young or old

[Bert]

Hey preacher, by the way, while you tell us how you got your nickname, can you post pics of your artwork?
praying for you man...
bert

[HMW]

Man, preacher you've convinced me, I'm not going to work today Like the other guys said, how'd you get your name and post some pics. Really like seeing things everyone makes.


ps: Good luck with your back !! Glad your doing what you like!

[preacher]

nickname

Not a lot of people call me preacher any more but it was still good enough for a screen name. About 8 years ago some friends of mine were getting married and wanted me to preform the ceremony. So I went on line and became a legally ordained minister (only cost $10). Some guys at my old job found out about and that was only thing I ever got called at work. OK not the only thing but I won't print the rest of them here.

preacher

p.s. I'll post some pics when I get the files shrunk down.

[L8startR]

Okay all, nice knowing I am not the only one that is like the last one to the party. I started welding about 30 years ago using a stick welder. Built many things, burnt holes in many of them, still have not perfected the perfect weld. I have found with the stick, thick and solid is better---look ma' no holes. I have had some successes and after I retire, maybe at the end of this year, I will take some classes in college for Stick, Mig and Tig. I recently bought a Mig machine and plan on making some fancy gates with some of those prefab wrought iron pieces that you can buy to put together a custom gate etc. The question that started this thread is a very good one and I thank you for it. It is perhaps one we all that read this forum have wondered. You can see by my handle 'L8startR', I am just really getting started. It is exciting to see all the wonderful things that can be done with metal working tools and welding. Plasma is another thing I am interested in because of all the intricate shapes and types of metal it can cut. Keep up the valuable discussions, if you don't know it, someone is learning from them. It is inspiring.

L8startR

[weld_13]

wow thats sweet im only 13 to but have only mig,stick,and a/o and some plastic on the side beside the point. i think i started when i was about 10 when my g-pa was welding an exhaust. i havent gotten a chance to tig yet but will soon and look forward to it.

[aa5gp]

muffler shop

After I got out of the Marine Corps, I worked offshore, in plants, refineries, and shipyards till I was 30. I was always away from home in pursuit of bigger payings jobs and came home in 76 after a long trip offshore to an empty house. My wife had split so I went back to the oil patch for a few years and saved enough money to go to college. I had tried stick a couple of times throughout the years with little to no luck but learned to gas weld in a muffler shop while attending college pursuing an engineering degree. After graduating, I worked in an office for 20+ years. About a year ago, I left my job and started a service company doing mostly ship and boat repair. And for the past year I have fabricated and welded (gas, stick, & mig) almost daily. God forbid I ever have to go back to an office full of over educated stuff shirts. I've lost that 20 extra pounds I'd been carrying for years and I'm far happier than I ever was in an office. I relate better to people who make a living with skill and determination and I am much much happier. I'm 55 now and hope I have at least ten good years left to enjoy my new career. BTW, I've really enjoyed reading all the posts!

Semper Fi


Charles
AA5GP

[HMW]

Why is it Marine's are attracted to fire???...... It seems there are lots that pass through here.
Good for you aa5gp, glad your doing what you like


and Semper Fi to you

[wireburner]

some where i Posted on this theard I can mig,tig(carbon) ,stick

Well now I can mig, Tig ( carbon ,some stainless) , Stick just thought I would keep y`all posted

[r90s]

Ok

I've been kind a busy lately, but I did take a look this morning. Things changed! Now it's the Miller social board.

Well thats good, as far as I am concerned.

Any board that won't let you have an animated welding icon, needs more sociability.

[wireburner]

well thought y`all may want to know J/K

[Bert]

Do I CARE???

"...well thought y`all may want to know J/K..."
Are we supposed to care??!! J/K!!!
Of COURSE I DO!!! Nice to see someone so young welding!!! I just hope you don't find other intrest and give it up! At your age, that happens a lot!
Well, I have 1 day free this weekend to weld (Other day is painting dad's house again)...So, I'll run a few beads on aluminum with my new TIG setup

[wireburner]

"...well thought y`all may want to know J/K..."
Are we supposed to care??!! J/K!!!
Of COURSE I DO!!! Nice to see someone so young welding!!! I just hope you don't find other intrest and give it up! At your age, that happens a lot!
Well, I have 1 day free this weekend to weld(Other day is painting dad's house again)...So, I'll run a few beads on aluminum with my new TIG setup

I still ain`t much count on aluminum , don`t belive I `ll lose interst ,as much green as I`ve spent on it ,plus I just LOVE WELDING

[Bert]

Happy to hear it!!

[wireburner]

in Oct. I going to give some more money to TSC( cheapest one i`ve find plus i don`t have to wait for shipping just take home and start buring some rods!) for a Hobart LX Stickmate 235 amp ac stick machine

[Jolly Roger]

I started learning at 8. I learned to weld with the torch before I was ever allowed to cut anything, by 10 I was actually getting paid to do it. About that time all of the oil companies were required to put up location signs. I cut the pieces with a chop saw, split them with a torch, put them in a jig and welded them out with a torch. I have no idea how many hundreds of those things I built, once I could consistently make a good weld with the torch I was allowed to start with the arc. By the time I was 12 osha required caution signs on all pumping units, pumps, you name it. I quite literally built a few thousand of those things before they had all they needed. This was all during the week, weekends I was the helper on a welding truck. By the time I was 13 we took turns, one day one did layout and cutting, the other welded. The next day we swapped. By the time I was 15 I was running the truck myself. All through high school I worked doing the same thing, made more money a day than my friends did a week flipping burgers and bagging groceries. I finally got tired of the oilfield and the boom and bust way it runs so I joined the Army in '86. I managed to get hurt and was sent packing at 8 years during uncle billy's drawdown. I went back to welding, got tired of the oilfield again (oilfield welding is a very dangerous job and my nerves were shot). So I went into construction building powerplants, then came 9/11 and top of that the great company I turned out to be working for wasn't so great after all. I still want to see the DNA results on Ken Lay's body. Yes my checks all came from Enron, and we went hunting a job. I used my GI Bill, got an AAS in Computer Science, had money coming so I went on and got my BAAS in Studio Art. All through this I kept on welding. Now I mostly do custom ironwork - stair rails, balcony rails, columns, doors, burglar bars, and quite a lot of repair work on existing stuff damaged in the flooding. I still do a fair amount of work on heavy equipment, which I have always really enjoyed (I like the challenge of designing and building things that take tremendous loads and just keep on working, or repairing things that have broken so that they can't break again. I do all I can to avoid pipe work and anything involving high pressures. I never really liked it much anyway. What I enjoy the most though is when I am turned loose to build ironwork of my own design. Well I can't say that now, what I really enjoy most is painting nekkid (you'll get that if you know who George Grizzard was) women. Unfortunately I still have to pay the bills, LOL. Anyhow, that's been my career more or less, details would take so much space I would be banned. I do consider cast iron to be a specialty, I like working with aluminum because of the special challenges, and the TIG just because I haven't been able to do it nearly as much as I would like.

To those who are just beginning, welcome to the art, because welding is much more an art than just a craft, and practice, practice, practice. And always remember, pay attention, because even the dumbest welder you ever meet will know a trick you don't.