Brushing up on my welding skills

[waskillywabbit]

I'm looking to brush up on my welding skills, which consist of some basic SMAW welding classes more than 15 years ago. I'd like to get into GMAW and progress, not for certification or anything, just for personal use fabricating on a trail rig that I'm building, and for other personal projects. I was thinking of just going back to the local junior college at night where I took my previous classes and pick up where I left off (audit only). Anybody got any other suggestions/ideas?

Brian

 

[Rich2001]

Getting good at welding requires "time behind the stick," welding, welding and more welding. If you have access to a GMAW setup, and someone who welds (GMAW) then don your shield and run stingers on a piece of scrape steel (horizontal position). Pick up a booklet for GMAW welding and set your welding parameters according.

Vita sine litteris mors est.

 

[waskillywabbit]

I do remember something from Latin class, yeah, I like to keep learning or I feel I'm turning into a slacker, and being more proficient in my welding is always something I've wanted to do. I get tired of "accessing" my buddies equipment for my trail project, so I figure if I signed up for the classes and paid my money I'd be more motivated to practice and get good/confident enough to buy a "new" to me GMAW setup that would suit my skill level and needs.

Brian

 

[rd400guy]

If you're competent at SMAW, you'll probably find GMAW a breeze (I did at least!). A local junior college or trade school (here in New York it's BOCES), should give you a pretty good intro to GMAW. Be careful which class you sign up for, or they might have you going through torch cutting and SMAW again. Talk to the instructor, before you pay for anything, you might be able to skip a few classes, as you already know the basics. You could even contact local welding supply shops as they sometimes offer evening workshops in conjunction with local schools. Sometimes they'll have intensive classes specific to a certain welding process (like intro to GMAW). Get on the phone and call around.

I agree with Rich2001 that there's no substitute to practicing, and the "just jump in and do it" attitude has gotten many people very far. But, if you're not very familiar with GMAW (or GTAW) it's usually very helpful to have a licensed instructor go over the basics that an experienced welder might forget to teach you, or just take for granted that you already know.

 

[Heckler]

Buy your own welder and start building that trailer. A few friends bought a entry level Miller for $1000.00 that's set up to run flux core and gas shielded. For our first project we built a fence with a remote gate. I have a new appreciation for guys/girls that weld. Especially welders that weld in the field....that was hard work not having a work bench to set up on. I realized that five years had passed since my senior project in college and I could indead still lay a good bead. So go buy a welder.

Best Regards,

Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SW2005 SP 2.0 & Pro/E 2001
Dell Precision 370
P4 3.6 GHz, 1GB RAM
XP Pro SP2.0
NIVIDA Quadro FX 1400


Do you trust your intuition or go with the flow?

 

[Wasdifferent]

Try this link.

http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/forum_show.pl

Best regards,

-Mike

http://www.sewellconstruction.org

 

[Singleseater]

Three years ago, I decided to become certifed in welding steel and aluminum up to 4G. I did it in 6 months with 3 nights a week and practice at home, but it does take time to get it right.

A few things to note though...

1) Find a school with good teachers, good equipment and plenty of both. I spent a lot of time waiting to talk to the instructor (1 per 18+ students) or waiting to access the equipment to actually weld on (GTAW most of all).

2) Once you feel good about the technique, get a good book and read it. Recommend Modern Welding (ISBN 1-56637-330-1) as it will serve you well for a long time to come.

3) Buy a decent GMAW/GTAW welding rig and two bottles. Spend money for a good rig and it will work well for many years to come. Miller or ESAB make great units and can be found used if you are patient. If DC will usually be able to do SMAW as well.

4) Buy scrap material, prep as specified and weld, weld, weld. Although welding is simply joining two pieces of metal with heat, it takes alot of practice to keep the heat under control and add just the right amount of filler metal for good penetration without distortion, base erosion or major changes in the base material granular structure. Good welders know how to set up the equipment they use to get the optimal weld, know the right filler material and size, the right gases and flow rates and the correct technique based on the base metal, the stresses it will encounter and the position it is in when welded. If the welds are on life critical structures (aircraft frames) then you had best get it right. If not life critical, it is still good to ensure at least the weld is mechanically sound (yet maybe not pretty). Weld pitting, undercutting and slag pockets are not acceptable regardless.

5) SMAW was where I started, then GMAW, oxy acetylene and finally GTAW. Oxy and GTAW are similar processes, but the cost of the GTAW far exceeds the cost of the oxy equipment. Oxy was used for years (and still is) with amazing success and should not be discarded as a method to use. SMAW is primarily for 3/16"+ steels (pipe and plates in the field) and GMAW on steel where welding speed is desired. For 4130 chromoly steel, GTAW (TIG) is desired for heat control and exact weld placement. GMAW (MIG) is fine for 1020 mild steel but getting the feed rate, amperage and wire size right will take practice.

6) ALWAYS practice on a piece of the same material before welding the actual "final product". Mistakes are easier to fix on practice pieces.

7) And like painting, the weld itself takes much less time than the preparation for the weld. Machine setup, parts fitting, cleaning and clamping take a lot longer than the welding. But when it is all said and done, people see the weld, not all the work in getting it done. When all your welds look like dimes overlaping one atop the prior, then you can start to weld away on the "final pieces".

Have fun! If it were really easy, everyone could do it.

Brian Barnett

 

[waskillywabbit]

Good advice. Thanks.



Brian
Pressure Vessels and Autoclave Systems

http://www.mcabeeconstruction.com

The above comments/opinions are solely my own and not those of McAbee Construction.