Welding Tips and Tricks

Greetings,

My 14 yo son was given a summer project by his father, me and that is to learn to weld. He helped me set up my new tig machine last night and I'm off to buy a welding table this am. I know I could have him make one but we don't have anything to practice on right now.

When I learned to weld in high school we started with oxy-ac and then on to stick. That was it no wire feed no tig. I need some help getting him a home study course that he can do during the day rather than tv and video games.

I'm thinking of having him continue tig welding since I had him do some last fall at my friends shop and I need some stainless welded up for my home brewery. This will give him a project once he gets his basics down.

Thanks Todd

Hi there,

I learned to stick weld first at home. Just pad welds and mucking around welding all sorts of junk together. Id say thats a good place to start because you actually need to "make" it work not just pull the trigger like Mig. But make sure you guide him well and help him progress. It gets pretty boring just doing junk welds all day.

Mick

Hi, Todd,

Like Mick, I first learned on stick. Reflecting on it now, (an opinion... take it for what it's worth ) I would suggest learning oxy-fuel first. It teaches puddle control without the slag that accomanies stick, and everything happens slower than when learning TIG. Also, he'll know what a puddle looks like, so when learning stick he can tell the difference between puddle and slag.

If you can teach him sanitary pipe (for your home brew), he'll never hurt for a job.

Everyone who welds should learn MIG, because it's just so DAMN CONVENIENT, but I feel it should come late in the game, so he can call himself a welder, as oppose to a "squirt-gun operator".

My two cents...

Steve

Progress is being made. I picked up some drops from my local steel store on the skinny today. Then a stop at the library for a couple of welding books and I had him read safety and joint designs chapters. Now he's out practicing making puddles and small runs, I'm inside making dinner. I think I make him nervous so I come in and do something to keep me from nagging.

I will take the idea of regular welding and the puddle. I don't have any rod so another trip to the welding supply store tomorrow. Last time I was in the counter guy told me to drop him off for a few hours and he would let him play.

Thanks again for the ideas

ps he wants to open his own brewery someday so that's why we are doing stainless tig, but then again what 14 yo boy doesn't want to tell his buddies he's gonna open a brewery.

At the age of 14 … he’ll pick it up fast and do great in short order. I was 50 when I first tried my hand at welding … stick of course a $89 dollar C.E hobby welder. Didn’t go well at first then I found a used, beat up old Miller Thunderebolt 225 SMAWfor $50 and I was off and running. A couple years later I moved to mig and oxy – acetylene fabricating parts for my drag bike and making metal art ... also started DC TIG ... now at the age of 59 I’m moving on to AC/DC Pulse … I should have started when I was your sons age … he will get it mastered in no time and before you know it … maybe start teaching you things … young minds are awesome!

When I learned how to weld, I got 100 lbs of 7018 and a pile of scrap and burned it over a weekend, then went to it at the quarry. My dad didn't know how to weld, so I took a lot of advice from the Haynes "How to Weld" manual you get at Home Depot. Not actually a bad book for a beginner. When my wife wanted to start learning before she started welding school, I gave her a mig gun first, and of course the "How to Weld" manual and let her go at it, she's working on stick now. The big thing is keep them practicing. I don't have a home shop, so when my wife wants to practice we have to load up all the kids and take them to work at night. I think if I can come up with time to build my garage, she'd be able to practice a lot more.

One thing I always do when I am teaching someone is ask "what do you want to build?" then we build it. This will help them get interested and invested right away. Burning scrap together isn't bad, but nothing beats the first time you flip you hood up, step back and say "I built that!" Best of luck with it!

As stated in the last post ... "The big thing is keep them practicing" I have friends that weld and about half of them took classes years ago ... half of the ones who took courses and became certified I can weld circles around ... the reason? I weld a lot. Pretty much everything I learned was by books, forums, trial and error, and every once in a while saying Ouch! A lot of people look at welding as work ... for me it's therapy ... while I'm in the shop making a mess and getting filthy dirty, hot and smelly, I'm relaxed and in my element ... no one except they laws of physics telling me what to do or how to do it. Give him guidance ... stress safety, but don't hover ... let him discover the magic of melting and bonding steel ... playing with fire can be fun when done correctly. Have a great Sunday ... well it's off to for me now.

Companies who actually hire welders are going to bank on what you know and what you have done similarly for you to merit one of the few spots that are probably going to be left open for the group/bunch.

And though there are more things that you could likely consider, it would be very tricky to be on a strong and interesting level to actually work really great. I hope that you could start well and prosper with it.

hello my name is michael laney, i have be learning how to weld at a job corps program. the book that we curently use is Modern Welding Technology you can find it on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Welding-Te ... 0131130293 and its a bit pricy, the way i learned was first using 6010 rod and that will help your son to read a puddle, next have him move to 7018 and from their have him hop in a tig booth and it will be much easier for him. make sure he knows about the foot peddle and how it helps with the bead