young welder

[3faze]

I'm not sure exactly where to post this but I think that here is the best spot.
I first learned to weld when I was in grade 7 and then in grade 8 I took a course at the local community college on tig welding I wasn't able to finish the course because because my family and I went on vacation. Some how I was able to take the course even though I wasn't the required age 16. I look older than my age so thats why nobody suspected anything. Between grade 8 and grade 9 I took the stick and mig course, this course was about 6 hours everyweek for about 3 months, despite having only a grade 8 education I did well on both the practical and theoretical part of the course and ended up getting an A+!! Because me and some of the other guys were able to finish all our welds early we had a chance to do a welding bend test. It was a single bevel flate 3/8 plate with a 1/2 gap and 1/4 backing plate. It was completed using stick with 7018s, then they were bent, When I bent mine I would have passed because there were no flaws. This was just practice becasue no cwb inspector was present. After the stick/mig course I went on to redo the tig course which involved varios joints in aluminium, steel and ss. I did very well on both the theoretical and practical part of this course and got another A+. Unfortunatly neither of these courses involved certification. I'm not sure in Canada you have to be 16 years old to do a cwb welding certifiaction test. In grade 9 I took tech but unfortunatly my school has a very poor tech program, when the school was built there was not tech program and therefore none of the initial grant money was spent on equipment. Over time as the demand for tech increased the school has made a shop but because they have very limited money we have one chinese made lathe, one chinese made miling machine. We only have one of each type of welder, other schools in the area have several bridgeport milling machines and many tig welding machines, as you can see we have a very under equipted shop. Despite having less than 2 hours experience on a lathe and mill maching parts to tape measure and chalk tollerances I decided to take a machining course. I wasn't aware that there was a recommended theory course before the practical course. I took the practical course.The course was 8 hours a week for 3 months a total of 90 hours. The parts I machined had tollerances of 15 to 4 thou, I used both the lathe and the milling machine. The final mark I recieved was a C, not bad for a grade 9. Currently I am 15 in grade 10 and I have taken most of the availiable welding courses and I am wonder where do I got from here? I want to learn more and maybe get a job. Any suggestions would be great. Its hard for a 15 year old welder to do much.

[cope]

I don't know about Canadian labor laws, but in the states you could not get hired until 18. You are wise to have taken the courses you did to learn the right way from the start. I would try to take advanced courses and if you don't have your own welder, get one. You may be able to pick up some $$ doing welding for friends and neighbors. Pretty soon word of mouth will get you more work than you want.

[3faze]

I recently got a dynasty 200dx and after about 2and a half years of me asking they bought it for me. I have had it for a week and a half and have done quite a bit of welding, the 80cf tank is down to 1000psi. I plan to find some jobs or projects mainly to pay for the gas and the filler, consumables and some practice material. I think it costs 60 dollars canadian to refill the tank so its pretty expensive.

[Wheels]

After some of the recent posts on this board it may be possible for all to take notice of the manner this youngster expresses and conducts himself!

Mike

[3faze]

I'm just a young guy with a love for welding, machining and fabrication, like most of the other people on this forum

Everybody coming togather to express their love for welding, machining, and fabrication

[Arcburn]

Knowing how to weld is very rewarding. I am 16, going to turn 17 in little over a month, I love to weld stuff and I plan to make a few things in the school shop. I plan to take the welding course at the local community collage after I graduate, they certify you after you complete the course and certification tests. They have some of the most state of the art equipment around here (including a submerged arc welder) since they just spent millions in remodeling their welding and machining shops.

[t0rchwelder]

The Trailer buissnis is a great job if you could find one around you. When I was 13 i started working at a trailer and hitch shop mostly as a clean up boy, But over time i was allowed to do more things like mig welding and tiging aluminum. Now i am 15 and pretty much the main welder at the shop. The great thing about trailers is that you learn so many different skills. You just have to start somewhere and work your way up. It sounds like you have a big head start into welding. Good Luck

Ace Trailer & Hitch.

[3faze]

Thanks for the advice guys but the main problem I find is that I don't really have any connections because I am really the only person in my family that is interested in welding and fabrication. If I had connections I could probiby find under the table sort of work. In Canada you have to be 16 to work industrial so I am out of luck untill I am 16

I know that if I do get a job in a shop I will have to work my way up to a welding position.

[3faze]

Thanks for the advice guys but the main problem I find is that I don't really have any connections because I am really the only person in my family that is interested in welding and fabrication. If I had connections I could probiby find under the table sort of work. In Canada you have to be 16 to work industrial so I am out of luck untill I am 16

I know that if I do get a job in a shop I will have to work my way up to a welding position. I think that if a 15 year old walked into a shop and showed the shop his transcript I think that they would just point to the door. Also most shops are looking for experience workers.

I really want to get into a shop so that I can learn things from some of the older more experienced guys and get some job experience. I could really care less how much I make I would have no problem working for 5 bucks an hour. Torchwelder you are really lucky to have the chance to be in a welding shop and being able to weld at age 15. Also if I were to apply for a job at a shop would I need cwb certification to even have a chance at a job?

Just wondering Torchwelder are you certified?

Any advice would be great

[tigman250]

practice with your welder, get really good then take sample pieces into a shop, if your good you will have a job on the spot! BUT you have to take in spectacular looking welds, alot of people can kinda tig weld but few can make it look awesome.

[3faze]

I like that idea, aluminium is coming along thanks mainly to tigman250's helpful advice. I was wondering if anybody has some tig welded steel pictures that they could post so I could compare my welds to the pictures. I think that my tig welds on steel are pretty good because before I got the dynasty 200dx I used a Oxyacet setup to keep the tig welding flame burning inside me. Any tig steel pictures would be great.

I seem to be having some trouble with the keyhole when I am welding aluminium butt welds that have a slight gap. It seems that the only way to move the puddle forward when there is a keyhole is to dip the filller metal then move foward. I think that this is the correct way to weld when you have a keyhole. Anybody's opinion would be great.


I was reading the post about welding chromolly pipe and somebody mentioned that they are not a big fan of dipping the filler into the weld puddle. I am familiar with just plain fusion welding (no filler) and the puddle and dip the filler rod method. What am I missing?

Thanks again for everybody's help and advice

[tigman250]

I like that idea, aluminium is coming along thanks mainly to tigman250's helpful advice. I was wondering if anybody has some tig welded steel pictures that they could post so I could compare my welds to the pictures. I think that my tig welds on steel are pretty good because before I got the dynasty 200dx I used a Oxyacet setup to keep the tig welding flame burning inside me. Any tig steel pictures would be great.

I seem to be having some trouble with the keyhole when I am welding aluminium butt welds that have a slight gap. It seems that the only way to move the puddle forward when there is a keyhole is to dip the filller metal then move foward. I think that this is the correct way to weld when you have a keyhole. Anybody's opinion would be great.


I was reading the post about welding chromolly pipe and somebody mentioned that they are not a big fan of dipping the filler into the weld puddle. I am familiar with just plain fusion welding (no filler) and the puddle and dip the filler rod method. What am I missing?

Thanks again for everybody's help and advice

in the sig the steel box was tig welded all the closeups of single welds are of that box.

try less amps that's the only way i know of preventing a keyhole. gap butt welds are tricky on aluminum you have to really watch the heat to get the nice looking beads.

[3faze]

Those are some very nice tig welds. How many years have you been tig welding? I've definatly got some more work to do before my welds begin to look as good as yours do.

I have read quite a few welding books and I have millers welding books on tig, welding essentials, finches book and a hobart tig book. Do you know of anyother good tig books? I am mainly looking for a book that is advanced and talks more about the practical side of welding thatn the theoretical side of welding?

I'm hoping that a book like this would bring my tig to the next level.

Thanks again

[Coalsmoke]

I agree with tigman, carry really good coupons with you, but make sure you can repeat the results any time any where. Wait untill you are 16 to get into a shop. When you are getting into a strange / new shop, you want to make sure you are under WCB, just incase something bad ahppens. Usually its the new guys that gets hurt. Good ambition, you will get there.

[Eric Carroll]

very impressive drive. You can work in a industrial setting when you are 16 in Canada?When I was 16 I worked in a grocery store and couldnt even use the thing you wrap meat with cause it had a heated plate.Dont be in a hurry to work, you'll get all you want one day.