how many of you are experienced welders?

[Stray Catalyst]

I welded professionally for a few years (construction - girders, stairs, rails, ladders, fire escapes, etc), but it was a LONG time ago. I just built a small welding shop into my basement, and am re-learning. I'm far from an expert. I have a 220V stick welder, and will probably be picking up a MIG welder soon (the stick welder blasts holes in sheet metal due to high amps, even at the lowest setting).

Stray Catalyst

[Stuggi]

Been welding with MIG for 4 years, and with stick a year before that, and I'm still learning. Nowadays I'd say I'd make a pretty good job on new metal, but I'm still nowhere perfect on rusted out stuff. I'm also a lot more proficient on thicker stuff, 4mm steel I could probably weld with my eyes closed.

Oh, and it helps to learn on good equipment, I have a Migatronic Automig 273, a 250 Amp 3-phase welder intended for body shop work.

[Jogyver]

Been in the welding business ie hands on , design , procedures and inspection. Capable of SMAW, GMAW , GTAW, FCAW, SAW welding processes. Have work in the nuclear, petrochemical , and structural steel industry.

[notched]

I've been welding for about 15 years. I started out gas welding in college. I was taught by an old Spaniard sculptor who is pretty well known in the Pacific Northwest. We worked on 18 guage mild steel sheets, hand cut, hand formed and then gas welded. It was a great experience.

I've done a little TIG welding here and there. I would love to get a good TIG welder someday. For now, I have a Lincoln Weldpac 100. It's a great welder for bodywork and building gate frames.

I also have access to a Hobart 220v welder also. (Can't remember the model) This welder rocks!

My son has been welding since he was about 9. He's now 16. And my daughter is in Welding 1 in high school. She's 13.

[User Name]

I've be welding, mig, tig, arc and gas for 25 years or so
self taught innicially, been to school toget the certificates
I've recently bought my own tig, so I can do that at home now

[typ4]

Being a diesel/ heavy equipment mechanic welding just comes with the territory. 30 yrs worth
Lots of stick growing up, my stepdad had an old lincoln 225 buzz box ,he was certified in the 70,s in stick and mig. Good welder ,poor stepdad.
I can weld steel anything, repair aluminum with TIG, need more practice, and just got a new to me Linde/Union Carbide 200 amp unit with remote feeder, looks new inside and works awesome.
HAd a snap on body shop 125 for years and jest needed something bigger. Son has it now

Next is a tig machine.
great thread

[Stray Catalyst]

I haven't picked up much experience since my previous post - but I have a Hobart Handler 135 now, so I'm getting more MIG practice before tearing into my splittie. I want to be driving it this coming spring.

Stray

[Craig Smith]

been MIG welding for 20 years now, learnt on a rotten fastback.

been TIG welding for a year and a half, have level one in alloy and steel, working on level two now.

[david58]

I had to buy mig gun and lead for my welder best investment I made. I can actually weld. I bought a # 8 lens while I was there. I asked the guy if it would burn my eyes he says yes, I say well then that's the one I want. I get back to the shop and replace the worn out mig gun and fire up the welder right of I see a big difference. No spitting and sputtering I can lay down a descent bead on sheet metal. Being a rookie I burn a couple dime sized holes when I weld in the dash an my baja. I found out that the holes can be welded up with some patience. If you aim the gun at as close to 180 degrees as you can you can fill the hole by pulling the trigger and releasing it as fast as you can then do the same thing way from the last weld burst working around the hole. Then go back and do the same thing between the blast welds. The blast welds will be stronger and thicker than the original metal. So you kinda of flow the weld bead from one blast weld to the next. This is where patience comes in if you go to fast you can make the hole bigger. You can jump from one side of the hole to the other side, laying a weld bubble that is thicker than the original metal once you do this you can start filling in the hole.

[KBWAKESK8]

I started welding in high school and havent looked back .That was back in 96 It took formal welding classes in collage as part of my mechanical engineering program I have a real nice 220v miller mig And I just picked up a lincoln idle arc tig welder with water cooler. I also just upgraded to a larger plasma cuter I can now cut 1/2”plate .

[Hedrock]

Still learning

[birddog1148]

The US Army spent a few days training me to braze and stick weld back in '87. Since then I have gotten a centrury quick fix wire welder (flux core) about 1990 a Century infinate disc 220v stick welder (1998 or so) and a Lincoln Pro Mig 175 a few years ago. Those were for home/recreational use. I have also welded at work since 2001, fabrication and maintenance repair stuff. Just enrolled in a Mig class today and hope to get a pipe welding cert when its over.

[rally bug]

I started out learning to weld in a high school auto body class. Moved into the aircraft trade and was repairing and reassembling combustion liners for t58 turbine engines. Fun tig work and being I had access to a tig I learned to weld aluminum at that time. Funny how many vw items were welded up in that aircraft shop. Next I changed up into the elevator world and in new construction we did a lot of stick welding. All I can say is stick welding sucks! I dont get a lot of satisfaction out of stick welding. Now I just have my lincoln 155 mig at home and have lots of fun with that.

[fabricator john]

ive allways built vws or hotrods for a living bought my first welder at age 13 im 44 now i guess you could say im experienced ,,gas,stick,mig,tig,heliarc,if it will conduct electricity i can make it pretty. been at the shop im at now 13 yrs they gave me my own 60x100 bay and just let me do my thing ...im lucky i guess....ive never wanted to work on normal cars so i never did, 2 mechanics shops,2 vw shops,a chassis shop,and now a rod shop,its a long road of funny money and funier employers but i feel ive made it to where i should be....a lil advise only buy miller ,or victor(torches) ..period........ john

[Tinnerdude1]

I started welding when I got out of the Navy in 1970. Went to the local collage in my home town here and took some classes. Started out doing Oxy-ace welding and then on to stick. Went to work for Weyerhaeuse paper company and became a Tinner in there maint. department. We had to do all our own welding on everything that we built, aluminum, steel, stainless, cast iron and everything in between. I do my best welding on aluminum with tig and mig on steel. I have a AC-DC stick welder and a 180 Hobart 230 volt mig welder, and a Hobart tig welder. There is not much that I can't weld and a lot that I wouldn't try to weld. Whats that they say, never hurts to try. I did all the welding on my 65 VW and there was alot of welding tobe done on it too.