as much time as I can on the TIG.

[Jim Poulmas]

I was getting into blacksmithing and had to fabricate some tools - forge, tool rack etc, - so I took a half day mig course in the back of a welding and gas supply store. Turned out well. I built what I needed and then it actually got me a job.

[David Einhorn]

I took a welder's course through a community college that was hosted at Fort Meade Maryland.

[Reid Neilsen]

I just learned to weld this year and I am a lousy arc welder. I can make it hold, it just won't be purdy...

Now if we're talking about forgewelding...that's a differnt story alltogether. my pressure welds are niiiiiice. Probably because I have many more years practice at that :)

[Ten Hammers]

Somewhere in the earlier posts on this thread I described when and how I learned to weld. This early training was in the 60's. Something for the newer folks to ponder.....

Stick welding to me is where I started followed closely by acetelene welding and brazing. While patience is a virtue, I guess I am ( by nature ) wired to go like hades and get er dun. This in mind, to get a good weld you must wait for the puddle to fill before you move on. Position welds, horizontal or vert up. 6011 is a good example (AC). I was taught this but had the devil of a time. No one said you have to get the most welds done in the day but speed is of course of essence. At the end of the day, when the welds are looked at, the quality welds will be the ones that stand out ( in any position ). 45 years later, this still rings true. My early training was good but experience over the years has made the difference too. Rod (or nozzle or torch) position is critical. 5

[OnlyMyOPinion]

While I was in high school, I got to do a little bit of welding (I MEAN A VERY LITTLE!) in metal shop, just basically got the basics from class, and did a little stick welding. I think we were all allowed like 3 sticks only! But from there we were supposed to "practice at home" Which would have been ok, except my dad didnt own a stick welder, so I was out of luck.
Later in life when I moved to my farm, I got a old craftsman welder that was in major need to see the dump, but it would almost stick metal together, and got me by. 2 years ago I purchased a Miller Bobcat 250 Welder/Generator, and built a Steel pipe corral system for the Bull Pen. Since then, I have completely replaced two of our cattle chute areas, and various things around I could never get done with the craftsman. I just got my Hobart Manhandler about 2 months ago (230 volt Wire Feed) and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I have so far spent one small roll of .030 wire, and almost completed one LARGE roll as well building and playing!

BTW, my Bull Pen covers almost 5 acres or so of pasture, so it was a BIG build! But well worth it considering a local welder is getting 25.00/hr

[Kinnear Knife]

Munkey see... munkey (ouch, ouch, that hurts) do.

[David Einhorn]

Arc-welding: Course taught by Colonel Hubner through Anne Arundel Community College non-credit course at Fort Meade.

Forge welding: Courses at Carroll County Farm Museum, Westminster Maryland. Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland.

[Rikadyn]

High School offered Welding.

Learned OAW, Arc, Mig and Tig.

I really haven't welded since, which is sad. I sucked at MIG cause the school only had so many machines for people to use, and everyone used them, so I ended up being the only person in my class to get cleared on his cert. for TIG, cause I spent good 3 months in doing it while everyone was doing MIG work.

[kubiack]

I first learned O/A welding in junior high school shop class. I can still remember running that first bead. Something about using fire to melt metal and create really appealed to me. O/A welding just seemed to come natural and is still my favorite. We also learned stick welding in shop class but I found that to be much harder. It took going over to a friends fathers work, he welded pneumatic pressure vessels, to learn stick.

While I was in high school my father got a Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC and set of Victor torches. He never used them much but I started making BBQ smokers and gas grills. I made the first one for me to use but then as any high school boy does I wanted a bigger one so I built a second. The first one was sitting in Dad’s drive and someone came by and bought it from me and I turned a good profit. For several years I made smoker and sat them in his drive and someone would buy them.

I have now have O/A, Stick, and MIG welders. I mostly use the MIG just to tack stuff together and then do the actual welding with O/A or Stick; I just like them better.

[Steve Sells]

Machine welding Jr HIgh school, Improved with practice. Forge welding by my (very) old teacher Bill Wyant.

[shipto]

I went to college on a course for the unemployed, this taught me the basics and got me my first job as a welder/fabricator, which paid very low wages but i loved working there and would have stayed if the wage was better. However it gave me experience and i moved on to a company that made man-up forklift trucks which paid 2 times more than the first place.

[Dragons lair]

Partnered up with a welder to run a custom M/C shop(1967) He wouldnt teach but only used a half a rod. After hours would weld? scrap together. Went back to electronics.
In house shop electronics,welding,machining. Took over the machining then asked to weld thermocouples. Learned to weld micro stuff( inside a .010 tube) Went on to aircraft
submarine and nuke plants. 20yrs doing aluminum furnature, Motion theaters, Kiddie rides. Earth mover parts. Now 7 yrs in my own shop. Have added CNC plasma and smithing. After 40+ yrs schooling is great IF you can find a good one. I have hired a lot of students over the yrs. Most had teachers that wern't worth it. (set up a mig by the book not by how it sounds/works) ( you have to see it to make the weld) ( you can only braze cast) Have had instructor/testers say " I never welded i was taught in school"
ASK US I have never turned away a young un even if he/she plans to compete with me.
I'll just add one more to the hose,drip,cold,hot thing. Will you stake your life on that weld
some one else might have to. In closing I can stick,mig,tig and plasma weld with the best
But ain't made a forge weld yet.
Ken

[irnsrgn]

FWIW, the welds I made while mounting Carnival Rides, Ferris Wheel, Octopus, Paratrooper, still bug me, even after all these years, lots of peoples lives depended on how good my welds were.

One thing that farmers always hollered about was the time and patience I took when repairing wagon and hayrack tongues, the farmers usually don't keep the tongues tight where they mount to the running gear and they pull 3 or 4 or 5 down the road behind their pickups with wagons going every which way from the slop and what a beating they take. My answer to them what if your kids or grandkids or other family is in the minivan or car that the wagon takes out when the tongue fails while you are going down the Hiway and how good is your insurance, I sure don't want to find out if mine is good.

[horseshoe182]

20 something years ago the ozzie goverment forced me to go and do a short welding coarse, or they would cut off my social sercurity payments (goverment hand outs for unemployed), so I went. Yeah I was a really bludger, a dole bludger.
I was early 20,s and didn,t know my elbow form my a%se, an I didn,t want to be a welder.
After the short welding coarse I figured it was ok, an that I would give it a go. On and off, over the next 20 years I put myself through night school, learning how to weld and be a boilermaker.
5 years ago after meany years in the boilermaking trade I got my trade ticket, 2 years ago I stopped going to night school, and passed my Workcover welding tests for tig, the "workcover test" is the highest tig welding standard in oz. So I thought I did ok for a bludger.
I learned how to work to.

[Avadon]

Most things in life I believe you can do them just by willing yourself to it and not letting anyone or anything stand in your way. Welding is one of those things (unlike brain surgery or nuclear power plant manager) that you can just do on your own by trial and practice and be quite good at it.

I bought my first welder after I started realizing that to do serious robotics and telepresence machines you need to know how to do Tig welding. So I got myself a little Miller Maxstar 150. Tiny DC Tig. I think it cost about 900$ or so with all the goodies. Not cheap, but Tig never is. I remeber running inside frantic to show my girlfriend my first weld which she held and flexed the two metal pieces in her hand and they broke apart. I said "Well your not supposed to do that to it!". Yep at that point I didn't know much about fusion.

Then I needed money and ended up selling off the TIG at one point. I wasn't using it much anyway at that point. Then when I wanted to weld again I didn't have any money. Funny how that goes. So I bought any oxy/acet torch for about 80$ on ebay. A really cheap kit and got myself some small ACMC acetlyene and 20Oxygen. I used that kit all the time and still have it and use it. I got really good at gas welding and heating. In fact my gas welding looked like it had been Tig welded. That is what happens when you only have one toy to play with, you get incredibly good at it. I could even weld sheet quite well with it w/o creating a lot of distortion and I also got really good at brazing. These are lost techniques which welders all praise, I only did it because I was forced to.

Now I have a Miller Dynasty 200Dx Tig. A really nice 200amp machine. Wish I had a little bigger model but many does Tig get really expensive fast. This machine is a 3/16 penetration and has tackled most of my projects so far. Time and patience makes perfect with Tig. You learn by doing and doing and doing again. ;-)

[RcRacer]

Most things in life I believe you can do them just by willing yourself to it and not letting anyone or anything stand in your way. Welding is one of those things (unlike brain surgery or nuclear power plant manager) that you can just do on your own by trial and practice and be quite good at it. ..... < snip >

While this may be true, I have seen too many hobby weldors learn about penetration and fusion after their home built trailer breaks away at 55mph on a crowded highway.
I weld for a hobby and sometimes make some money at it. I have been doing it for several years now. Originally, I was self taught and started with MIG welding. It wasn't until I took a class in TIG welding that I really learned about welding, fusion, penetration and joint preparation. It is true that you can teach yourself but it will take a lot longer and you can teach yourself some bad habits. If you are going to weld things that need to be structurally sound, I recommend taking a class or two unless it strictly for artwork. Other peoples lives, besides your own, may depend on it.

[Demonknight]

I learned to weld when i was about 7yrs old. I grew up on a farm where they had one of those old Craftsman welders with all the plug ins for the different amperage's, out in this big metal barn. One day when i thought i was alone i went out to the barn and put one of those "sparklers" in the holder and was swinging it at big metal sheet laying on the dirt floor, having a great time throwing sparks everywhere. Suddenly the sparks stopped and when i turned around there stood my grandfather by the welder. So you want to weld something do you, he said. After a quick lesson about eye safety, which i already knew all about from being chased out of the barn whenever somebody had to weld something, i was put to work welding what seemed like miles of corral fencing. No amount of crying ever got me out of that hot sun, burning holes in all that pipe. The frustration made me want to know more and after that no one could strick an arc without me popping up under their arm with a old helmet on trying to see just how they did it. I watched and learned and in my high school welding class my teacher had me grading projects of the other students for him cause i was a better welder than he was. In college i took the classes i didn`t know as well like tig welding and oxy-acet and passed a certification course. I then took something that was fun for me that i loved to do and made a decent living out of it. You can learn so very much just from watching people that have the know how, and a little practice time.