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Thread: Welding student

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    6010 for the root pass, 701? for the rest. I should know, I picked up the rods!

    I was a welding inspector in the 70’s and worked as NDT to nuclear specs so I know good welds from bad but I never learned to stick weld until maybe a dozen years ago. I’m a lot better at MIG and TIG but use the stick on some stuff around the farm. Those welders will also work on 110v at reduced power so I can use them more places. I learned to weld thin stock with gas and when I got the TIG was surprised at how similar they are.

    Good clean fun! I probably weld more things for friends than I do for myself but that’s part of the joy of life!
    I worked as a NDT tech about 2 decades ago. Got trained at Hellier college in RT, UT, PT, MT, and ET. Most of my summers were spent going to ski areas and testing the grips that hold the chairs onto the cables but I also did inspect valves for nuclear plants and ships (at a local factory). At one point I was almost recruited to go to China. They were building power plants at record speed and were paying insane money to get anyone they could to go. But it was in the middle of nowhere and foreigners aren't allowed to drive. So either you were working or you were hanging out at the hotel with the other techs. Returning home for vacation was a major process so it was discouraged. You could request a driver to take you around but even going to a major city was an overnight event. If it wasn't for all the driving I probably would stuck with it.

  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Hulbert View Post
    My son-in-law taught my 8 year old granddaughter to weld. She loves it and can't wait for their next project. My daughter cut down a set of welding leathers for her. My granddaughter is 9 now and just joined the wrestling team at school. She is one tough cookie. She really enjoyed pinning the boys.
    Yikes!
    And I was proud for teaching my grandsons (ages 4 & 6) to solder.

  3. #33
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    Fire watch. Reminds me of the time I was cutting with oxy-acetylene and a piece of slag ignited my jeans at the hem. I felt something warm and got it put out. the fire had consumed my jeans nearly to the knee. This was the early seventies so I didn’t feel it right away because of the bell bottom.

    The instructor was right there and I asked him why he didn’t tell me. His reply, “You had a good cut going.” We all have our priorities.

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    If she learns how to operate heavy equipment, she could probably get a job in Antarctica at the South Pole. My scientist friends have spent some time there, and they say they only allow women to operate the bulldozers moving snow, which they have a lot of to do. They say men break them more often, and with getting parts being what it is there....
    I used to work with the daughter of an SR71 pilot. She told me that the Air Force wanted pilots with a family. No bachelor dogs. I guess that only goes so far. She said he died early due to excessive drinking. Liver problems.

  5. #35
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    Feb 2014
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    My friend advised me to buy a pair of slip-on leather boots in a size that was big enough for me to flip one off with my foot. That way if a hot coal went inside one, you could get the boot off without the ember continuing to burn a hole in your foot. I never did not take his advice, and one time that one paid off.

  6. #36
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    I think it's pretty cool that you are providing this opportunity to the young lady and others. Very cool. The trades have taken a big hit in recent years. Seems the youth have been taught that tech and robots are all society needs, so they just don't care to learn how to use their hands. I spent many years as a fabricator/welder. Mostly pipe up/down stick and tig. Running around the bead with a grinder for hours every day took a tole on my body, including carpel tunnel. I ended up moving into management. I do not miss digging slag out of my ear, or burning the piss out of myself as I fight to finish a weld that's about to be X-rayed, but I do miss the making things of metal and aluminum.

    I've been trying to recruit a machinist for almost a year now. This is a trade that has been commandeered by CNC programmers. There are very few, if any, manual machine operators anymore. The new apprentices learn how to chuck up a piece of metal in a 5 axis machine, and how to draw with software, and how to program an operation. They do not teach students how to run a lathe with wheels and levers anymore.

  7. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    My friend advised me to buy a pair of slip-on leather boots in a size that was big enough for me to flip one off with my foot. That way if a hot coal went inside one, you could get the boot off without the ember continuing to burn a hole in your foot. I never did not take his advice, and one time that one paid off.
    why would you wear boots that would allow that to happen. I always wear pants that hang down over the boots no chance of a spark getting in the boot
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  8. #38
    Michael all I needed for years was done by a german trained tool and die maker with not to many machines but skilled. When he told me he could get no more work as he was not CNC I found him work making stuff for a car company, parts they needed for robotic machinery. When he no longer had his shop I went to a local CNC shop. Tons of machines super busy. I asked them to make a spacer, it was off by .125 or more the first time, I took it back they re made it and it still didnt fit. I never went back. My friend would have made it fast and simple and accurate.

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bert Kemp View Post
    why would you wear boots that would allow that to happen. I always wear pants that hang down over the boots no chance of a spark getting in the boot
    I always start out like that, but sometimes crawling around gets the pants out of position-just for that rare occasion. Never heard of anyone getting a hole burned in their foot?

    The time it happened to me, I was fabricating a hydraulic hose hanger on a 15' batwing mower, and had climbed over several things on the mower to get into position. I had a good instructor.
    Last edited by Tom M King; 02-26-2022 at 4:24 PM.

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