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Quoted: Thanks man. Ya we have a range of people who take the class, and in my first one there were a couple guys who just wanted to get a basic understanding on welding so they could do simply projects at home. Even in this class, the younger guys just out of HS are the ones who are mad that they have to stay until the end of class. I took like 3 smoke breaks in the 3 hours in the lab and there were always 4 or 5 guys standing around on their phones bitching about having to stay. SNIP. View Quote He stated that he'd rather teach us than the kids he teaches in a 4 year degree class. All they want to do is check a box, because they are all going to be the boss.... not some dirty welder. I did have a dumb (really dumb) young kid in my class who thought he was going to get a job welding after taking this summer "fun" class. |
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I took a summer/no credit welding course at the local college. The instructor was excellent. He stated that he'd rather teach us than the kids he teaches in a 4 year degree class. All they want to do is check a box, because they are all going to be the boss.... not some dirty welder. I did have a dumb (really dumb) young kid in my class who thought he was going to get a job welding after taking this summer "fun" class. View Quote To give you an example, I am stressing a bit because our instructor has said that it's a pass or fail class. You bend a vertical up plate and you pass. So we were all thinking that between now and when class ends, so long as you bent one you were good. We were wrong, he said last Thursday hes going to do it just like a job interview, where you get a numbered piece of metal on the last night of class, and you have from when the class starts to when it ends to weld it, and bend it. If rips, you fail and if it stays solid then you pass. Now my main problem with that is that the class is not even at the point where we are doing vertical up plates. We still have several guys who are welding on vertical troughs and have not even gotten to the 2g plates. But I will hand it to the guys in the class, they shaped up quick. I can honestly say everyone is giving it 100% now, no one is leaving before 9:20 and everyone is trying to understand what they are doing wrong. |
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I took welding in my senior year in high school. I liked gas welding, hated stick welding, was ok with MIG, but loved Tig welding. As we learned each style, we'd have to perform various welds (flat surface, sideways, overhead, up/ down) with various combinations of thicknesses. We also had fabrication projects. Local farmers would bring in items to weld, and we'd log our time and mark our work so it could be recorded. Lots of grape growers who needed special hangers made. Teacher had made a 32 Ford frame the year before, and several customers were donating to the class for us to build additional frames. Once the fixtures were made, it became easy to do multiple parts. The frame instructions were originally in paper traced on to cardboard, then we'd use the cardboard templates to cut the steel. It was really cool to see the flats get tacked on and bended into more complex boxed in frame shapes.
We also learned how to use a plasma cutter, cutting torch, pattern cutters and a carbon arc cutter. If you never seen one, it's the stick welding version of a cutting torch. Crank up the power, insert a carbon rod, and vaporize everything in your way. If you're talented, you can make a fine cut. Otherwise it looks like you used a hand grenade. |
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Quoted:
I took welding in my senior year in high school. I liked gas welding, hated stick welding, was ok with MIG, but loved Tig welding. As we learned each style, we'd have to perform various welds (flat surface, sideways, overhead, up/ down) with various combinations of thicknesses. We also had fabrication projects. Local farmers would bring in items to weld, and we'd log our time and mark our work so it could be recorded. Lots of grape growers who needed special hangers made. Teacher had made a 32 Ford frame the year before, and several customers were donating to the class for us to build additional frames. Once the fixtures were made, it became easy to do multiple parts. The frame instructions were originally in paper traced on to cardboard, then we'd use the cardboard templates to cut the steel. It was really cool to see the flats get tacked on and bended into more complex boxed in frame shapes. We also learned how to use a plasma cutter, cutting torch, pattern cutters and a carbon arc cutter. If you never seen one, it's the stick welding version of a cutting torch. Crank up the power, insert a carbon rod, and vaporize everything in your way. If you're talented, you can make a fine cut. Otherwise it looks like you used a hand grenade. View Quote I really wish I had done this in HS, and especially TIG. I had a really hard time getting the hang of Oxy fuel welding, and just couldn't get it to work right, as I would either get the puddle to hot, and not feed the rod right or not get the puddle hot enough and it would just make huge clumps. The thought of having to feed a rod, and manipulate a foot petal while holding a torch has me a bit intimidated haha. |
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With gas it was like a gentile sweeping motion, keeping the right angle to preheat the metal while sweeping the flame, keeping both sides to be welded molten.
I was not much of a hands on person, more of an academic, so welding was a bit of a challenge. The teacher and a para-professional were there to help, otherwise it was move at your own pace. Some of the kids in the class were naturals, and picked everything up really fast. It was a strange feeling watching the instructor perform destructive testing to check a weld. It also kept others from pulling your work from the scrap bin and claim credit. For awhile, a nearby Whirlpool plant would donate sheet metal scraps, then we had to pay for it. I never heard who they went to for scrap after that. |
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With gas it was like a gentile sweeping motion, keeping the right angle to preheat the metal while sweeping the flame, keeping both sides to be welded molten. I was not much of a hands on person, more of an academic, so welding was a bit of a challenge. The teacher and a para-professional were there to help, otherwise it was move at your own pace. Some of the kids in the class were naturals, and picked everything up really fast. It was a strange feeling watching the instructor perform destructive testing to check a weld. It also kept others from pulling your work from the scrap bin and claim credit. For awhile, a nearby Whirlpool plant would donate sheet metal scraps, then we had to pay for it. I never heard who they went to for scrap after that. View Quote But what's really stupid about that, is you can get away with it for a while but eventually your going to hit a wall. That wall will come when its time to do the qualification classes which are required to graduate in both the basic degree, or the advanced degree. And in that, you have to follow a very specific protocol and weld everything to heat temp ranges, and make it exactly as the plans call for, and the inspector will check you at each process. From what I understand you do the cutting, angle work and then he checks it. Then you tack it, and if you do that right he inspects it and tells you to move on, and then when your done they finish it out, cut it and send it off for bending and X rays. There's just no bullshitting that, and I know I personally wouldn't want to get to that point and then be exposed as a dumbass. Kinda stoked, I got a new phone tonight and I'll be able to take more pictures again so I can hopefully explain the steps further for some of you who may be interested in taking classes, or just practicing at home. |
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So new phone, expect some cool pics, and maybe a video if I can do it right
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In high school, I think a small portion of the students were there to fill an elective they thought would be easy. I had taken several years of drafting, and wanted to some shop courses to apply my design and print reading knowledge. It sure helped me appreciate vocational skills.
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Good job OP.
It takes a lot of guts in todays instagram world to document your early failure and eventual growth. You have come a long way. And the lack of initiative in other students is in all classrooms. It is a byproduct of our educational system, where people who do perfect work get As but people that learn nothing and give 0 effort still are allowed to pass. The only bright side is hard work and a positive attitude is still rewarded for the most part in the real world. |
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Quoted:
Good job OP. It takes a lot of guts in todays instagram world to document your early failure and eventual growth. You have come a long way. And the lack of initiative in other students is in all classrooms. It is a byproduct of our educational system, where people who do perfect work get As but people that learn nothing and give 0 effort still are allowed to pass. The only bright side is hard work and a positive attitude is still rewarded for the most part in the real world. View Quote As far as the other students go, a couple of us are really trying and putting in a lot of work. A third of the class is there because they turned 18 and I assume had to go to school to live at home. Another 3rd just don't care, and I frankly have no clue why they are even bothering to continue. I mean tonight, the same guy I mentioned earlier who got mad and was throwing a fit that he had to make like 20 troughs, and who was trying to cheat by making them really tight V's instead of right angles is still trying to bullshit his way through it. He gave up on his vertical trough after making who knows how many, and moved on to the 2G plate. He made one while the teacher was out Tuesday and prepped it cut it into straps, and wasted all of last class on that, took it home to grind it more, and then ground it even more tonight. By the time he was done, he had cut it down to about 3/8ths thick and tried to bend it. The reason he ground it so much was it was riddled with porosity, and undercut. The teacher refused to let him bend it because it was ground to nothing and no longer even close to spec. He then spend the rest of the night pouting about it and instead of trying to learn why he was making mistakes, was openly telling everyone how he was going to cheat and cut the straps from the middle. One dude who was actually a welder at a company (known for being the worst in the area) has just stopped coming altogether now. The guys who left after 10 mins got to spend the first hour grinding tables though, which was pretty funny. Like I said, this is something you can't bullshit your way through. Even if you pass the class, what are you gonna do when you have to take the exact same test to be hired somewhere and they stand there and watch you do it. |
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Vertical up is more challenging then overhead. Do you get to use the same arc welder every class? Are you getting a D1.1 cert all positions unlimited thickness?
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Quoted:
Vertical up is more challenging then overhead. Do you get to use the same arc welder every class? Are you getting a D1.1 cert all positions unlimited thickness? View Quote This class, Wel 124 is a prep for qualification 1 class and is basically an introduction to out of position welds. The goals are supposed to be to introduce you to what you'll be doing in the next few classes and get you into welding out of position. I really have no clue why it's become a make it or break it class, as that's what the entire next one is for. In that, you send your plate off to get an X ray and weld 3G in front of an inspector for the end of that class. |
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Sorry its been a while since I updated this.
Passed with an A in both classes. I ended up being the first one to complete a flawless 3G bend on the final night but I decided to stick around since a couple of friends were still working. I got bored and ended up doing a 2G just to kill time, which also passed. The hype of "bend or fail" was just that. In the end, I dont know if it was from the shitty students complaining to the program manager or if it was never his intention to do it that way at all, but we were given much more leeway than we had all class. Most of the class did 2G since they had never gotten to the point of advancing to 3G, and three of us out of like 10 were the only ones to do 3G. He even allowed them to grind out mistakes, and re-weld straps that had serious flaws. Only one kid ended up having to do that, and it was the same kid that spend 80% of the class standing around, on his phone or eating snacks/smoking blunts in the back parking lot. The night of the final was the first time he had even bent a plate, and it went about as well as you can imagine. Even after rewelding he had fucked up his straps so much, and ground them so much that they were twisted with extreme highs and extreme lows. When he bent them, it was the first time I had actually seen a strap break in to multiple pieces. I assume he failed the class. But ya, next Monday I start on qualifications and hopefully in the second part of the semester (its divided into 2 eight week classes) I'll be able to overload a TIG class. Attached File |
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Quoted:
good job ..great post thanx View Quote In fact it was supposed to start tonight, but we got snow and schools closed. |
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If I read correct the classes are $400 a pop? That's a fair deal considering the cost of consumables and plate alone.
Been kicking the idea of taking some classes just to expand personal knowledge. I |
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If I read correct the classes are $400 a pop? That's a fair deal considering the cost of consumables and plate alone. Been kicking the idea of taking some classes just to expand personal knowledge. I View Quote |
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Sorry about your dog. Our Manx, the friendliest cat, got cancer and we had to put him down.
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A good helmet can make life much better. I used a Miller for the 10 years I welded, but a buddy of mine had an Optrel and loved it. They have a more budget friendly helmet that is still true color and might be a good option for you.
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Good to know about the helmet. View Quote |
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And the final update. I am going to try and get in a TIG class, but as I think I mentioned previously they changed the number for that class, so I was searching for a class that used to be 130 and became 163 and it was filled up before Christmas so I am just going to show up on both nights for both classes, and stand around until someone drops the class or leaves early. If I don't get into this class, I will be set back a year to graduate. They now only offer TIG in the spring and if I can't get a spot, i'll be waiting until next summer to complete the classes. The other required class is advanced TIG (thin metal and pipe tig class) and obviously the TIG 101 class is a prereq. Which really fucking sucks, and at this point I think there are a bunch of us that this happened to, and were all probably be showing up to a full class, and fighting in a pit to decide who gets to attend.
I am in the pipe class this summer, so there's that but If I can't get in TIG this will be the last update (pending questions) for a couple months as I won't be in class. It's been a hell of a semester, and I can't wait to get back in there and start posting pics of my shitty tig welds for you guys to laugh at |
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This is a very interesting thread. Hope you get in. Have you talked to the professor?
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Great thread.
Jealous about your class. I would only do it at hobby level. Last year I binged buying a Millermatic mig and suckered into buying the miller mask with their promo deal at the time. I stopped at the local welding shop while they had a dealer expo with both Lincoln and Miller reps and full demo trucks on site. The Miller rep gave me Free Miller welding gloves, said I was good for a $1500 sale later. I was. Millermatic, spoolgun, helmet, wire, |
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This is a very interesting thread. Hope you get in. Have you talked to the professor? View Quote Its just a matter of logistics unfortunately. There are only I think 16 TIG machines so that limits the number of people per class, and there are only so many nights to do class in. I am however irritated they spent over 10 grand per virtual welder that sits in various classes used for maybe one hour a semester. Not to mention the untold thousands spent on a robotic welder, that in the entire time I have been in class has never once been plugged in let alone used. They could have gotten a ton of the multi process machines for that money. Quoted:
Great thread. Jealous about your class. I would only do it at hobby level. Last year I binged buying a Millermatic mig and suckered into buying the miller mask with their promo deal at the time. I stopped at the local welding shop while they had a dealer expo with both Lincoln and Miller reps and full demo trucks on site. The Miller rep gave me Free Miller welding gloves, said I was good for a $1500 sale later. I was. Millermatic, spoolgun, helmet, wire, View Quote I can't speak highly enough about the instructors I have, and I imagine it's the same at almost every local college. These guys have a true passion for it, and every teacher I have had goes to work usually at 4am and will come straight to school and teach until 9. And you know on a community college check their not in it for the money. One of the new teachers is a young guy actually a little younger than me (I'm 28) who completed the program 6 years ago and was asked to teach the introduction to welding class, and it was really cool to see him come in and inspire a bunch of first time welders. He even bought a bunch of stuff using his own money to give away as prizes for making the best weld. Stuff like chipping hammers, new gloves and wire brushes etc. All and all, Its been a fantastic experience so far and I think that's part of why the program is so packed. |
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