Dancing with the welder

[John Ranalletta]

It's been 5 years since I sold off my welding equipment.  I never was a very good welder but could get stuff stuck together well enough to work.  This was built using scratch start TIG and a buzz box.

 

 

But, oh man, how my meager skills have deteriorated.  This is the start of a new (hopefully not failed) project.  More to come....maybe.  "Grinders and paint make us the welders we ain't".  anon.  It's a bitch trying to make anything worthwhile having only hand tools. 

 

 

 

[BerettaRacer]

Back in the dark ages when I was in engineering school we had to pass our welding certification in stick on steel. I got thru it, used it a bit at work in the beginning working the big freighters/tankers. But later when I downsized to smaller Aluminum boats with SS pipe work I let the pro's do it, never did TIG/MIG.

Few months ago I bought a small flux core MIG. Still pretty ugly, but things seem to stick together so far.

[John Ranalletta]

Great!  I'll stick weld on heavier stuff but out of practice on the thinner metals. 

 

I had a MIG welder but sold out my hobby shop when we downside.  MIG with an aluminum spool gun is a blast. 

[MikeB60]

My youngest son is in his second semester of a tech school welding program. He has been working on this for a few days. It passed the bend test and from my untrained eye the weld looks good. First semester went well and the are going to send him to a state wide skills competition this summer. 

 

[John Ranalletta]

No expert here but looks like a winner.  That's pipeliner stuff.  I crapped out on overhead and vertical when I took lessons. 

 

Good for him.  He's probably close to his certification. 

[MikeB60]

It's a two year program. He will have Tig, Mig, Stick and gas certification at graduation. It's paid for through the lottery in Georgia.

[John Ranalletta]

I'm sure he'll be happy to help dad around the shop. 

[MikeB60]

12 hours ago, John Ranalletta said:

I'm sure he'll be happy to help dad around the shop. 

Generally both of the local children are happy to pull their vehicles into the shop. Not sure about the help thing!

[John Ranalletta]

2 minutes ago, MikeB60 said:

Generally both of the local children are happy to pull their vehicles into the shop. Not sure about the help thing!

I get it.  When I built the go kart and the 3-wheeler for the kids, when they broke and needed fixing, they were nowhere to be found, like, "call me when it's done, grandpa".