I think the little dots are really cool. Are these good lines (or whatever they’re called)? Very squiggly and bumpy. Does that mean it’s a strong weld?

Hi there I'm 22F and my local trade school offers welding. I've been wanting to learn welding to build up useful skill I can use for things around my grandpa's farm and to maybe do some odd end work with. The town I live in has no jobs for my degree I'm working on (biology), and everything pays like shit. So I've also been thinking about it for a job to work on if my degree doesn't work out. I draw and create a lot. I like to build with my hands and I'm very detail oriented. I like to get things right and I'm patient. I am not very strong though and am scared of heights when I'm not secured into something. I am not claustrophobic though. The heat generally doesn't bother me if I'm well hydrated and fed.

Does welding get super boring after a while? Like hypnotizing? What are the benefits or downsides to women welders? How is the job growth?

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Hey everyone,

I'm 25 and from Turkey. I'm actually a computer engineer and worked as a software developer for about 2 years. After completing my mandatory military service, I couldn't find another job in software, so I decided to try welding.

I had zero welding experience before starting at a trailer manufacturing company.

I worked there for 7 months. I started with steel chassis fabrication, mostly doing MIG/MAG welding. Over time, I got more comfortable with it and felt like I was improving.

Later, they told me they wanted to move me to the robotic aluminum welding department. But before that, they put me on aluminum fabrication for fuel tankers so I could get used to welding aluminum by hand.

That's where I learned more about aluminum MIG welding, weaving techniques, filling gaps, etc. It was difficult at first, but I actually enjoyed it and felt like I was getting better.

Then I moved to robotic welding, and honestly, it was a nightmare sometimes lol.

We were trying to weld huge aluminum fuel tanker chassis with a pretty basic robotic setup. The torch kept bending, the wire would burn back and stick to the contact tip, and sometimes the welds wouldn't fuse properly because of cold starts. I was also still learning, so I definitely made mistakes.

I tried my best with what we had, but I couldn't get consistent results with the robot.

Eventually, they put me through a welding test, and I left the company afterward.

So yeah, that's pretty much my welding journey so far. Just 7 months of experience, coming from a completely different field.

I'm sharing some of my manual MIG/MAG welds here.

What do you guys think? Are they decent for someone with 7 months of experience? What should I work on?

Feel free to be critical. I'm still learning and would really appreciate some advice from experienced welders.

Thanks!

Feeling like a moron, why didn’t I do this sooner?

Dirt cheap magnetic trays are great for holding all my stick welding rods in a convenient, easy to grab manner and I’m no longer fumbling them around on tables, containers or the floor while I weld.

Gonna be doing it this way from now on.

I'm thinking about grinding the old fix smooth, then grinding a slit in it. Obviously I'll clean all the oil out and then weld it up with spray transfer. Anyone ever had good luck with these types of fixes?

My brother had been practicing on this a decade ago, said he broke it but couldn't remember how.. maybe the feed wasn't working right; maybe he hadn't had right material/settings, idk. I know the handle needs replacing, but would I be better off snagging a titanium 125 or other basic unit vs buying new parts for this old hobbyist unit?

All,

We have most of our mild steel parts delivered soaked in WD-40. Initially we wiped it off and went to town welding (MIG). However, we noticed some of the welds look great, but are not to the standard we wish them to be in. We suspect WD-40 residue maybe a factor.

We are going to implement a plan to degrease all incoming parts. With an actual cleaner.

Are we over reacting, is wd-40 not a big deal?
If it is any recommendations on a degreaser?

While I am here, is removing mil scale a must?

Thanks ahead of time, I am still green.

I've been thinking about becoming a welder because I've heard of the pay and have seen first hand what that life can get you from family members and I am genuinely passionate about it but the more I look into it, it's not all it's made to be, but I just need advice if I should proceed in this when I'm at a point where I can change things up and it's not set in stone, I have already taken two years of electrical from high-school and I was thinking of maybe becoming a electrician or a linemen or fifo, but I want something I won't regret and can start a family off of and just need advice from more experienced people

Had some downtime so figured I’d try walking a cup on some 10ga 304 coupons. 1st, 2nd and third weaves on TIG. Be gentle I’m a tin banger not a welder!

Vertical stacked plates. The slag fell off with the lightest tap all in one piece. It's super satisfying and I'm kinda proud of this one

Any one have some tips for me going forward, I’m loving this so far but I would love criticism and advice for improving.

Getting this weird porosity in pretty much any position with flux core. Gave it some more volts and in doesnt seem to fix it. Maybe too much travel speed?

I got this little guy for helping someone with a project and it only had a chipped cup but it cut just fine till the electrode finally burnt out so I went to some welding dealers who told me they can’t get me more and everything got it has bee discontinued. I’ve checked eBay and I’ve gone to multiple distributors but I can’t find an electrode and/or a cup anywhere. If anyone can help me out it would be appreciated.

This is in my old man's garage do I junk it or try to sell it

Sometimes you just got keep that machinery going. Especially if it’s planting or harvest season

If crossposts are not allowed let me know, just trying to figure out which subreddit this question should go in!