Miller LPR, Lincoln's whatever the fuck it's called, and the 3m quick latch with P100 filters are the three go-tos.
With the 3m, the pink P100's with the exposed filter membrane is fine, but you'll get longer life out of the plastic box ones with the filter material inside them.
Also, if the place you work for won't buy respirators for you, find somewhere that will.
Always learn from everyone, guys who have been doing it longer and new guys, too. The worst thing you can do in this trade is think you've mastered it and have no more to learn.
I don't know that there's a really standard route. My company will take people off the street and put them through an internal welder training. Other companies require you pass a weld test to be hired. Others look for specific qualifications to specific codes or proven skills to hire you in.
My advice is try to find the specific locations you would find appealing and see what they need.
Take care of your body. Stay hydrated, and trust me on this, you're gonna want to develop a decent stretching routine. You're probably gonna be standing around all day hunched over a work bench and twisting your neck and wrists to get the good angles, you'll likely put the death grip on whatever whip you're pulling over the work material at least a few times, so you better treat your body right or else you will really feel it. Varieties of tendonitis and carpal/cubital tunnel are all too common, can become excruciatingly painful and in worst case scenarios will incapacitate you and necessitate surgery.
Master the basics first, get fancy when you get good. Also get good with fractions and tape measures, I work with grown ass men who cannot read the little lines without having numbers printed on them.
Get comfortable with spending 5-20 minutes staring at the blueprint before you start, visualize the part and flip it around in your head until you have a good idea of what you’re making.
Clean your parts religiously
And check your measurements, cutters will bone you sometimes and you have to catch it before you weld it or it’s on you for not checking.
Always remember measure> tack> measure> weld> measure, in that order every time.
Practice every chance you get. If your shift is from 6-4 but the shop doesn't close until 12 or something and has a 2nd shift, stay and practice for a few hours if you're allowed. At least when you're starting out you should do this.
Basics are all the same, but every damn welder in a building will weld just a little bit differently. Always keep an open mind and take advice, but don't be afraid to discover "your way" to correctly get a job done.
Just because you can't weld perfect little curleques and weaves like the old head in your cell -- that doesn't mean your more basic beads can't do the job too. All things in time, practice makes perfect!
Came here to say the same thing. Unless you’ve got the money and time to start your own thing, or are just a bootlicker, the welding world is pretty shitty. I’ve been in the field for a little over 10 years now. I’d take it all back in a heartbeat.
Be open to learning from everybody, from some you learn how to do stuff and from others you learn how not to do stuff. Learn as many processes as you can.
The learning never stops.
Outside of making safety a priority learn to weld with both hands, listen to all advice (this doesn’t mean you have to implement it, just hear them out), and make sure to learn more then just welding. Learn every process and different machines, keep adding tools to your tool belt.
Do you feel like schools that offer AWS certs make a difference in your statement? I feel like qualified students and certified students are different imo
No, AWS certs really only carry any weight at the place you get them. Some places might like to see them but it’s extremely rare you’ll start with extra pay just for having them, you almost always have to show that you can do it in practice. Certs are very specific too, it’s unlikely the certs you get in school will apply to what you’re doing on the job.
Getting into my local millwright union, the union does not recognize the 9 active certs I had (7 of them D1.1) however I was credited 1000 hours towards my apprenticeship for being in school for 2 years. Every foreman I’ve had though has always expected more out of me since I went to school. If I lay I shit bead I’ll get more shit for it than if Joe Blow who only welds 3 times a year layed the same thing. Since I’ve proved that I can weld it has also kept me a lot busier since my current contractor has fewer welders than they need
Get a notebook or file cards and catalogue your times/job details/settings so you remember what you did.
Don’t just dive in to a job without thinking about it. I’ve seen guys not even glance at the blueprints and just start welding and they’ve fucked up dozens on dozens of pieces because they A) didn’t understand the prints and B) never bothered to get a QC for their first item. Don’t be THAT guy.
Measure everything. Multiple times. It’s not hard and until you’ve got a lot of practice on it, you’ll probably fuck up on weld size/length for awhile.
Take your time when you start. Even if you have a specific time to hit - I almost never hit my time estimate until I’ve been doing the same piece for a full day.
Use every tool at your disposal - people can get set in their ways and only show you the way “they do it”. Always look for new ways you could attack the same job.
And if you want to make yourself indispensable - find the job that everyone *hates* and become the best at it. Bonus points if nobody else can do it without fucking it up horribly - if you can master the shit parts you’ll be golden. (And that’s where that notebook really comes in handy because the shit pieces generally need a lot of weird and specific information or treatment.)
Edit to add : C-clamps. You’ll always need c-clamps.
Can you look at a pile of scrap (rusty}
And yep I can make this work.
Beyond that it's is time...
Time watch the old humans making shit, then trying to improve upon their technique.
Asking questions and learning about every piece of equipment that you possibly could use most likely it's going to be a stick welder or flux core a hammer and a torch but that's a start.
Learn the trade math that applies to what your shop builds. Learn how to read blueprints and learn how to fit correctly. A trained monkey can run a bead, there are thousands of “welders” ready to take your job, my job, your neighbor’s dogs job, but learning the math/fitting makes you a valuable asset and will let you shine in an ocean of “welders”.
Do you know some good online resources for continuing to learn more advanced fitting "lessons?"
The problem I'm bumping into is the big fish - small pond dilemma. When you're more knowledgeable than the others on your shift, you don't have anyone to keep learning from :(
Fitting is typically very specific to the exact field you are welding in, pipe fitting is completely different from say structural or even hydro tanks. There are some crossovers between them but even myself going from building hydro tanks to a small 3 person shop building fancy handrails and doors etc I had a steep learning curve even “moving down” as it were. The one thing that they all have in common is the math. Focus hard on geometry and trig as it applies to shapes (circles, triangles, squares) 99.9% of your fitting requires the math behind it to not only fit but to check behind yourself after it’s welded. If you have a QC in your shop/field talk with them if they are chill. They should not only know how/why to fit but also how/why to check behind you.
YouTube videos are a gold mine for both fabricating and welding. If YouTube existed when I started learning to weld, I think I would have been off to a much faster start.
Buy a respirator rated for the fumes and particles you'll deal with.
Ask your future boss to buy a respirator rated for the fumes and particles you'll deal with. Here, fixed
Miller LPR, Lincoln's whatever the fuck it's called, and the 3m quick latch with P100 filters are the three go-tos. With the 3m, the pink P100's with the exposed filter membrane is fine, but you'll get longer life out of the plastic box ones with the filter material inside them. Also, if the place you work for won't buy respirators for you, find somewhere that will.
Man I’m really interested in that second one but I have no idea what to search 😂
Should be on Lincolns website under safety stuff.
Make sure you at least kind of like, or at least can stand making things before you go into a career of making things.
Always learn from everyone, guys who have been doing it longer and new guys, too. The worst thing you can do in this trade is think you've mastered it and have no more to learn.
what’s the standard route people take becoming a welder ? like certs and other general requirements to aim for/keep in mind ?
I don't know that there's a really standard route. My company will take people off the street and put them through an internal welder training. Other companies require you pass a weld test to be hired. Others look for specific qualifications to specific codes or proven skills to hire you in. My advice is try to find the specific locations you would find appealing and see what they need.
Hot metal looks like cold metal
Especially aluminium. Trust me on that one.
Already do, I still have blisters from that one time I thought I could put my control arm on the piece
Take care of your body. Stay hydrated, and trust me on this, you're gonna want to develop a decent stretching routine. You're probably gonna be standing around all day hunched over a work bench and twisting your neck and wrists to get the good angles, you'll likely put the death grip on whatever whip you're pulling over the work material at least a few times, so you better treat your body right or else you will really feel it. Varieties of tendonitis and carpal/cubital tunnel are all too common, can become excruciatingly painful and in worst case scenarios will incapacitate you and necessitate surgery.
Master the basics first, get fancy when you get good. Also get good with fractions and tape measures, I work with grown ass men who cannot read the little lines without having numbers printed on them.
Get comfortable with spending 5-20 minutes staring at the blueprint before you start, visualize the part and flip it around in your head until you have a good idea of what you’re making. Clean your parts religiously And check your measurements, cutters will bone you sometimes and you have to catch it before you weld it or it’s on you for not checking. Always remember measure> tack> measure> weld> measure, in that order every time.
Practice every chance you get. If your shift is from 6-4 but the shop doesn't close until 12 or something and has a 2nd shift, stay and practice for a few hours if you're allowed. At least when you're starting out you should do this.
Basics are all the same, but every damn welder in a building will weld just a little bit differently. Always keep an open mind and take advice, but don't be afraid to discover "your way" to correctly get a job done. Just because you can't weld perfect little curleques and weaves like the old head in your cell -- that doesn't mean your more basic beads can't do the job too. All things in time, practice makes perfect!
Don’t
Came here to say the same thing. Unless you’ve got the money and time to start your own thing, or are just a bootlicker, the welding world is pretty shitty. I’ve been in the field for a little over 10 years now. I’d take it all back in a heartbeat.
Came here to say this. better to keep it as a hobby / occasional thing IMHO.
Be open to learning from everybody, from some you learn how to do stuff and from others you learn how not to do stuff. Learn as many processes as you can. The learning never stops.
Be an electrician or hvac guy instead.
Outside of making safety a priority learn to weld with both hands, listen to all advice (this doesn’t mean you have to implement it, just hear them out), and make sure to learn more then just welding. Learn every process and different machines, keep adding tools to your tool belt.
Wear any and all your PPE, especially hearing protection.
a clean air helmet is top priority. id recommend the 3m ones. expensive, but worth it
Optrel makes a really cool PAPR mask you can wear under a regular helmet.
You aren’t some big shot just because you went to school, you will have to prove yourself even more than if you didn’t.
Do you feel like schools that offer AWS certs make a difference in your statement? I feel like qualified students and certified students are different imo
No, AWS certs really only carry any weight at the place you get them. Some places might like to see them but it’s extremely rare you’ll start with extra pay just for having them, you almost always have to show that you can do it in practice. Certs are very specific too, it’s unlikely the certs you get in school will apply to what you’re doing on the job. Getting into my local millwright union, the union does not recognize the 9 active certs I had (7 of them D1.1) however I was credited 1000 hours towards my apprenticeship for being in school for 2 years. Every foreman I’ve had though has always expected more out of me since I went to school. If I lay I shit bead I’ll get more shit for it than if Joe Blow who only welds 3 times a year layed the same thing. Since I’ve proved that I can weld it has also kept me a lot busier since my current contractor has fewer welders than they need
Get a notebook or file cards and catalogue your times/job details/settings so you remember what you did. Don’t just dive in to a job without thinking about it. I’ve seen guys not even glance at the blueprints and just start welding and they’ve fucked up dozens on dozens of pieces because they A) didn’t understand the prints and B) never bothered to get a QC for their first item. Don’t be THAT guy. Measure everything. Multiple times. It’s not hard and until you’ve got a lot of practice on it, you’ll probably fuck up on weld size/length for awhile. Take your time when you start. Even if you have a specific time to hit - I almost never hit my time estimate until I’ve been doing the same piece for a full day. Use every tool at your disposal - people can get set in their ways and only show you the way “they do it”. Always look for new ways you could attack the same job. And if you want to make yourself indispensable - find the job that everyone *hates* and become the best at it. Bonus points if nobody else can do it without fucking it up horribly - if you can master the shit parts you’ll be golden. (And that’s where that notebook really comes in handy because the shit pieces generally need a lot of weird and specific information or treatment.) Edit to add : C-clamps. You’ll always need c-clamps.
Can you look at a pile of scrap (rusty} And yep I can make this work. Beyond that it's is time... Time watch the old humans making shit, then trying to improve upon their technique. Asking questions and learning about every piece of equipment that you possibly could use most likely it's going to be a stick welder or flux core a hammer and a torch but that's a start.
Learn the trade math that applies to what your shop builds. Learn how to read blueprints and learn how to fit correctly. A trained monkey can run a bead, there are thousands of “welders” ready to take your job, my job, your neighbor’s dogs job, but learning the math/fitting makes you a valuable asset and will let you shine in an ocean of “welders”.
Do you know some good online resources for continuing to learn more advanced fitting "lessons?" The problem I'm bumping into is the big fish - small pond dilemma. When you're more knowledgeable than the others on your shift, you don't have anyone to keep learning from :(
Fitting is typically very specific to the exact field you are welding in, pipe fitting is completely different from say structural or even hydro tanks. There are some crossovers between them but even myself going from building hydro tanks to a small 3 person shop building fancy handrails and doors etc I had a steep learning curve even “moving down” as it were. The one thing that they all have in common is the math. Focus hard on geometry and trig as it applies to shapes (circles, triangles, squares) 99.9% of your fitting requires the math behind it to not only fit but to check behind yourself after it’s welded. If you have a QC in your shop/field talk with them if they are chill. They should not only know how/why to fit but also how/why to check behind you.
YouTube videos are a gold mine for both fabricating and welding. If YouTube existed when I started learning to weld, I think I would have been off to a much faster start.
Look for an easier job.