Tryed welding today for first time!

[capecod400ex]

Well i tryed welding for the first time lol It was much harder than i thougth it was. But i welded two metal rods togther. Any one have any tips or pointers for a first time welder? thanks

[Adam202]

practice, alot, youll get good pretty quick.

[TheX1992]

dont try to be tough and squint your eyes instead of using a mask. weld flash SUCKS. feels like sandpaper under your eyelids. what kind of welding are you doing? wirefeed?stick? most of them you just 'push' the puddle of weld along.

[capecod400ex]

Iam welding wire feed and if some one welds buy squinting thaire dumb i usly close my eyes or use a helmet. yeah Iam gunna head back to my shop to pracitce more in a while. :devil:

[nuclearkielbasa]

Originally posted by capecod400ex
Iam welding wire feed and if some one welds buy squinting thaire dumb i usly close my eyes or use a helmet. yeah Iam gunna head back to my shop to pracitce more in a while. :devil:


I hate to break it to ya, but weld flash goes right through your eyelids and will burn your eyes.

[NTPRacing#19]

yea i was just gonna say that nuclear. also if you weld alot you will get sun burned and then have a tan on your face if you dont wear a helmet

[4wheelboy]

yea dude some kid in my welding shop class got wleders flash and he always is *****in now. like i said in another thread i hate arc welding wish a passion!!! . mig is sooo mcuh easier. now if i could only master tigg. also if u plan on doing a alot of wleding get a auto darkening mask it makes it alot easier!!!:blah: be carefull and have fun

[Nausty]

i've been taking metals class and its about all I do in that class. I don't even do the other projects, I just borrow other peoples for the grade and weld more. I don't really remember the names but I can weld just using the acetaline and oxygen torch and i'm good at about any type of welding w/ it. Brazing, fusion, ect.

Then I can use the wire welder w/ the oxygen and acetaline I think it is, I havn't used it for a while

Then we got a stick welder which i'm really good at and is pry my favorite to try to master.

I really like the class and its taught me a lot. I'm kinda thinking I might wanna start a career in welding. Good money, something I like to do and you get to see a lot and work in a lot of conditions and u getta do ur own thing.

[trx400ex]

Just practice alot. I am lucky enough to be attending a very good welding class at a highschool about 30 mins away from me, i just go there halfdays. The more you weld the better youll get but make sure you have someone that is very very good at it teaching you or you will learn bad habits real quick. It is fun, but hard work good luck.

[joeroadking]

always always where a shield!! welder flash s@#ks! but I have a feeling you will know that at about 3am!if not always use the shield !

[capecod400ex]

today when i was welding i used a mask but if some one across the room is i usely close my eyes. but yeah it sucks not to it hurts. i practiced more i got alittle better, i love my new welder thow it kicks @ss its nothing great but i like it. :devil:

[joeroadking]

what kind of welder did you get ?

[capecod400ex]

just a 200$ craftsman gassless wire feed, cause i have a miller stick welder that we use for thick stuff.

[joeroadking]

Originally posted by capecod400ex
just a 200$ craftsman gassless wire feed, cause i have a miller stick welder that we use for thick stuff.
yeh I have aold lincoln stick welder and was thinking about picking up one of the craftsmanor lincoln buzzboxes wire feed any ways I am preety sure youcan buy the kit to convert your ,welder to use shielding gas with a kit they sears and welding supplys sell! back to what I was saying earlier about the shield ,lets just say I learned the hard way to use the shield ,first time Iwelded I got flash burns so bad I had to wear patches on my eyes for 2days second time ,Iwelded caught the carpet onfire inmy caddy,was welding the seat mount with the helmet on and could not see the rug on fire some times yopu can not win ha LOL, yes I got the fire out !

[Glow Plug]

congrats on the new welder, I have been welding for ever MAbye 2 or 3 years since I did it last lol... I think i'll have to start up again since we don't get taught welding in school :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Nausty
i've been taking metals class and its about all I do in that class. I don't even do the other projects, I just borrow other peoples for the grade and weld more. I don't really remember the names but I can weld just using the acetaline and oxygen torch and i'm good at about any type of welding w/ it. Brazing, fusion, ect.

Then I can use the wire welder w/ the oxygen and acetaline I think it is, I havn't used it for a while

Then we got a stick welder which i'm really good at and is pry my favorite to try to master.

I really like the class and its taught me a lot. I'm kinda thinking I might wanna start a career in welding. Good money, something I like to do and you get to see a lot and work in a lot of conditions and u getta do ur own thing. i am the exact same way..in my metals class we have 5 stick welders and 1 mig...i dont even bother to use the mig because i think stick welding is a lot more fun..i love doing it. Im also probably going to be looking for a career in welding also...right now were learning how to use a Lathe:D

[Narly R]

welding is fun and can pay good too! The best way to learn is to get on a mask, and have somone that knows how to weld weld, and u watch, that how I learned. I love stickwelding, but wire feed looks better. I take welding class in HS its fun.

I think the aesiesy and best way to weld is to hold it on one spot, and move outa the puddle then come back in and hold and go back out and come back in and hold....... thats w/a arc welder. The hardest part for me was slowing down.... I havent mastered wire feed yet, but its a lot easier....

[Nausty]

yeah i'm not very good at wire feed, Its hard going the right speed, having it angled right and moving it around right and having the tempature or amps or w/e right for the thickness of metal you have so you don't burn holes through it.

[nuclearkielbasa]

Originally posted by Nausty
I'm kinda thinking I might wanna start a career in welding. Good money, something I like to do and you get to see a lot and work in a lot of conditions and u getta do ur own thing.

Good money.... ya..... to pay for the lung removal operation and the treatment for skin cancer, not to mention the bills from your eye doctor.

Hate to burst your bubble, but welding ain't no glamor job. Yes, its a challenging and rewarding career, but you better be aware of the consequences too! There are a million health hazards that are associated with welding and machine work that you should fully understand before you decide to dedicate your life to it.

[chucked]

Originally posted by nuclearkielbasa
Good money.... ya..... to pay for the lung removal operation and the treatment for skin cancer, not to mention the bills from your eye doctor.

Hate to burst your bubble, but welding ain't no glamor job. Yes, its a challenging and rewarding career, but you better be aware of the consequences too! There are a million health hazards that are associated with welding and machine work that you should fully understand before you decide to dedicate your life to it.

i know dozens of people that weld for careers and I know that none of them have any of those problems, even the chronic smoker doesnt. A few have been welding for over 30 years

[capecod400ex]

Originally posted by chucked
i know dozens of people that weld for careers and I know that none of them have any of those problems, even the chronic smoker doesnt. A few have been welding for over 30 years

Me to my freinds dad has been welding scine the early 80's every day all day nothing bad yet.

[hessianmx111]

im stick welding right now in school and its fun as hell, I bought an auto dark hood and am glad i did it makes things so much easier, in the following weeks im gonna be learning mig and maybe a lil tig too i cant wait, our shop is really well equipped at school we have like 16 stick welders,16 mig, 6 tig,16 oxyacetylene torches, plasma cutter, track torch, pirhanna metal cutter, and prolly some stuff i dont know about lol

[kicken250x]

Originally posted by nuclearkielbasa
Good money.... ya..... to pay for the lung removal operation and the treatment for skin cancer, not to mention the bills from your eye doctor.

Hate to burst your bubble, but welding ain't no glamor job. Yes, its a challenging and rewarding career, but you better be aware of the consequences too! There are a million health hazards that are associated with welding and machine work that you should fully understand before you decide to dedicate your life to it.


i know alot of people that have welded for atleast 10 years a few as much as 25 years. you dont have to wory about those things as long as you use a quality mask and keep your skin covered. just be smart and use common sence and youll be ok. ive ran a MIG or TIG in autobody almost everyday of school for 3 semesters and i wear contacts so i asked my eye doc if it could have any impact on my eyes over time and he said as long as you use the proper darkness helmet then you will be fine.

[nuclearkielbasa]

Ok... I changed my mind. Go into a welding career blind, assuming that there are no more risks than the average office assistant takes. While you're at it, weld away at some galvanized or zinc plated steel. Go ahead and put your head right in that cloud. I know some kid that has been welding for 4 whole semesters, and he hasn't had problems yet, so it must be ok.

[chucked]

Originally posted by nuclearkielbasa
Ok... I changed my mind. Go into a welding career blind, assuming that there are no more risks than the average office assistant takes. While you're at it, weld away at some galvanized or zinc plated steel. Go ahead and put your head right in that cloud. I know some kid that has been welding for 4 whole semesters, and he hasn't had problems yet, so it must be ok.

drinking milk will reverse the effects of breathing those fumes. he is right though. I havent seen it happen but i heard u start puking up your insides :eek:

[Narly R]

Originally posted by chucked
drinking milk will reverse the effects of breathing those fumes. he is right though. I havent seen it happen but i heard u start puking up your insides :eek:

WHAT! What causes this to happen?

[nuclearkielbasa]

The immediate effects of the poisoning (puking out your insides) are the least of your worries. All the milk in the world isn't going to help you if you've been stupid your whole career, and that's the point I'm trying to make to these kids who think welding is some kind of glamor job.

I know its neat. All I'm saying to you is to learn how to do it properly and SAFELY now instead of thinking to yourself while your family and the hospice lady stare at you with tear-filled eyes that you should have followed all the safety guidelines. 2 years of welding stupid is going to take 20 years off your life in the long run.

If you want to learn to weld, that's fine. But do yourselves and you families a favor by learning as much as you can about welding and the precautions you NEED to take. 2 years of high-school metal shop isn't going to teach you jack ****.

Get ahold of Cornell University and ask them about a guy named Tom Cook. He can teach you what you REALLY need to know about welding. He can also personally attest to what happens when you don't think safety! He's the best one-lunged welder I've ever met!

thats why you ALWAYS weld with an over head vent on to suck all the fumes.....

[Adam202]

Originally posted by nuclearkielbasa
. 2 years of high-school metal shop isn't going to teach you jack ****.
you dont need anything more than highschool to learn good welding. the welding class available to me is awesome and alot of those kids have went to welding competitions with the class and won plenty of times. if your not stupid about it and your careful your going to be fine. alot of my freinds got good at welding really fast in this class. going to college for welding? waste of money and time when its available in highschool.

[Adam202]

Maybe if its going to be your serious Career yea it would be worth it. but even at that you dont exactly need it. you can get welding jobs right out of highschool.

[nuclearkielbasa]

Sometimes its just better to throw in the towel and give up on a subject. Here's my towel.

[howboutchaw]

Reading this makes me want to throw in my two cents, so here goes.

I have been a welder/fabricator for 8 years at a very successful fabrication shop.

Yes, welding can be a very rewarding career. It all depends on how good you are at it and how well you can fabricate things.

Yes, welding can be very dangerous. Someone said, "It is definitely not a glamour job." That may be the truest statement here. Fact is, it can be very hard and tedious work.

Here are a few tips I have learned over the years:
1) Always wear the welding helmet no matter what. Anything less would just be stupid.
2) Always wear a long sleeved shirt.
3) Clean as much oil and contaminants off of the metal as possible. This is where most of the health problems appear cause when the metal gets hot the oils and paint burn off and make toxic fumes.
4) MIG welding is by far the easiest and most widely used welding process available. Learn this process inside and out. Stay away from the cheap gasless welders that run fluxcore wire with standard 110 voltage. A much better choice would be to go to a small Miller 175 machine that runs off 220v. If you have already bought a welder that runs off of 110v I would highly recommend getting the kit so that you can run the CO2 argon gas. Then get a spool of .023 solid core wire.
5) ARC welding can be a lot tougher. The trick of it is is to make sure you are using the proper rods for the polarity, position, and material thickness that you want to weld.
6) If you are taking a welding class in high school, you are already ahead of the game. It is a much easier route than trying to learn everything on your own.
7) There is sure no shame in practicing. Even to this day if I have a piece that has to be welded right, I will always practice on a similar metal that I can just throw away...especially with cast iron.

One more thing, there are a lot of easier ways to make a living. But it is satisfying to know that if you can weld you can damn near fix anything!

Originally posted by howboutchaw
Reading this makes me want to throw in my two cents, so here goes.

I have been a welder/fabricator for 8 years at a very successful fabrication shop.

Yes, welding can be a very rewarding career. It all depends on how good you are at it and how well you can fabricate things.

Yes, welding can be very dangerous. Someone said, "It is definitely not a glamour job." That may be the truest statement here. Fact is, it can be very hard and tedious work.

Here are a few tips I have learned over the years:
1) Always wear the welding helmet no matter what. Anything less would just be stupid.
2) Always wear a long sleeved shirt.
3) Clean as much oil and contaminants off of the metal as possible. This is where most of the health problems appear cause when the metal gets hot the oils and paint burn off and make toxic fumes.
4) MIG welding is by far the easiest and most widely used welding process available. Learn this process inside and out. Stay away from the cheap gasless welders that run fluxcore wire with standard 110 voltage. A much better choice would be to go to a small Miller 175 machine that runs off 220v. If you have already bought a welder that runs off of 110v I would highly recommend getting the kit so that you can run the CO2 argon gas. Then get a spool of .023 solid core wire.
5) ARC welding can be a lot tougher. The trick of it is is to make sure you are using the proper rods for the polarity, position, and material thickness that you want to weld.
6) If you are taking a welding class in high school, you are already ahead of the game. It is a much easier route than trying to learn everything on your own.
7) There is sure no shame in practicing. Even to this day if I have a piece that has to be welded right, I will always practice on a similar metal that I can just throw away...especially with cast iron.

One more thing, there are a lot of easier ways to make a living. But it is satisfying to know that if you can weld you can damn near fix anything! damn good tips...heres a little project that i made in school during my free time, not the bext pic..bot o well :o

http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/nacsracer27/dskjg.jpg

[trx400ex]

Some highschool classes are jokes, the one at my school is. Ive never taken it, instead, I leave school at 11 to go to another school in a deffrent county. There welding class is the opposite. All brand new miller and lincoln equipment, TIG, MIG, SMAW, then all your torches and stuff. Not sure if im going into welding as a career or not yet, but it looks that way. Welding can be fun, just depends what you are doing.