learning to weld?

[Precision]

The thread about learning CNC work got me thinking.
Although I would love to learn machining etal, a more realistic goal short term is to learn how to weld properly.
I am a bit OCD, so I don't just mean melting some metal together. I mean much more learning to weld PROPERLY than learning to weldish inshallah style. This being part of my SHTF intellectual prep program.

My local CC has this program

http://www.brevardcc.edu/academics/degr ... nology.cfm

Is this super overkill if I don't want to do this for a living? If they offer classes without taking the entire courseload, which are the NEEDED ones?

ETA The cost per credit is $102. So $3900 plus books, fees and the like. Kinda outta the budget but piecemeal...

[HTRN]

Yeah, that's a bit much - you'll note that the last on that list was certification, which I'm guessing is pressure vessel certification(IE, you weld two coupons together, and besides visual inspection, they x ray it for voids).

There should be "welding 101" courses, for MIG and Stick(frankly you may be able to pick up MIG on your own if you study some of the welding vids on youtube). TIG and Oxy Arc? You're probably going to want instruction.

[MarkD]

I regret not having my Dad teach me to weld when I had the chance. He used older technology than today (last time he welded was probably early 1970's), he used to talk about "heli-arc" welding (I may be spelling it wrong, but that's how it was pronounced) as well as arc and acetylene. Seems like a useful talent to have.

[Rich Jordan]

I regret not having my Dad teach me to weld when I had the chance. He used older technology than today (last time he welded was probably early 1970's), he used to talk about "heli-arc" welding (I may be spelling it wrong, but that's how it was pronounced) as well as arc and acetylene. Seems like a useful talent to have.

Same for me with my Uncle Harry. He was a jack of all trades mechanic but could weld beautifully (mostly oxy-acetylene but also stick). I have one part on the Challenger (rear shock mount) that he repaired for me. I could get a repro for it but I'm keeping the repaired piece there just because.

[HTRN]

"heli-arc" welding

TIG, which today is called Gas Tungsten Arc Welding(GTAW, but everybody still calls it TIG) has been in use since it's perfection in 1941. Heliarc was a trademarked name for TIG, because that particular variant used Helium as a shielding gas. Electric arc welding in general exploded in the 40s due to the War effort.

[TheIrishman]

I regret not having my Dad teach me to weld when I had the chance. He used older technology than today...

Electric arc welding in general exploded in the 40s due to the War effort.

Yeah, the methods of welding with electricity haven't really changed much. The machines may have gotten more efficient, and may now be mostly electronically controlled, but the stick welder your dad used probably wasn't much different internally than the current Lincoln "Tombstone". Even GMAW or MIG has been around since 1926, though not cost effective for use on steel until the late 40's. My cousin still has a late 40's-early 50's engine driven Lincoln with the flathead I6 tucked away somewhere. The new one on his truck does the exact same thing in a much smaller package, but probably wont last as long.

[Netpackrat]

This is where I make my usual spiel for a beginning welder to first learn the oxy-acetylene process before doing anything with electric arc welding. O/A skills are the foundation for all manual welding technologies; it will take a little longer to learn O/A, but once you do, you will be able to pick up the electric methods faster, and you'll be a better welder overall, because you will have a good understanding of the fundamentals of what makes a weld sound.

Additionally, the equipment needed is not expensive, and will still be extremely useful to have around even after you take up the electric methods. It gives you a lot of extra capabilities beyond welding, such as brazing, cutting steel, and general heating of metal for all kinds of purposes (bending, annealing, hardening, soldering, etc. I have MIG, TIG, and stick capability, and I still would not want to be without a gas torch.

I think we've had at least 2 or 3 different welding threads since the move to this server, but I could only find this one. It's mostly focused on MIG welding, but there's plenty of useful info there.

[Darrell]

I took courses in basic stick welding and oxy/acetylene. I taught myself to TIG and MIG. I always thought TIG was much like oxy/ace, with the addition of a foot pedal.

[Netpackrat]

I took courses in basic stick welding and oxy/acetylene. I taught myself to TIG and MIG. I always thought TIG was much like oxy/ace, with the addition of a foot pedal.

Precisely. But, it's possible to make a weld with TIG that looks good, but doesn't have adequate penetration, and it's even easier to do with MIG. With O/A, if a weld looks good, you can generally be assured that it IS good. Which is one reason why I recommend it for beginners over the electric processes. And the skills that it teaches you, will make you more readily able to produce sound TIG and MIG welds, because you'll have the fundamentals down.

One thing that is sometimes done with TIG, is that there is a tendency to want to make tiny, jewelry like welds, because it is possible to do so, and it looks cool. But those welds often lack full penetration and adequate fillet for reinforcement. That's one reason why my TIG welds, while still presentable, will not win any beauty contests, because I like to err on the side of adequate penetration and fillet size for strength. So the beads end up being larger than they absolutely need to be.

[blackeagle603]

repetition is a fundamental of pedagogy. Overdue for a "is 30-06 enough for brown bear?" thread too.