Introduction of Harry

[Harry]

I did have welding in a metal shop class in high school. It only covered stick and and oxy fuel. Didn't learn much about either for the lack of scrap metal available. After serving in the Army I attended Lincoln Electric's welding school and followed the year after at Hobart School of Welding Technology.
I learned a lot about welding and got a lot of practice in but didn't learn how to apply those processes until I started welding for a job.

Tig is similar to oxy fuel in the respect that you have a torch in one hand and a filler rod in the other. In oxy fuel you have to wait for the base metal to start melting before you can add filler and start to lay a bead down. In Tig you create the arc with the torch and immediately melt the base metal then add filer to create a bead.

Eye hand coordination is a key to becoming a good welder, but you also have to be able to view the molten puddle to know what is happening in there. Many students have problems with eye sight so they need either a corrective lens or sometimes a magnifier in their helmet.

I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.

Keep the Peace
Harry

[Timj]

Hi guys,
Yes I burn that much rod at work welding well casing. That much would not be a hobby for me.

Eugen
A spot in shop talk might work too.
I'm good at what I do but a narrow skill set. Harry and Gordy are much more versed. Great guys, always looking to help.

Gordy,
Great story. Gas welding and brazing are skills that are being/will be lost.
I never learned to gas weld, was not done in shop class. We did brazing but I didn't get good at it, no patience when you're young. I should really have my father teach me before he can't. He's very good at both. I have not done it since school and why learn when Dad's there and likes to do it.

Our shop teacher wasn't a good welder. When I laughed at having to show I could strike an ark he said, well what can you do, so I set two pieces up and verticaled down one side and up the other. My showing off got me the task of teaching the rest of the class. My Dad had shown me alot and I read quite a bit, and a tech from the schools welding supplier showed me how to run the mig welder, so I guess I learned something in school too.
Been watching some tig on Youtube. I'm amazed and impressed.

Tim

[Harry]

I've always heard, "if you want to get good at anything, teach it to someone else." I welded for years taught apprentices on the job and also some part time teaching at a vocational school. All of this was done with older welding equipment. The school that I started teaching after retirement had all the latest invertor technology welding equipment. I had to read all the manuals and play with the parameters to understand how to dial in a great weld. When going from GMAW short arc and then to spray arc it was always a problem with the students changing the machines. It certainly was a learning curve.
It's been over ten years since I taught so it would be a while for me to dial one in. My welding machines are all older machines which all work fine for my applications.

Keep the Peace
Harry