I swear I'm not picking on you, but your post made me feel old . The machine you tested on was "old" but it had screens . The machines I learned on and tested on had cranks and dials. I welded everyday at a railyard with an old Lincoln that you had to unbolt a plate and move along a set of studs just to change the voltage . You got me feeling old and I 'm just shy of 40. Hang in there the test shop can be an intimidating place even when you have been at it for years.

yeah a good machine sure does help you weld easier but look thats what you just gotta deal with at different jobs. As I sit here and read you're story it is the same sh*t I have gone through taking my first couple of test. Some test I were just way over my head on and didn't pass but I learned from the test. I didn't have enough experience in setting the machine up and all but like others say here you go out there and try and get into any shop you can and learn everything you can then move on after a few months or more. I always go into a place and learn everything I can there and master it all then I move on to the next job. No one likes job hoppers but it's what you gotta do to make the money and learn more. Everyone wants to get outta school and make the big bucks but you gotta put the time in and get the experience it's the only way you will make more and these welding test won't be so nerve racking. I mean they are but it has gotten a little easier for me I guess maybe because I have more confidence in my welding. The job I'm at now I was way the hell over my head when I tested for it but I was able to make it through and it sure was a huge step up for me with learning and making alot more money but it is time to make another big leap for me.

Just hang in there and do what you gotta do to get in where ever, take that 12 an hour job it's just another steping stone for that 18 an hour job. I know most people can't make it on 12 an hour but **** you gotta start some where.

Learn to weld with every machine out there.

Hi Leighann!

First off, "WELDCOME TO THE WORLD'S GREATEST WELDING FORUM!!! :) :) :)"

Now that I got that out of the way, it's okay to fail in the beginning dear! Everybody's done it!!! Heck , I know my first tests were'nt the greatest either girl. but you need to understand something more important that's going on here Leighann...

You are TRYING TOOO DARN HARD!!! RELAX!!! Don't forget to breathe!!! Slow down, take your time and remember this more than anything else... HAVE FUN!!! THat's right!!! Have fun the next time you take a test...

You're probably asking yourself right about now; "Is this guy serious???" Well, I've got to say that for me, it got a heck of a lot easier once I decided to lighten up on myself when I took a test many, many moons ago... And instead, I decided that this test was going to be nothing more than another spectacular weldment completed by yours truly!!! ;)

When I started to take each test with that sort of attitude, the results spoke for themselves and I was off to the races so to speak!!!
You see, welding cannot be properly done if one asserts unecessary pressure upon themselves by worrying about how important it is to pass the darn test...

If you focus soley on welding the way you know you're capable of, you'll do just fine, but if you've got all of this other stuff carrying on in your head besides what you're supposed to be focused on which is only one thing, then you will NOT DO WELL - PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!

That's right! Clear your head and focus on the weld you will be dpeositing - one pass at a time, and before you even lay down one bead on the test plate, make darn sure to get a piece of scrap so you can tune up the machine you're working on before you even start on the test joint.

Remember that every failure eventually leads to success so long as you NEVER GIVE UP!!! Keep at it Leighann!!! You'll get it!!!
Now, I've got to take a break here because I've got to take my meds so, don't get discouraged, get determined because it's better to fail early to savor victory later as it should be! ;) Finally, I welded in a shipyard many, many moons ago, and it wasn't a bad experience at all...

In fact, I really learned how to weld anything and everything so to speak while working in one building some of the finest, most sophisticated, and deadliest vessels of mass destruction ever to be created by anyone, and some of those Submarines are still out there in the deep making sure to keep this Great Nation of ours safe from our obvious and not so obvious enemies... Now that's something I'm darn proud to say that I had a little part in building these vessels!!! Nothing bad at all about starting out welding in a shipyard dear!!! Nothing bad at all! ;)

Respectfully,
Henry

leighann,
This tidbit from Henry is golden. "You are TRYING TOOO DARN HARD!!! RELAX!!! Don't forget to breathe!!! Slow down, take your time and remember this more than anything else... HAVE FUN!!! THat's right!!! Have fun the next time you take a test..."

I have seen many a good welder fail simply from a case of "nerves". I tell them to step back, take a few breaths, settle in and just do it. After all, it is just another weld. :-)

jrw159

.......I think all of us have been defeated by our own thoughts sometimes.   You were told exactly right...we have all busted tests before.  I think there comes a point when the nerves go away...when you realize you have tests behind you and many more in front of you....so the one we are doing right that minute does not really mean all that much.

When I started I was probably busting half the tests I took. I spent hours, weeks, months practicing and perfecting the craft. When I would get into the field and test I would get nervous and turn to crap and end up struggling to repair the test weld I screwed up. So, I went back to the apprentice school and practiced repairs of the worst kind. Once I got proficient at that, funny thing happened. I didn't need it. The tests went smoothly. I relaxed because I had the confidence that if I screwed it up I could fix it. And so I didn't screw it up.
Relaxing and being confident is everything.

Outside of the old machine, what did the test fail on?
Was it visual? Did the specimen break? Did you take too long.
In welding, testing is a part of life. You make some, you don't others. As you progress in your career, this will not be the last test you bust.
Some day's it is your day and hand yesterday was not your day.
In singlehand work, you may not be assigned a machine. You may weld on two different machines. The business I work in contractors have one or two welding machines set low, and two or three set for high. The low machines are for tacking up using 5/32 5P and the high machine are for welding 7/32 jet. You don't keep running outside to change amps and voltage.
Get over feeling bad. Learn what you did to fail the test and do better on the next. It was just one day and one test.
Keep you goals in mind.
We all get poped! Yours was yesterday.

Leighann,

One thing I've learned from coming here is there are great folks to help out and will always shoot you straight. I also learned that busting a test is just a everyday part of life. I've done it, probably do it again. They handed me a mig gun and said, "run a flat fillet weld" never touched that machine in my life, the welder there was just using it. I ran a good bead. Next was vertical down, good bead. Next, vertical up....to slow and ewwww!!! Busted! Grabbed my gear, thanked them for there time and told them it's been about 10 years since I run an 045 mig wire on a big machine like that and moved on.

As far as the old machine, well I think that is something you'll have to get used to. Some of the machines out there are just so good that they don't want to get rid of them. Why? It's paid for, works great and makes them money right? We had a old Miller mig at school, had dials and cranks to adjust it. It was filled with a spool of innershield baling wire. I spent about a week just playing around with that thing running fillets, roots and all manner of things. Never used it before but had it set up and welding good the first night I was using it.

Now, I'm not bragging on myself. The point is, use what god gave ya, sight, sound, hearing, you need to know your arc, your puddle. What a good arc is, the sounds....the sights. How does the spatter act when falling off. How the spatter comes off your work piece. When welding mig and watching the puddle and you see it's not acting right, stopping and looking at the open door, feeling the breeze coming in towards you and knowing why your weld has air pockets in it when running bare wire and shielding gas. You know this and you can set a machine up wether it is the latest Lincoln or Miller or one with two screens or an old archeological find like the machine they had at the school I went to. All of my fellow students asked, "why are you using that when they have those nice new machines?" I told them why not? I might as well try it, see if I can set it up and play around, who knows, there may be one in a shop somewhere with my name on it. I was the only one who used that machine, then somebody took parts off of it to try and put on an esab and when they did they broke the Miller. It was moved out in the storage building and replaced by a new fan dangled Lincoln. I'm a sub teacher at my school now and I listen to the director talk to the teachers and they talk about having the latest and greatest stuff, replacing "old" machines and so on. It's good to have the latest and greatest but I think having something old around is good too. At least students could be put on something like that so they have an understanding of what they might find out there and that it welds just the same. The bad part for me is I learned on old millers and lincolns and when I go back to the school to sub I've got all these new dynasty's, inverter this and that to work with. Then a student will ask me to run a root or a cap pass vertical up 7018. I usually tell them, give me a minute to play with one of these machines and find it. Once you find your arc it don't matter what machine it is.

"I will keep educating myself and trying til one day i turn into the go to girl for welding. the person that everyone goes to for welding questions......"

That's a good attitude to have. Keep learning, keep asking questions, read stuff on this forum even if you have no idea what the heck they are talking about. I was at an AWS meeting the other night and there were some 30 plus students there. I told them the same thing, come here, read read read. You may never use stuff you've learned about here but then again, you might run across that old welder while out taking a test somewhere. All the welders out there are still learning, we're all just at different levels. There ain't much you can do for the butterflies, deep breath as said....still there. I like to fire off the welder and get to running beads as quick as I can, seems to kill some of the butterflies under the hood!

Good luck out there!

Shawn