Welding Tips and Tricks

An AWS certified welding course is being organized for May, at the Northshore Technical Community College in Hammond, La. The class size is 20, they have 14 and need to fill the empty slots to start the class.

The course is 35 weeks, 3 nights a week, 6 hours a night (3pm-9pm). It is the NCCER curriculum and AWS certification tests at the end of the course (included).

$1500 is the total amount for the course, minus personal equipment (hood, jacket, gloves, etc.). It covers safety, weld prep (grinding), cutting (oxy and plasma), flux core, stick, MIG and TIG. Mild steel, stainless, aluminum and pipe.

I have personally been to the weld lab and it is fully functional and equipped. (I am on the list to take this course as well.)

This course is non-credit, so there isn't any student aid available. Payment plans can be arranged with the school.

Contact Amy Valentine at the school: 985-549-3165

(I have been waiting on this course since last August and they postponed it due to lack of enrollment...twice.)

That is a really good price for a course with that much seat time. It would fill in a heartbeat around here. Here's to hoping you get a chance to attend.

I'll share it a few places on line, and even at work, though only two of us live anywhere near Hammond, and we're both ASME, and work doesn't require AWS (yet...)

Steve S

May 18th is the start date. They were able to fill the empty seats in order to start the class.

Again, 35 weeks, 3 nights per week and 5 hours per night (instead of 6). 4pm to 9pm. There may be slots available before they have the maximum enrollment.

Sweet! They met the minimum, so the course is on, but there are still seats available?

Steve S

Yes. They have enough for the class and there are a few seats left (filler I guess, just in case some drop it). They have 16 solid students and 4 "iffy's". Though the max is ~25. If someone is still interested, they need to contact the school, soon.

I got a phone call from one of the school administrators yesterday. She said there are a few seats left and that the course is set to start for May 18th.

Any one still interested, and living in the area of Hammond, La., should call Amy Valentine at Northshore Tech CC: 985-549-3165.

This is an AWS course. Night classes from 4-9pm. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. $1500 for the entire course, not including personal equipment. They have payment plans available since this is a non-credit course.

Cool!

I'll post a couple reminders in my usual haunts.

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:Cool!

I'll post a couple reminders in my usual haunts.

Steve S

Thank you. The more, the merrier.

Enrollment is now open for the AWS course.

Here is the link:
https://registration.xenegrade.com/nort ... 500020006B

Search "AWS" and click on the 5/18/15 start date. $100 gets a seat, however the rest must be paid by the 20th. Books are included.

Chris,

My co-worker Jason (the one you met), was wondering if the trade school in Hammond ever offers training or tests for certifications in brazing and soldering. He said it's a "pad the resume' thing", not a need (although I don't suppose he's realized yet that we silver-braze lots of stuff on the atmospheric trailers).

Steve S

I'll ask the instructor tomorrow. I'll be asking him for "not covered in the curriculum" training (2219, 2195 and titanium). He worked at Michoud, as a welder, during the Saturn program.

Is that torch (oxy) or TIG brazing?

My assumption is oxy-fuel, since soldering is on his wish-list,

And, frankly, for what we do I consider TIG brazing to be completely worthless. I fix it often. There's no penetration, it's a surface dressing.

Thanks for checking,

Steve S

I'm sorry to say that the course does not cover brazing or soldering. My instructor suggested to check with the plumbing instructors to see if they offer a cert.

Sorry.

That's not a bad idea.

Either the plumbing or HVAC sections of the curriculum will cover one or both.

Thanks!

Steve S

13 days until the start of class! Anyone interested in this AWS certified course should contact the school and enroll.

Amy Valentine:985-549-3165

The class still has empty seats and can not start unless those are filled.

With only 7 paid seats (including mine), out of 20, the course is happening after all.

They will still take enrollment until the 22nd. Class starts on the 18th.

Wow.

I must say, that course is dirt, dirt cheap. 630 hours for $1500bux? Are you kidding me?


That is like $2.38095238 an hour that you will pay for quality welding classes that will get you places.
I don't see how that school will make a dime.
If that was near me, or I was near it, and had the means to go, I'd go.

My local welding school want's $8,000 for 320 hours!! 8 week course, 40 hours a week.

John,

I'm amazed that price hasn't drawn a larger class, too.

There's SO much work going on around us here (That class is 20 miles from me), that should interest the young folk.

My best guess is, everyone who wants to get into welding around here thinks pipe is the only way to go. Fine. Weld pipe. But you could earn the money for pipe training by welding AWS structure with a discount certification from a real school. And you might discover there's real money and skill in welding structure.

There's no real way to understand what does (and does not) motivate people.

Steve S

Because pipeline is so frickin glamourous

When I started shopping around for courses, I realized this one was the best overall.
1. Price. Another local "school" (certificate mill) wanted $4000 for a shorter course that had NO certification. Their lab was half assed: HFT flux and MIG machines. A fan on the wall for fume extraction. Half the booths had curtains while the other half didn't have any at all. The "Dean" complained about OSHA rules and compliance.
2. Certification. Even the area CC's didn't offer courses for certification. The university here, just has two classes for welding. They are tied in with a couple of degrees they offer.
3. Lab. I work for NASA. Their machines are some of the best on the market. Syncrowave 350's (drooool). The lab I will be using throughout this course could give NASA a run for it's money. I saw one Lincoln tombstone. The rest were Miller machines.
4. Instructor. We aren't long time friends, coworkers or relatives. We struck a repoire when I was shopping for schools. He's a retired welder (AWS), CWI and certified instructor. I've spoken to students from the previous class and they had no complaints about him. Yeah, he may be in his late 70's/early 80's, nut they said he still has "it" and wants to share "it".

I'm just glad it's happening....FINALLY!

We are three weeks into the course and......

WELL. WORTH. THE. MONEY!!!

The instructor noted that this class (9 of us) are flying through the exercises. Faster than the last class. What has taken us three weeks to do, took the last class three months.

I'm tired as hell due to OT (6-10's), buying/moving into a house and school (15hrs a week after work). Still, I am NOT complaining.

RocketSurgeon wrote:We are three weeks into the course and......

WELL. WORTH. THE. MONEY!!!

The instructor noted that this class (9 of us) are flying through the exercises. Faster than the last class. What has taken us three weeks to do, took the last class three months.

I'm tired as hell due to OT (6-10's), buying/moving into a house and school (15hrs a week after work). Still, I am NOT complaining.

That's great news!
Bang for the buck, and a sense of accomplishment! (And good sleep each night...)

My Co. is sending me into the city in a couple weeks... I'm taking overhead crane inspector training/certification. I'd rather be where you are, but we're (oddly) not required to meet a code for the structural stuff. Fortunately, we are all very self-conscious OCD types where welding is concerned. (Aren't all true craftsmen their own worst critics?)

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote: Fortunately, we are all very self-conscious OCD types where welding is concerned. (Aren't all true craftsmen their own worst critics?)

Steve S

ALWAYS! At least the ones who give a crap about their craft and their work. It's like a signature on a contract: I did this and I guarantee the work done.

It's been 9-10 weeks into the course. 4G plate is kicking my......
I really can't complain, at all, about the course or the instructor. As it turns out, he used to work for the same company I do now. Doing the same thing, building the same section. Only, I do it with a $5mil robot.

We will be going thru combo-pipe later (TIG root/stick out). If there is time along the way, he will help me with my Al cert(s).