welding outside of a shop?

[Tanner]

Ok ok, I'll admit it, tomorrow will be my first time welding out of a shop environment. Now, the people that I'm working with are at least twice my age, and have some hard feelings about me coming in and replacing one of their old weldors. They have a bet going that my welds will not look as nice seeing as this is my first time welding outside of a shop. To get the extra hand, I figured I'd ask you guys what to do. We're doing GMAW on some 1/4"-"1/2" steel tomorrow. Any tips to prove to the old-timers that I can stick with the big dogs?

[Andy249]

Been there worked in this situation!

If you are fairly confident in your welding ability then just do it! Listen to what these guys have to say and try a few of their tips and tricks, you never know what you may pick up! Sometimes just do it out of courtesy, then at least you won't appear to be the arrogant donkey! I reckon the best thing you can do is try and be organised, don't take all of your tools, just make sure you have the ones you need so you don't have to borrow.

[arcdawg]

SAFTEY FIRST...... TAKE THE TIME AND SCOUT OUT YOUR WELDING AREA !!!!!

then position yourself as comfortable as possible and take your time dont rush and tune out the old doggies........

i love working on site !

SAFE WELDING IS HAPPY WELDING !!

DAWG !

[timw]

I hired a guy just out of welding school back in the low 80's. I was shop forman for a semi trailer shop. I put him on a stick welding job and when I would check on him he was running a rod, then he would chip it, then he would step back and admire it. I explained to him that we bid everything and time is money. He quit after the first day. I was not hard on him, I don't think he understood welding in the real world.
My advise, figure out their game plan and try to fit into it. Lay low and hussle. Guys usally will work with you if you don't have an attitude. Also there's politics almost everywhere you will work, try to figure it out as you go. Good luck!

[walker]

Take your time, do it the way you know how. Don't let them pressure you into short cuts, don't try to keep up with them(that comes later, shortly before passing them up). Work hard. Wear sunblock, if you are not used to being outside you may cook yourself, thereby making the rest of the week a pain in the ars. Keep an eye on your tools, they have a way of walking off on jobsites.

[HAWK]

tanner,

Relax and weld as usual. Don't be over confident. Just do the job at hand. Everybody has to learn sometime. If you are good at what you do, it will show. Relax and be yourself. Don't try to live up to something you are not. Listen and learn. There is always something to learn from more experienced welders. There are many tricks of the trade. Get plenty of sleep. Running on empty is tough in a new environment. There is a lot of good advice here. Let us know how it goes.

[walker]

Well Tanner, how did it go???? I know everyone else must be just as curious.

[Tanner]

It went very well. Just got back from it. I used a Snap-on 140amp welder with c-25 gas. Not sure on the wire. A lot of 1/4" thick steel U-Channel. A couple flashes, but, only one bad burn. My fault entirely. I had a lot of fun. Learned a lot too. I'll post more later, I need to go biking...

[DDA52]

I remember those days , I think. Work all day in the heat... rest five or ten minutes.... go play. Must be nice.

Tanner
Learn all you can. Some of the old timers know a trick or two. I was in your boat a time or two. It can be fun when the "old timer" with all the tricks is YOU!!! When you start early, you get a big advantage over others down the road.

Don

[Tanner]

Well, I said I'd post more, so here it is. I get there, and I watch the first Uchannel be tacked into place. The other welder went "Ok, Tanner, you're up for the rest of the night." Heh, I was surprised. My shielding gas kept blowing away, which kinda made me mad, but, slowing down just a tad bit helped tremendously. A lot of vertical welds, something I found out that I really need to work on. Tons of poor fitups too, one piece I had to weld had an at least 1/4" gap inbetween the two pieces. I tacked it into place, then ran a bead on the metal, narrowing the gap to about 1/16th of an inch. Tried a vertical up, that failed (burned through). Vertical down worked rather well. The other welder came to check on my progress, and he was pleased. He showed me some tricks on vertical up, but his beads were very tiny, and had little surface area coverage on both pieces of metal, whereas mine were wide, and had a good hold on both pieces, it just didn't look good. I might go back tonight, but I don't think I should (a lot happened today so I'm not 100% emotionally fit to weld today). Who knows. I still retain the fact that if I had flux core, and better fit-ups, I could have done a lot better. Practice practice, practice I suppose. Can't wait to get my own welding projects and get out there in the field and weld.