Thread 2915167

>employer is paying for a 12h(single day) welding course
Wtf? What's the point? What can you even learn is such small amount of time?

>>2915167 (OP)
could probably learn how to weld

>>2915176
In just 12h?
We sometimes have to weld at work but very seldom so I'm not seeing what's the point of this training day.

>>2915180
You can learn how to weld things that aren't important in 12 hours.

>>2915167 (OP)
How many hours do you need to learn how to glue two pieces of steel together?

>>2915184
>The term of apprenticeship for a welder is three years (three 12-month periods), including a minimum of 1560 hours of on-the-job training

>>2915167 (OP)
You can learn not to be afraid of welding and how to work a machine in 12 hours. You won't get good at it but its enough for an intro.

>>2915185
>>hey kid, can you weld down this jig?
>sure boss, lemme just take a 3-year course in welding with 1560 hours on-the-job training and I'll be right back
>>wow, that's the kind of no-nonsense positive attitude we want at our company, here's a pay raise

you can learn how to set up the machine and lay a tack down, both useful if you need to work with a welder.
and if your welder knows you're not a complete idiot then he might let you practice on some smaller jobs here and there.

>>2915167 (OP)
is there anything zoomiezooms dont bitch about?

I got a degree in welding and did a 3 years of training and I can't even get an entry level job, went into the military as a welder got out, still can't do it, so now I am going into Industrial automation, to get my vengeance against Joe Boomer, 20 years of 1 year experience in welding.

>>2915167 (OP)
A monkey could be trained to MIG weld in half that time.

>>2915167 (OP)
>What can you even learn is such small amount of time?
Some safety measures. The rest is up to experience anyway

>>2915251
A monkey maybe but I know a mexican can't from experience

>>2915181
I learned how to farmer weld in 12 minutes.
>if weld broke I could just weld again
>nothing broke yet
>everything reinforced with finest random angle iron and old lawnmower blades from scrap pile
>big fat globs of 4013 rod

>>2915251
Should I into MIG?
I got the multiprocess machine but only ever used stick.
>I didn't buy tig torch and someone told me to not bother or buy a dedicated machine if I really want to

>>2915296
What do you want to do? Sheet metal? If so, MIG is good unless you're outdoors as the shielding has will get dispersed. I have a multiprocess machine but only use stick now for its simplicity and versatility. I weld sheet metal with 6011 and heavier steel with 7018. With TIG it doesn't really matter about a dedicated machine as long as it's DC. I've welded stainless steam coils with scratch start TIG using an old Lincoln R2D2 welder and it worked fine.

>>2915296
I don't know what machine you have but tig can be really useful for little things if it runs well on your machine. But outside of doing stick for work 99% of what I use to weld is mig. Its the easiest to just pick up and weld something you're fabricating quickly.

>>2915304
>99% of what I use to weld is mig
That's cool, but I mostly weld outdoors and can't be bothered with spools, wire feeders, liners, tips, nozzles, etc. Plus, I have an engine driven Lincoln Ranger AC/DC CC/CV, so it's not exactly suitable for indoors.

>>2915308
In that case fuck going through the trouble of learning mig. Its not a good process its just easy in a shop.

>>2915167 (OP)
How many processes are you learning? You could easily learn the basics of stick and mig in that time. You won't learn much about fabrication or anything outside of actually welding but you would be able to learn how to set a machine and how to lay a bead. You won't be building a pressure vessel afterwards but you could easily learn to reattach a support for a small motor or something. Years ago I taught myself to weld stick in a couple of hours drinking beers. I wouldn't have trusted anything I made with someone's life but a made a pretty bad ass 3 tier fire wood rack in my back yard that's held several hundred pounds since then.

>>2915318
>How many processes are you learning?
No idea, I just got told that x day someone will come on job site and do a full day welding workshop.

>>2915167 (OP)
Why are you bitching about getting free welding instruction?

>>2915167 (OP)
Its only worth it if you're welding for at least 11 hours of that
If it's a meme course with 10 hours of theory+quiz and a single hour for actual welding, it's worthless

>>2915392
Because now my eyes are burning and I embarrassed myself since I couldn't make a single bead. Electrodes kept getting stuck, always going out because I was either too close or to far away, couldn't see shit, and instructor kept saying that my arm was too stiff and shaking too much.

>>2915445
haha sounds like you had a bad time

>>2915458
It wasn't great. It was my first time trying and I really, really, really suck at welding.

>>2915167 (OP)
I learned a basic weld in less than one, how retarded are you? The rest is just theory and practice

>>2915464
Everyone sticks their stick at first thats why its called stick.

>>2915464
strike it very lightly like a match

>>2915503
everybody learning stick should burn a rod of 7024 as the very first act to immediately get a confidence boner

Got some more welding time today, how do I improve this?

>>2915624
>fusion discontinuities
>slag entrapment
>arc strikes
>excess spatter
Try to wash the edges more thoroughly with your puddle

>>2915510
Everyone should start on 6010 instead

>>2915683
Any tips on how to maintain a steady hand? And how to avoid spatter, it was all over the place.

>>2915690
We were using 6013

>Don't even know what that means

>>2915690
People learn habits with 6010 or 6011, like whipping, which don't carry over to other electrodes. I've seen a nigger whipping a 7018 on a job site and then complain when the inspector rejected his weld.

>>2915693
>Any tips on how to maintain a steady hand?
Use your other hand to steady your stinger hand. Keep your elbow close to your body, if possible.
>spatter
Can be a function of excess amperage or too large of an arc gap.
>6013
That's an archaic rod. They aren't used by professionals.

>>2915167 (OP)
>employer
>paying for courses
Lucky

>>2915693
Try to lean your body and elbow on something. And once you position yourself run through where you're going to be welding to make sure you can do it comfortably. You don't want to be comfortable for the first half and fucked for the second.
>>2915694
Thats true. When I started out I learned with 6010 then 7018 after a few weeks but I guess it depends on how long you use 6010 before switching to a different rod.

>>2915730
I was the opposite and learned with 7018. Since I really don't care what my welds look like anymore, I found a new appreciation for freeze rods. They'll weld through paint, rust and grease, and you can really control the arc with them. The only rods I use at home now are 6011. They'll burn on any machine and get the job done without any bullshit.

>>2915740
Oh yeah they're great for dirty metal. I need a stick machine for home I've only got a wirefeed I picked up for cheap.

New weld. Do you guys recon this is better than the previous ones?

>>2916546
You've still got lack of fusion and slag entrapment as major discontinuities.
Since you told us that you're welding with 6013, that's understandable since they are dogshit rods. The arc is too soft with rutile rods and it's hard to see the puddle while you're welding. Maybe try to angle the plates slightly (like 5 degrees) and weld a little bit uphill. That might control the slag to some extent. Better yet, try a 6010/6011 or 7018. 6010/6011 have a strong arc and light slag and will freeze quickly. A 7018 is harder to arc for beginners, but you can clearly see the molten puddle as you weld and it will produce a better looking weld.

>>2916601
So it's as bad as the others? Thanks for the advice anon.

>>2916546
The parts that aren't clearly bad which the other anon already pointed out seem more consistent than the previous pictures

>>2915503
having now done a bunch of patch bullshit jobs at work I can confidently say that 80% of stick welding problems are going to be something environmental (bad negative, bad surface, welder not tuned to materials/ambient) and 20% are some sort of technique issue.

Anyone want to correct me on this? If you can correct environmental issues then even a bullshit artist can do something serviceable.

Mind you we use primarily 6011, 7018 and a bit of 6010 at work for the stick and then a big MIG welder for the shop.

>>2915445
>shaking too much.
Everyone that welds stick has that problem and that's why most have a flask or a couple shooters. It's called DTs.

>>2916811
>>2916811
This is true. Fitup and conditions have so much to do with the end result. An extra couple of minutes prepping with a grinder or checking measurements can save hours in rework. I've seen so many welders who went to school and could make beautiful welds on clean plate and pipe coupons in a booth, but when getting a job and told to fabricate or repir something in real life they completely fuck it up.
The focus on making a "beautiful bead" is wrong. If the weld is free of major defects and meets the required size, then it's acceptable. Meeting these conditions largely depends on surface prep and fitup.

>>2915242
>a degree in welding
in what country is there such a thing?

"welders" here are fresh off the boat from Vietnam no questions asked about qualifications.

>>2916904
>picrel and countless technical colleges

>>2916901
I went to school for welding and I'd purposely fit up pipes poorly just to learn how to do it. There were a lot of guys who couldn't weld at all unless it was the perfect fit up.

>>2916735
It's clearly better than the others, just still has some areas that could be improved.

>>2915167 (OP)
the vocab?

>>2916907
I just got an associates degree, having a bachelors is overkill when you could just do a more suited engineering degree.

I am going for automation since well, welders and robots go hand and hand.

>>2919852
>more suited engineering degree
Most engineers know very little about welding and usually have to consult welders or inspectors for advice. Granted it's a specialty, welding engineering is a legitimate field.

>>2915185
That's to become a certified welder who can just show up on a job site and do basically anything with as few instructions as humanly possible. You'll know how to weld aluminium and various alloys of steel, in multiple processes and in a wide range of joint types. You'll have dabbled in now esoteric processes such as OA-welding since you've had a chance to work with the cutting torch a bunch. And so on.

A 12 hour course means you get the basic skills so you understand what you're doing so you use the correct electrode type, the right current, the correct polarity, etc. You're not meant to become a pipe welder at the end.

>>2920024
>certified welder
Usually this doesn't mean shit.
On any ASME project you'll still have to test at the site before you're hired and have at least your first two welds RTed, regardless of how many "certifications" you have. They DGAF about your papers or apprenticeship. It's, "can you make the weld quickly and have it pass inspection?" Pretenders get found out quickly.

>>2919888
Engineers don't want people talk down to them, it's easier for companies to simply hire a CWI who has more experience, certifications, and is probably paid less.

>>2922071
>probably paid less
Depends on how much OT the CWI gets, assuming he wasn't stupid to go on salary.

Imma hijack this bread with shit of my own real fast >>2922667