Welding Tips and Tricks

For the welders who have been at it for a while. Do you still practice? I weld almost every day. Won't lie I went prolly 7 years without practicing. Started to notice my caps were getting sloppy. So I started to practice when I can. Walking the cup on the steering wheel, paying attention to rod angles, trying different weaves, and etc. anything to stay interested really.
What's your routine?

Hey,

I like to practice from time to time. The other guys at work laugh at me, but thats how i roll. Then when welding at home, its all different, stick and scratch start tig, so its all practice. Ive just got a gas lense so im moving onto ss and really make sure to practice my trailing out of the crater and snap out,

Mick

I think any welder who is honest with themselves will say they will never stop practicing. Some could say we are practicing everyday on the job. I still do practice. Me and a engineer are supposed to go to Brazil soon and along with teaching him how to stick weld I practiced my overhead and noted weld settings/rod angles for our particular welds. We set a mock up of what we will be doing down there. Sometimes I come home and go to the garage and practice TIG, but sometimes that's just to have a little alone time after a long day. Welding is no different than sports really, if they don't practice their moves and plays, on game day they will not be 100%.

before I set to a job I do the pat your head with one hand,rub my tummy with the other, and tap my foot,
then run a few inches of weld to check my settings etc. gets me going in rythm for the job at hand.
I volunteer at a school and get some strange looks from students not mention others on the job

I weld at work, when I get home I will do some if I haven't done a particular weld in awhile. I do practice my aluminum at home now that I don't do any at work

I practice all the time. I practice at work and home. The more time I spend welding the better I get. I Practice on postion welds cause sometime thay can be the hardest

Everyone that wants to get better practices. Some do it at home if they can and some do it while at work. I know what my skills are and where I'm lacking so i will practice on the areas i am lacking in. I weld using a lot of different processes and would say I'm pretty good at them but some areas I want to be better at. I've been practicing for a stainless to carbon pipe job that is coming up. The guys that are good got there for a reason.

Since i don't get to weld nearly as often as I would like to, I always keep some scrap material in the shop of the same type and thickness as the pieces for the project. I'll weld up the scrap/practice pieces to get back into the mode then weld the project pieces. Most of the time I'll weld up a practice joint and put a date on it so the next time I weld I can compare it to the new work to see if I am getting better or worse. I make notes on the practice part indicating the electrode dia., cup size, gas flow, etc. to make sure I don't forget something important. I'd like to get enough time for myself to practice 3 times a week for at least an hour or 2 at a time. I really need to start practicing feeding the filler rod through my fingers, can practice that anywhere, anytime although i might get some strange looks from people.

Jim

I do wish I could practice more.

My job has me spending anywhere from a few hours to as much as 6 weeks finding a flaw, and then I'm the only one in the shop certified to make the repair. If it's been weeks since I've welded, I will spend an hour practicing before I do the ASME code weld, but I'm frustrated that I can't do my job AND stay current with my welding skills.

Steve S

NYWELDERJim wrote: I really need to start practicing feeding the filler rod through my fingers, can practice that anywhere, anytime although i might get some strange looks from people.

Jim

Feed some filler while watching tv

MinnesotaDave wrote:

NYWELDERJim wrote: I really need to start practicing feeding the filler rod through my fingers, can practice that anywhere, anytime although i might get some strange looks from people.

Jim

Feed some filler while watching tv

You know what's funny is sometimes I cant feed wire unless I am welding. I will sit there all dumbfounded until I "remember".

That's so true. People will always look at u in a funny way. I practice all the time even when I don't have my welder in hand. I practice speed for filler and hand control.

I only get to weld on weekends so after going a week without being able to weld I spend my Friday nights practicing just for the fun of it. I have a 1 foot by 1 foot 1/4" thick plate that I have ran bead after bead after bead on both sides. I run two beads about an inch wide and practice weaving, I practice curves everything. I even made a stand that I clamp to the table and weld vertical and horizontal. I have fun with it.

Done the filler feed while watching outdoor channel. Works like a charm. I still enjoy it and practice for fun when I can. Helps to get in a booth sometimes too. After so long in a pipe rack welding in a booth gets hard. Everything sounds more aggressive when its quite around you for a change.