TIG Welding

randyszj94

Active Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2007
Location
greensboro
i got a questions for anyone out there who can TIG weld and has one. im certified mig and have much exp in stick, well my shitty situation is im unemployed (hole shop shut down - was working at varco pruden) and only damn jobs i'v been able to find is tig welding. i got no exp never ever tried it, was wondering if someone around this area could teach me how to do. maybe i can work somthing out since i dont have any money... some beer?
 
Tell him you have "some" experience and want a job and my boss will let you practice all you want for a week before he decides to kick you the fawk out. :D
 
Do you have a stick welder? I could let ya borrow my tig setup if you wanted to pratice at your place.
 
charlotte is way to far for me to travel, unless he gonna pay 20somthing hr, and no i dont have a welder wish i did. you need somthing welded tho i might be able to take it to a friend tho...
 
randyszj94 said:
charlotte is way to far for me to travel, unless he gonna pay 20somthing hr, and no i dont have a welder wish i did. you need somthing welded tho i might be able to take it to a friend tho...
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Why don't you take a class at the local tech school so you can get the proper training? Being that you're unemployed I'm sure you've got a good chance on getting some grants and if not grants loans for sure. Varco laid off Jan 1st right? I work at Deere next door. Some people have some bad habits they've picked up and it may be in your best interest to take a short class on it to get some proper training.
 
sharksanddanger said:
Some people have some bad habits they've picked up and it may be in your best interest to take a short class on it to get some proper training.
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Not that any of the community college instructors (teaching what they can't hack doing in the REAL world) would pass on any bad habits! :shaking:

Don't get me wrong, I'm a proponent of using that system to learn various trades, just don't assume you'll be taught everything correctly and won't be taught any (unsupported) "shortcuts"...

The instructor for my circa-'77 GTCC Oxy-Acetylene class was a good example. "Black listed" off ALL the Alaskan pipeline contractors for "shortcuts" that didn't meet code specs, he returned to NC to teach the same things. OTOH, he was clear to differentiate between the curriculum & "his experience" and was actually a great teacher.

IMHO, learning O-A was a Great primer for TIG, as the "motions" (puddle control, rod dipping, etc.) are very similar...
 
Caver Dave said:
Not that any of the community college instructors (teaching what they can't hack doing in the REAL world) would pass on any bad habits! :shaking:
Don't get me wrong, I'm a proponent of using that system to learn various trades, just don't assume you'll be taught everything correctly and won't be taught any (unsupported) "shortcuts"...
The instructor for my circa-'77 GTCC Oxy-Acetylene class was a good example. "Black listed" off ALL the Alaskan pipeline contractors for "shortcuts" that didn't meet code specs, he returned to NC to teach the same things. OTOH, he was clear to differentiate between the curriculum & "his experience" and was actually a great teacher.
IMHO, learning O-A was a Great primer for TIG, as the "motions" (puddle control, rod dipping, etc.) are very similar...
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You're right. Some instructors are crappy and don't do the job they should. I can honestly say that I've welded next to a lot of dumb-asses that were trained incorrectly from a friend or were showed by a "master" welder. The instructor I had at GTCC was nothing but a good teacher. Taught safety as well as correct welding procedures and how to pass the needed welding tests to help you get a job in the field, it was a no BS class. I can't think of how many people I know that weld for a living that don't know a single thing about the process or how what they are even using to weld with.

I can speak for GTCC as I know they have a good program, I can't speak for FTCC as I never went there for welding.
 
Find a friend of a friend with a tig, do some stainless or mild steel for awhile. If you can mig decent (say you're certified) you'll figure it out. It's seems it's more about the puddle control with tigging to me when I do it. Don't start out trying to tig aluminium, it'll just piss you off and discourage you. Work to it last.
 
School is good for the basics. Back when I was out in the field we hired a new welder straight out of school and talked a good game. He spend 2 years in school. We were up in a scissor lift (20' up MAX) and were welding some 3/8" thick square tube, verticle, flat, and overhead with beveled ends (full pen as you can get with stick), and he spent more time on one 12" verticle as I did on the 48" of vert, flat, and overhead. His was crap looking, etc. and didn't pass inpsection. After 2 days of that crap he was fired. Point is, school is good for the basics, but just getting out there and doing it in position is the key to learning. School teaches bench or table welding, not position welding. Just get a welder and try it. If you are already familiar with welding (seems like you are), I think you are wasting your time taking a class.
 
rockcity said:
School is good for the basics. Back when I was out in the field we hired a new welder straight out of school and talked a good game. He spend 2 years in school. We were up in a scissor lift (20' up MAX) and were welding some 3/8" thick square tube, verticle, flat, and overhead with beveled ends (full pen as you can get with stick), and he spent more time on one 12" verticle as I did on the 48" of vert, flat, and overhead. His was crap looking, etc. and didn't pass inpsection. After 2 days of that crap he was fired. Point is, school is good for the basics, but just getting out there and doing it in position is the key to learning. School teaches bench or table welding, not position welding. Just get a welder and try it. If you are already familiar with welding (seems like you are), I think you are wasting your time taking a class.
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The school I went to taught position welding. 2g, 3g, and 4g on stick, mig and tig plate. Then 2g, 5g, 6g pipe, stick and tig. We had to certify in all positions to pass each section of the class. It really depends on the school you attend. I was lucky enough to have a welding job while I was going to school which was probably the best thing to help me along. Plus the cost of a TIG machine is quite expensive. You'd spend 2-3 times the cost of a course on a machine not counting consumables as you would at school.
 
X2, Not all shools or courses are equal. You'll also get out only what you put into it. I've insrtucted at a Community College and I can vouch for the above whole heartedly. The problem with school is they don't effectively teach real world perameters or raw fabrication skills. These skills are where welders and Fabricator Welders distinguish themselves.
 
I you just want a down and dirty get acclimated experience with Tig come up to the Hickory/Bethlehem area and I'll put you on it for the cost of the consumables.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
X2, Not all shools or courses are equal. You'll also get out only what you put into it. I've insrtucted at a Community College and I can vouch for the above whole heartedly. The problem with school is they don't effectively teach real world perameters or raw fabrication skills. These skills are where welders and Fabricator Welders distinguish themselves.
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x2 on that.

FWIW, I think the CPCC program is pretty solid. If you give a damn about getting good and put time into figuring out what works, school can be a great start and a foot in the door. IMO, for a semester of basically unlimited access to most any kind of welding process and material, 100 bucks a class isn't too bad.
 
were do apply for grants or loans to go to gtcc. i was meaning to talk to the guy "randy?" the instructor for welding some pipe or somthing. I think that school doesn't teach everything and iv welded a lot of places, Mickey truck bodies, VP, carolina steel, metalcraft of mayville or some other and i no how picky people are, some people push some pull some weld up some weld down thats why i always ask witch way they do it... i guess my best idea would be to try to get into school huh? i dont wanna hafta take that TIG WELDING 1 class tho cause aint that a bunch of crap just book work?
 
randyszj94 said:
were do apply for grants or loans to go to gtcc. i was meaning to talk to the guy "randy?" the instructor for welding some pipe or somthing. I think that school doesn't teach everything and iv welded a lot of places, Mickey truck bodies, VP, carolina steel, metalcraft of mayville or some other and i no how picky people are, some people push some pull some weld up some weld down thats why i always ask witch way they do it... i guess my best idea would be to try to get into school huh? i dont wanna hafta take that TIG WELDING 1 class tho cause aint that a bunch of crap just book work?
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Idk how it works at GTCC but I would think they would let you start out in a pipe/plate class if you told them what you where doing. I imagine if you talked to the head of the department they could point you in the right direction for financial assistance. You are def not the first person to come to them with this kind of situation.
 
sharksanddanger said:
The school I went to taught position welding. 2g, 3g, and 4g on stick, mig and tig plate. Then 2g, 5g, 6g pipe, stick and tig. We had to certify in all positions to pass each section of the class. It really depends on the school you attend. I was lucky enough to have a welding job while I was going to school which was probably the best thing to help me along. Plus the cost of a TIG machine is quite expensive. You'd spend 2-3 times the cost of a course on a machine not counting consumables as you would at school.
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I guess I meant it in a means that we were in the air, in a lift, bouncing around. Every time I blinked, the lift moved fawking the greenhorn up. It just takes experience to learn the position "real-world" welding versus the position "shop" or "school" welding. I mean, school position teaching doesn't put you sitting on a beam 40' in the air that is moving 6" back and forth and ask that you weld a clip on and pass radiograph test when done...

But agreed, some schools are better than others. Look around for ones that teach in position as much as possible. Learning welding on a bench is no more useful than to production weld in a shop. While at school, practice both left hand and right hand.
 
rockcity said:
While at school, practice both left hand and right hand.
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x2. It sucks when you first realize you have to learn to weld lefty out on a job. :D

Also don't underestimate the importance of properly prepping your work. Learn to cut a clean bevel and land on pipe/plate by hand with just a torch and grinder.
 
so i should contact the school and ask them about how to get a grant?
 
randyszj94 said:
so i should contact the school and ask them about how to get a grant?
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yes. talk to the financial aid office. they should be able to get you set up with grant apps, scholarship apps, financial aid apps, etc.

also, search online. there are a lot of scholarships available to students that are in a welding program and all are not listed at the financial aid office.
 
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