Hi. I will be graduating high school soon, and am just looking into some possible ideas for future careers. I watch "Monster Garage(discovery channel)" tv show religously, and the welding always seems to intrigue me(Pyromania, and the ability to augment my creativity). I am wondering if one(me) must have formal education to become an expert welder, or if a beginner could pick up the trade(and be successful)?--suggestions?
I'm presuming that materials used for welding are quite expensive...anyone have an estimate on what beginner welding materials may cost?
I know little to none about welding, but hope to learn more soon.
All replies are appreciated, thanks a lot!
Nick
Hi, Nick,
First, read a book or two or three. The Welder's Handbook is pretty good, but start by tapping out your library.
Knowing what you want to weld is a good idea -- do you want to make monster trucks or bicycles or garden art or bridges? These all require different levels of skill/commitment/equipment.
Take a course or two or three... check trade schools and art schools (really!). You will have the advantage of going in knowing what you want to learn -- this can really help. Consider going to a state college which offers courses like this as part of a four-year degree. I would not skip college; it opens many doors for the rest of your life.
Books are cheap. A 'beginner' oxy-acetylene setup will cost you $500 ready to go. Don't get itty-bitty tanks, as they cost too much to refill. If you become an expert with this kind of setup other kinds of welding will be a lot easier. And if you discover that you don't like it all that much, after all, it is not much of a loss.
Chris
Nick,
If you want really good and cheap books go to the link below. There you will find books for beginners for 5 bucks or less.
https://ssl.lincolnelectric.com/lincoln/spmount/store.asp?PID=16&cat=7 NOTE: I did not find the way to establish a link with the web address above, so you better copy and paste it.
Alfredo
http://ssl.lincolnelectric.com/lincoln/spmount/store.asp?PID=16&cat=7
Try this link(You put an "s" too many in the link)
:-) John Wright
Nick,
It's good to hear that young people are interested in learning more about welding. Most won't like it after they hear that you get hot and dirty. Welding has so many avenues, that you need to know where you want to go, before you head off down the road. Welding can offer you all sorts of opportunities to make money and enjoy what you are doing at the same time.
Welcome to the forum, ask questions, as there are lots of knowledgable people that can answer most, if not all, your questions about this fasinating field.
John Wright
I am not a weldor or have had any professional experience welding but I have worked in both a technical and human resources capacity during my career.
John makes a good point about people starting out and then find it is not to their liking. I was somewhat surprised to read on this forum the very difficult working environments weldors are required to work in. I guess I thought they were all out in the sunshine welding pipelines on grassy fields.
To get to my point, whatever you do and whatever field you choose, try to get the most and best formal education you can. You have many years ahead of you so don't take a shortcut now because you will most likely regret it. You want to have good credentials in case you wish to take a different career path or are even forced to take one due to health or other reasons.
It has been long said that in this world you need more and more education and it is even more applicable today. I will even suggest that it in many cases it is a overdone but it is the reality of getting your foot in the door for a good job. Your diploma, ticket, whatever shows you can learn and it will be of value years later even if you are seeking work in a field unrelated to the original discipline.
Bill
Bill,
Check out this link that I got off of Pipewelder_1999's site. It gives an interesting view of welding from another perspective. Give it a try.
http://www.belch.com/welders/
John Wright
Thanks you guys for all the advice, help, and cordial responses. I'm gonna go to my library soon and get some generalized information about welding so that i can hopefully come up with more specific questions.
once again, thanks a bunch!
Nick,
The Welder's Handbook I mentioned is by Nick Finch:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1557882649/qid=1051834732/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-9214527-9331261?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
I have a lot of books on welding, buit this one is hard to beat for a general overview -- especially at $14.
I very nearly skipped college because I wanted to do something real -- like welding. Do not make this mistake: it gives you the time to answer questions about what you want to do with your life. Plus it can be hella fun -- the beer isn't high quality, but it's plentiful!
Chris
If you do go to college for welding, make damn sure you're the best in your class at what you're welding! I've heard stories about people graduating from college w/ a degree in welding, yet they have a hard time setting up equipment, or they can't run a good bead, etc. Look at the pictures in the text books and find out what it takes to make your beads look like those, and then try your hardest to do it. one of the things that makes a good welder is practice. every chance you get while you're in college you better be running weld beads. most college instructors will allow you to use the welding equipment after class, or at night, or on the weekends because they know that the more you weld the more comfortable you're going to be and the more confident you'll be when you look for your first job.
By INTP
Date 05-10-2003 04:08
I'm not a pro, so let's just say I still have a beginner's mind...
I started with MIG, and it is the easiest to self-teach. But just because I can weld two pieces together, I don't believe that I'm doing everything correctly. I need the extra feedback, so I've enrolled in a welding class (oxy/fuel + stick) at my local community college. I want the feedback that a knowledgeable instructor can give, not just a picture in a book. For technique, I don't think there is a substitute.
But there are some things that you _can_ learn from books, that are closely related to welding, but aren't all about technique. Since welding is the process of fusion, it is essential to know about the metals that you will be working with. This is something to keep in mind, too, regarding career choices. Part of welding has to do with understanding metal, to go with the techniques. For example, some alloys of aluminum can be welded easily, and others not at all. Are you interested in this type of study? You'll have to in order to be "an expert welder."
Check out your local community colleges, and also your local welding supply shops. The shop I go to has classes every couple weeks to show techniques, and also how to use the welders they sell. The shop might also have some used equipment that will help with the costs. If you go with oxy/fuel, see if the supply shop will buy back the tanks and torches should you decide it doesn't suit you.
Good luck!
Hey Nick, I'm one of those hands on people and books are great, I read a lot, but the more dirty you get the more you'll appreciate the literature. I'm a 26 yr. old female that has been a welder for about 6 yrs. now. I never went to school for it. I found it a little difficult and shady to go into a shop on experience alone so I lost my mind and joined the Marine Corp just so I could go through their Basic Metal Working Course. It's about three months long, you have a blast, you get paid the whole time, and if your not the military type you can be reservist (me). Of course you have to earn the title Marine first but hey it pays for itself in the long run. Just food for thought....Keep the fire alive and don't stop learning!!!!
I agree with the people who suggest you consider college first before a Trade. I took up welding when I was 17 but really didn't get formal training until I was 20 years old. I had dropped out of high school (big mistake) but when I had to pay for my own education (welding school) I got serious.
As nearly everyone has said, there are different types of welding that require different skills and commitment. As far as that goes, so does the pay scales. Industrial construction pays the most if you have to work for someone else, but you'll have to learn how to become a "combo-welder" of pipe, both carbon steel and stainless steel using GTAW and SMAW which is short for tig and stick welding , respectively.
You will also have to travel which isn't a bad thing if you are into that, but if you have a woman.......could be trouble as the grass looks greener on the other side.
Because I am Native American, I had to work harder than others to become employable, meaning it was not enough for me to be "good" at what I was working on... I had to be a better, more productive weldor to keep my job, but that persistence paid off as I got a good reputation as being one of the better craftsman in the field.
This can work for you too , if that (welding) is what you want to do. While others were blind-sided by a lay-off for "reduction -of-forces" I was on the road to another job, a new site, different surroundings with some people I knew, some I didn't, but got to know.
Only you can decide what you really want to do with your Life. I was 16 or so when I saw the same documenteries with weldors in the back-ground building some freak of engineering and that is what I decided I would do. It has worked for me, but 3 years becomes 10, 10 becomes 20 and then someone like you comes along with the same goal as you. Do the best you can, be respectful of older people you meet(they can help you) and don't get caught slacking on down time as work is really a game where you get paid for doing a good job, but the trick is not killing yourself in the process.
Have at it!
