eye opener

[man of steel]

general comment

ive been reading the commentary on this thread, and i have to say i have no problem with kids who are enthused about learning a trade,better than getting themselves into trouble,however i believe it is everyones responsibility to inform and teach others who may not have the experience or knowledge and if you see something unsafe,then its just as much your responsibility to say and do something to make sure that nobody gets hurt.thank god the guy who built that trailer doesnt work at the nuke station but there are standards that we have to meet and they are in place for our safety.ive done aircraft,aerospace and nuclear welding and ill tell you, i didnt get certified over night ,took alot of hard work but was well worth where i am in life now.I havent met anyone who knows it all and we all learnnew things daily, if you have pride in what you do,then naturally you want to make every bead a masterpiece.Good luck to all and keep practicing kids lol

[Iron man]

I like some of you agree with most everything that has been said, I dont think this thread was started to point out one person nor to discriminate against age. It's more about attitude, willing to learn, and being able to take advice and put it to good use. it's also about more than just welding, like the trailer that started this thread someone could lay perfect beads on every joint and probly guarantee them to hold even when the trailer is all twisted and mangled laying in a ditch somewhere due to it's lack of structural integrity.

[fun4now]

it's also about more than just welding, like the trailer that started this thread someone could lay perfect beads on every joint and probly guarantee them to hold even when the trailer is all twisted and mangled laying in a ditch somewhere due to it's lack of structural integrity.
well put, fabrication is about more than just a good bead.

[M-Tech]

Where Do We Go From Here?

I've already highlighted a few key points made by others in this thread. I've re-read all of the posts here several times, and am moved to follow up on this.

When I was growing up I had many older people say "I wish I were your age and knew what I know now!" I used to ask them to help me. I'd say that I'm "my age," so why not tell me some of those things? Only one man ever did. He said that the one thing he could tell me was that I should never give a woman a Cadillac. I asked him why, and he said: "When you give her the keys, she'll love you. Then every time she pulls up to a gas pump, she'll hate you."

So we've lost the tradition of closed-trade apprenticeships. But what about "Big Brother," and friend and mentor? What about taking the time to take someone under your wing to share what you can? Too demanding? Too time-consuming? In my earlier post I said something about "invitation." Does this ring a bell for anyone?

Suppose we look at everyone here as a potential co-worker, or employee, or employer (supervisor). Do we want to write off people as Bozos, and wait until we have to fire them? Or would we rather help them develop their potential? Mind you, that doesn't mean we have to give up our right to suggest that someone not give up their day job!

I happen to have noticed another thread that worked very well (in my view). Someone said he was being asked to convert a propane tank (? have to look it up!), and he expressed doubts about it. Others responded, mostly in positive and constructive ways, discouraging the idea. The poster concluded that his first misgivings were well founded: it was not a good idea. Most of the responses were solid, common sense replies with clear reasoning to support them. No one attacked the original poster. Many of us had an opportunity to learn something valuable without it costing a life or a limb . . . and without feeling put down for posing a valid question.

Joe

[Black Wolf]

I decided to return to this thread to post for 2 reasons:

1) To thank all of our members that voiced their views about my rough treatment of Wireburner. I do value your opinions and your points of view. No, really. I'm being serious. Do I take back what I said - No. Do I still feel the same - Yes. Do I possibly regret my choice of words seeing as he is only 13? Yes and no. Yes if viewed that he is only 13. No if viewed that he is an active member same as any other and I treated him as such. I would like to state for the record that wireburner has done nothing wrong to me, nor was I angry with HIM specifically. I was venting my frustration with all the issues of this forum that we are now discussing, and unfortunately Chris ended up in my gun sights. For focusing my discontent on him, and being brutally straightforward to the point of being hurtful, I was in the wrong. I will try to strike up a correspondance with Chris when some time has passed and maybe he'll be willing to discuss this off forum.

2) To thank all the members that have come forward with their opinions of what is right and wrong with this forum, and to those willing to put forward ideas to change it, to improve it, and make it what it can be. We have lost too many of our senior members lately, mostly due to frustration. Now is the time to let it all hang out, and get it off your chests. Tell us what you like. Tell us what you don't like. Now is as good of a time as any to get all of this out in the open so it can be discussed and dealt with.

I believe in this type of open forum. I believe in what it can do, and what it can mean in terms of learning and education for our younger or newer members to the wonderful world of welding. I've already stated what I believe is wrong. I have stressed in thread after thread the need for proper welding education and safety. The importance of mentorship. I'm not affraid to lay it on the line, dig in, and fight for what I believe in. How about you??? This forum is good, but it can be GREAT. Let's find out how we can get there, working together. Maybe then we can put an end to all the unspoken animosity and frustration that seems to be affecting many of our members.

Later,
Jason

[HMW]

Blackwolf

well said !!!

As far as spelling and punctuation, I do the best I can. I can spell better than I can type.

[wireburner]

I decided to return to this thread to post for 2 reasons:

1) To thank all of our members that voiced their views about my rough treatment of Wireburner. I do value your opinions and your points of view. No, really. I'm being serious. Do I take back what I said - No. Do I still feel the same - Yes. Do I possibly regret my choice of words seeing as he is only 13? Yes and no. Yes if viewed that he is only 13. No if viewed that he is an active member same as any other and I treated him as such. I would like to state for the record that wireburner has done nothing wrong to me, nor was I angry with HIM specifically. I was venting my frustration with all the issues of this forum that we are now discussing, and unfortunately Chris ended up in my gun sights. For focusing my discontent on him, and being brutally straightforward to the point of being hurtful, I was in the wrong. I will try to strike up a correspondance with Chris when some time has passed and maybe he'll be willing to discuss this off forum.

2) To thank all the members that have come forward with their opinions of what is right and wrong with this forum, and to those willing to put forward ideas to change it, to improve it, and make it what it can be. We have lost too many of our senior members lately, mostly due to frustration. Now is the time to let it all hang out, and get it off your chests. Tell us what you like. Tell us what you don't like. Now is as good of a time as any to get all of this out in the open so it can be discussed and dealt with.

I believe in this type of open forum. I believe in what it can do, and what it can mean in terms of learning and education for our younger or newer members to the wonderful world of welding. I've already stated what I believe is wrong. I have stressed in thread after thread the need for proper welding education and safety. The importance of mentorship. I'm not affraid to lay it on the line, dig in, and fight for what I believe in. How about you??? This forum is good, but it can be GREAT. Let's find out how we can get there, working together. Maybe then we can put an end to all the unspoken animosity and frustration that seems to be affecting many of our members.

Later,
Jason

I agree with you , I just do little stuff for local people. Also whom ever said that I built that trailer is full of [email protected]
I `am sorry if I created any trouble on here ,but don`t know how it got started . Let`s just forget about & move on to talk about welding. Yes I Know that Welding & Fabbing should be tooken Very seroruios and I pratice safety ever time to go and work on some thing. I feel it is time to move on , I don`t want no trouble.

[Black Wolf]

Chris,

No one ever said that you built the trailer that started the thread. That was a misunderstanding on someone's part along the way. You have done nothing wrong in terms of this thread, and you have nothing to apologize for. As previously stated, I was venting off some steam, and you were the unlucky one that was in the way, and I was pretty rough on you. I'll PM you later about that. Yes, I tend to be blunt and to the point, and yes, I speak my mind, but I could have chosen a better approach.

I don't want you to think that you are not welcome on here, or that I'm lurking in the shadows to jump on everything you say. Not true. You are the new generation of welders & fabricators. Being that you are very young, and just starting out - try to listen a little more so that you can learn from all the more experienced members that are willing to share and to teach. That is what I should have said on the weekend.

Later,

[fun4now]

i think we all have been guilty of posting when we had some thing outside the forum bothering us. this is a good time to use the delete button so as not to leave behind our worst moments for every one to see. i have posted when upset or just plain pissed off at some one be it on or off the board only to later come back and see i went a little too far. its those times the delete button come in handy. we should use it when we see we have gone to far.

[Jolly Roger]

Hi ya'll, and OMG, not another one, LMAO!!!

Hi ya'll I never went to school to learn welding. I was the son of an oilfield welder in New Mexico who happened to own the company. I became the helper at eight, was cutting parts by ten, welding at twelve, and running a rig at fifteen. My dad used to say, and I concur wholeheartedly, that every SOB who ever struck an arc thinks he's a welder. I was the last person around to decide I really was a welder, and that took over 30 years of learning and finding out a weld I made held 126,000 psi (gas well blowout). It finally hit me that I must know what I am doing. If I had known their intentions I would have refused the job, and still would today.

I am not surprised in the least by the trailer in the pics. In fact I have one in line to be made right that appears to have been built by the same person.

I've been down here in NOLA since Sep' 2005. You would not believe some of the things I have seen called trailers, or some of the things I have seen done to equipment. It's not just here, but it was magnified like you wouldn't believe. No I didn't come here to get rich, but because I had wanted to for ten years. I wasn't doing a whole lot anyway seeing as how all the paychecks for my really good fab job said Enron on them. Same thing for my business partner, except he was a field engineer for them.

I would like to tell the youngsters welcome to the world of the rod burner, and a little advice (for them as well as anyone else who doesn't already have a copy). Get yourself a copy of 'The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding' from the Lincoln Foundation. You can order it off of their website for I think $15.00. It is the best reference on welding I have ever found and I have read a lot of books on welding (learned more that way than I ever did from trial and error). They don't get too detailed, but they tell you exactly where to go for even more good info.

I am always happy to offer advice to those who ask, or discuss issues based on personal experience. It might take awhile due to not always having a lot of time for this, but I will always answer when I can.

[dabar39]

Jolly Roger, Welcome to the board, sounds like you've been around the block once or twice. Dave

[wireburner]

[/U]

Hi ya'll I never went to school to learn welding. I was the son of an oilfield welder in New Mexico who happened to own the company. I became the helper at eight, was cutting parts by ten, welding at twelve, and running a rig at fifteen. My dad used to say, and I concur wholeheartedly, that every SOB who ever struck an arc thinks he's a welder. I was the last person around to decide I really was a welder, and that took over 30 years of learning and finding out a weld I made held 126,000 psi (gas well blowout). It finally hit me that I must know what I am doing. If I had known their intentions I would have refused the job, and still would today.

I am not surprised in the least by the trailer in the pics. In fact I have one in line to be made right that appears to have been built by the same person.

I've been down here in NOLA since Sep' 2005. You would not believe some of the things I have seen called trailers, or some of the things I have seen done to equipment. It's not just here, but it was magnified like you wouldn't believe. No I didn't come here to get rich, but because I had wanted to for ten years. I wasn't doing a whole lot anyway seeing as how all the paychecks for my really good fab job said Enron on them. Same thing for my business partner, except he was a field engineer for them.

I would like to tell the youngsters welcome to the world of the rod burner, and a little advice (for them as well as anyone else who doesn't already have a copy). Get yourself a copy of 'The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding' from the Lincoln Foundation. You can order it off of their website for I think $15.00. It is the best reference on welding I have ever found and I have read a lot of books on welding (learned more that way than I ever did from trial and error). They don't get too detailed, but they tell you exactly where to go for even more good info.

I am always happy to offer advice to those who ask, or discuss issues based on personal experience. It might take awhile due to not always having a lot of time for this, but I will always answer when I can.

I have learned more from mistakes (trial & error) than books I have a few welding books but not that many , mostly learned from my cousin

[Bert]

Another with experience

Jolly Roger,
Welcome and aloha!!!! Always HAPPY to have another experienced person join the board!!!

[down19992000]

i agree with what blackwolf said. i think that everyone should think a little more before they type (my self included) or at least reread each post before the hit the submit button.

[Jolly Roger]

Hey thanks for the welcome ya'll. I was very fortunate in having some excellent teachers, and figure I owe it to them to pass along what I have learned. I also like to learn, so I read everything I can on this subject.