Learn to Weld

[bladerunner]

Not looking for a career, just looking to learn. I have invested too much schooling as it is doing what I do now to switch.  Unless I found I loved it, then who knows.

[Stewart G Griffin]

Just my .02 cents:   

Is the school trying to get more money by having you take the introductory stick or is it a good idea to learn stick before anything else?   i think more research needs to be done here.

Mig is easy to learn----alot of people say it's too easy to learn  because the beginner welder has not learned the concept of what metal does in its molten state and cannot tell what a cold lap weld or lack of fusion looks like and it can be dangerous.   Again, see above. 

Welding is something that has to be done right or not at all.

Just my opinion.

[bladerunner]

Mig is easy to learn----alot of people say it's too easy to learn  because the beginner welder has not learned the concept of what metal does in its molten state and cannot tell what a cold lap weld or lack of fusion looks like and it can be dangerous.   Again, see above. 

Good question.  I am still going to call the school and see what they say. Maybe I can talk to the instructor and tell them what I am looking to get out of the class.

[Irish_Alley]

stick is something good but i wouldn't take a class just on it. when you take a good welding class you will learn stick there and not be waisting money on something you already learned

[bd]

On a topic like this you'll get as many opinions as there are people posting, because each has his/her own experience.  So, think of it this way:  The skills you develop from stick will benefit you, just as the skills you develop from MIG will benefit you.  The transition from either method to the other isn't difficult.  Both are a process of fusing metal.  They share certain aspects, but also differ in certain aspects.  Each method has its applications, many of which overlap, some of which are unique to the method.  Bear in mind, the physical characteristics of the metal doesn't change based on the method of welding, just the equipment, technique and your personal preferrence.  The more methods you learn, the more experience you gain, and the greater your confidence and skill in selecting the appropriate method for the circumstances. 

Every method of welding requires skill.  And, you gain that skill by welding and destructive testing.  Therein, lies the key.  To be proficient you need to practice - a lot - and then test your welds!  And, a course is the best way to gain the knowledge in the shortest amount of time.  It will keep you focused on what you need to know, while providing feedback on proper technique and how to correct errors.  45 hours of welding really isn't all that much.  It'll pass quickly.  But, it will get you started and fundamentally competent.  In addition, a course will provide hands on use of various equipment and information important to selecting your own equipment with the features that will return the greatest benefit for your dollar spent.

Now, for the "but."  $500.00 for a welding course seems like a lot.  Does it cover tuition and material?  Would the instructor be willing to give you some instruction with MIG, during the "certification section" of the course?  Do you have less expensive alternatives in your area - like a community college?

[bladerunner]

Materials are included except for proper clothing and gloves.  This course is through an adult education program.  I will update once I call the school for more details.

[Jason S]

A long time ago, I took some welding classes (similar to the description you posted) at the Junior College. I took those classes after I got some hands on experience with a fella that had his own welding shop. 

Here's my $0.02:
In the JC classes, we covered mostly stick welding, but also mig and tig.  I think if you can get at least some understanding of what a good weld really is, then the class will be worth it. If you can get to where you make a good stick weld, then I think you'll most certainly be able to make good mig and tig welds.  I'd think the class would be more than just learning to strike an arc. I'd think it should teach you to see and be able to control the molten metal to make a strong and good looking weld, and more importantly to be comfortable with sparks and molten metal (especially when it's falling on you).   

[Irish_Alley]

i cant stick like i said before, well i can but you have to pay attention to how far away your stick is to the metal. with MiG its kind of the same ideal except insted of a stick you have the filler rod, similar to brazing brass. with MiG you just pull the trigger listen and observe whats going on in the first couple seconds this will tell you everything you need to know about the metal your welding on. now if i had to teach welding or relearn it. i would start with MiG tig then stick that way you know the basics of welding with MiG. my buddy once told me you can teach a monkey to MiG, lol i can believe it. but if you want to start out with the hardest out of the three and only learn that one. then its all downhill from there. but you need to get up that hill to start

[Donut]

Coming from a weldor, find another alternative.   Learning stick can help you with the puddle control, but realistically, unless you plan on making a career of doing bridges and steel buildings, looks like a waste in your case.

Buy or borrow a MIG and practice, maybe get someone who knows how, show you and critique your work.

Someone earlier mentioned 6011 and 6013,  their very similar to the 6010.  6010 and 7018 are the most common rods found on the job and the technique is different between the 2.

[Stewart G Griffin]

On a topic like this you'll get as many opinions as there are people posting, because each has his/her own experience.  So, think of it this way:  The skills you develop from stick will benefit you, just as the skills you develop from MIG will benefit you.  The transition from either method to the other isn't difficult.  Both are a process of fusing metal.  They share certain aspects, but also differ in certain aspects.  Each method has its applications, many of which overlap, some of which are unique to the method.  Bear in mind, the physical characteristics of the metal doesn't change based on the method of welding, just the equipment, technique and your personal preferrence.  The more methods you learn, the more experience you gain, and the greater your confidence and skill in selecting the appropriate method for the circumstances. 
Every method of welding requires skill.  And, you gain that skill by welding and destructive testing.  Therein, lies the key.  To be proficient you need to practice - a lot - and then test your welds!  And, a course is the best way to gain the knowledge in the shortest amount of time.  It will keep you focused on what you need to know, while providing feedback on proper technique and how to correct errors.  45 hours of welding really isn't all that much.  It'll pass quickly.  But, it will get you started and fundamentally competent.  In addition, a course will provide hands on use of various equipment and information important to selecting your own equipment with the features that will return the greatest benefit for your dollar spent.

Now, for the "but."  $500.00 for a welding course seems like a lot.  Does it cover tuition and material?  Would the instructor be willing to give you some instruction with MIG, during the "certification section" of the course?  Do you have less expensive alternatives in your area - like a community college?

i think that pretty much sums up my thoughts.  And yes, based on my own personal experiences i think learning stick first is the right way to go if you really want to learn to weld properly.

Welding is something that needs to be done right.   For example if you were to change a carb or an intake and you didn't tighten it down properly or tune it properly the engine would still run, but it generally wouldn't be dangerous.    I think welding is generally dangerous if not done properly----can you imagine if you welded a spring perch to an axle and it broke?   Even a mirror bracket----if it fell off while driving.  That could pose a hazard to you or anyone else on the road.

[Stewart G Griffin]

P.S.   By the way, the intro stick welding course i took had us welding/laying beads on T joints in the 4 basic positions----flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead for 3 hrs a day for six weeks using most of the different rods----6010,6011,6013, 7018 and maybe a few others i can't remember for sure.   So that's about 90 hrs.

It was $1200 not including safety equipment although you could use the school's.  But i decided to buy my own helmet, jacket, gloves etc.  which was another $400.

So even though most of the welding i want to do is mig or tig----chassis and car related stuff, i'm very glad i learned stick first.

[ssapach]

I love welding.  I don't weld for a living, but I am a journeyman welder.  If I had to go back in time and change anything, I would have gotten into welding when I was still in highschool and gotten myself into the trade immediately out of highschool.

I find that lots of people tend to make fun of welders, mostly jokingly, but honestly there is a lot you can learn about all sorts of different processes.  And you might think that you just want to learn MIG to work on your project vehicles, after you get a good taste for it you might change your mind and want to dive deeper into it all.

The first welding I ever did was stick welding.  Throughout my technical training it was majority stick welding, with some MIG, flux core, TIG and oxy/acet welding thrown into the mix.  Lots of similarities between the processes, because they are essentially doing the same job.

I guess I'm a little biased, but I would vote for learning stick welding first and then the other processes may prove to be a lot easier.  Some people learn MIG welding first, then when they want to learn stick welding and they find out it's not as easy, they get frustrated, give up and just stick to the MIG machine.

As for price and time, I would go to school for a 4 week period (3 hrs shop and 3 hrs classroom per day).  Price isn't exactly a great comparison as the trade schools do get government funding so it definately has an effect on the price of the course.  But for a 4 week period it would cost about $900.  Naturally we had to supply our own safety gear (boots, glasses, helmet, gloves and leathers/coveralls if you wanted).

[bladerunner]

Well I called and have been put on the waiting list for the class. They need so many students in order to justify having the course.  So lets hope they get enough so I can go..

[bd]

Fees sure have escalated over just a few years.  Not so long ago I took the course you're waiting to enroll in, and it cost me ~$35 for material plus my personal gear.      Nine hours welding plus three hours courseroom every week for one semester, followed by certification testing for those interested.  Never regreted it.  Working stick, you sure learn to control your heat and puddle.  After that, migrating to MIG was a snap.  But, I would still like to learn TIG for aluminum and exotics.  Never had access to a TIG machine to play with.      Good luck with your course!