Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello I have been watching the videos for a while now and now i am looking into going into welding as a career.
I have some questions for you guys that have gone before.

I am looking at two schools in the san antonio area for welding.
1. SCI offers a 6 month course for nccer certification for 13,000
https://scitexas.edu/programs/welding/

2. STVT offers a 10 month program that gets you NCCER, "in house" , and AWS (American welding society) for 19000
https://www.stvt.edu/programs/combination-welding

My first question is, Is it worth an the extra 4 months and 6000 dollars for AWS certification?
If any of you have taking classes at any of these schools would you recommend it?
Thanks for any help!

I can't help you, but as an Australian, I find this horrifying. Almost nothing in Australia costs this much, that you can't pay for through a scheme once you start earning money. All trade training for apprentices is paid for by the employer with incentives from the government

Honestly, both of those so called schools are ripoff mills geared to suckering eligible victims into signing for student loans and little more. Generally such places don't do a whole lot of teaching anything beyond you owe a lot of money.

One is close enough to honest to have this web page up.
https://www.stvt.edu/disclosures/Combin ... /Gedt.html
The graduation rate quickly says near half of their victims never complete, and probably never get a job either.

You want to go into debt to learn welding, go to Hobart, or Lincoln, or the pipeline union school in Houston.
http://www.pipefitterslocal211.com/free ... g-houston/
Local 211 is so hungry for apprentices who can pass drug testing, they provide a FREE school, and their graduates WILL have jobs. Free beats hell out of $19,000 in debt!

You might spend some time studying up on what "Certified" means in the world of welding too. The paper issued by 202 has value, the Local keeps you up to date and holds the Certificate. You may or may not test when you go on a job, depending on the job.

The commercial Diploma Mills might pat you on the back after they take your money. 202 will continue to educate you, and keep you employed. You can even put the $19,000 into a pickup to get to and from your job.

I have an associates degree already if that might influence anything, it is in science with a specialty in math.

Yeah both school are expensive but so far from what i have seen they are the closest to me.

Nickwoo, welcome to the forums!

You posted, in good faith we assume, a request for help. People responded by saying "You're about to step in a steaming pile of horsesh*t". You responded with "Yeah, but the steaming piles of horsesh*t are close to my house."

Please, let's take a serious look at this. What town are you in, and what's the community college system like? Can you go back to the school where you got the Associate's degree, and leverage that to get welder training? Do you have relatives in Houston that could put you up for a while, so you could give the pipefitters union a serious look?

Another option for you is to practice and receive a 3G and 4G plate certificate from an approved Testing Center (stick test) and use that to be hired on (pay for it for yourself). Once hired, the company may well endorse and pay for additional training certifications you need/they want you to have.

Education is great, always. But, its not always "good enough" to teach you what a particular job requires of you. Its darn near impossible to replicate the myriad of conditions and variables you'll encounter in a workplace. The recommendation for Apprenticeship is by far the strongest training program going. Earn while you learn. Be taught by folks who know and do for a living versus those who may only be teaching now. Some instructors are excellent, some, not so much. Its expensive to determine which you'll get.

If you want to be a pipeliner, you'll need 6G certification. But that should come after 3G and 4G certifications.

Hey guys I really appreciate the advice. I will research all the suggestions you laid down for me. Thank you for your help.

If it makes you feel any better, I went to a nccer for heavy equipment operating. It’s in sun prairie,wi. And every employer I applied at that I had that school listed, pretty much said “I never heard of the nccer” or “you can wipe your butt with that schooling because the only way to learn is in the field, working your way up the ladder”.

So. If I was you, I’d either go to the union school, or get a job as a welder helper and work your way up, or invest in your future and buy a decent used machine and start burning rods/wire until you can pass some AWS tests and then get a job.

And talk to some local weld shops and see what they say about schooling or what they require for certs.

With the employment market these days, you probably can find a good shop that will start you doing basic stuff and work your way into welding. Only thing you have to loose is some time if you don’t like it. Provided you have a good work ethic and clean drug screen.

I work out of UA local 125. I had tech school and on the job experience before I started the apprenticeship. Enough that I could have gotten credit and probably nocked off 2 years of the total 5. But after I got started I realized the value of the training and did the whole 5. You will not regret the apprenticeship route. You will also need that math skill if you want to accel.

Although I don’t like the tone, I can’t argue with Franz. I even share some of the same views. I’ve seen people throw away a $40. An hour job because they can’t pass a pee test.

I've deleted several posts on here. The points were valid, but it you speak the truth, you have no need to be an a hole about it. Post your opinions again, but keep it in a civil manner. That is the absolute basic rule of this forum.

weldin mike 27 wrote:I've deleted several posts on here. The points were valid, but it you speak the truth, you have no need to be an a hole about it. Post your opinions again, but keep it in a civil manner. That is the absolute basic rule of this forum.

I don't see why my posts were removed due to little jeep boy's BULLYING

Think of it as a fresh start. Make the points required, but refrain from anything outside of facts. That way no one can bully or be bullied.

As an resident of Oz you certainly have centuriess of experience being Bullied by London.
As a resident of the US, I lack your vast acumen of bullying definitions.
Therefore, kindly list ALL words, phrases, constructs of verbiage that constitute "Bullying" to avoid any international misunderstanding.
You can hardly assert bullying exists unless you define in writing what constitutes bullying.

Do implications constitute bullying when an ignorant reader infers insult? Your fellow subjects in Canada have enacted anti bullying regulation, and realized they must restrict the words that may be used in Canada. Canada has also created a list of words, phrases etc that shall not be used. I'm sure an Aussie can compile alist as well.

Generally, if you wouldn't talk like it to your respected grandfather or someone like that, don't say it here. You are the one who started talking about bullying do, I'm sure you can figure out what constitutes it. And, for the record, England doesn't mean shit to us, we actually think it's piss funny that they shipped people to this fantastic country as a punishment.... Hahaha

Grandfather example is unworkable since both of them assumed grround temperature long before I arrived. Try another suggestion.

Are you having a bad day because you like your Fosters warm like your MASTERS from lesser britania?
Are you faithfully obeying all Council regulations?
or
Are you just depressed because you can't have a gun to play with?

BTW, I have it on good authority lesser britania, who can't afford to staff, let alone keep their navy floating are planning to ship boatloads of Arabs to your happy island. They'll do well there with all your sheep. Who knows, a new species may evolve from the interaction.

Thanks I think i will get a good machine and practice, pay for 3g and 4g test like cj said. At the same time look for companies in my area i can help out at to get my foot in the door.

nickwoo wrote:Thanks I think i will get a good machine and practice, pay for 3g and 4g test like cj said. At the same time look for companies in my area i can help out at to get my foot in the door.

That sounds like a solid plan.

If you are unfamiliar with the welding industry, it is very common to think that a Trade School degree is helpful or needed, when in fact, it isn't normally. It doesn't hurt you, but it is simply not really required. Attitude and aptitude are far more interesting to an employer. And many companies have apprenticeship programs and educational tracks within to train you the way they want you to work. So, you get to earn while you learn, and save your money. Pretty neat really.

Focus on buying an entry level Stick box, and running 7018 rods flat, horizontal, vertical and overhead finally. This will take you very far in your welding career. TIG and MIG are much easier to learn once you have Stick mastered.

And good luck to you!

nickwoo wrote:Thanks I think i will get a good machine and practice, pay for 3g and 4g test like cj said. At the same time look for companies in my area i can help out at to get my foot in the door.

Good on ya! You might take a job as a welder's helper, for instance, and watch and learn as you go. When you look for a machine, find one that will run 6010 and 7018 electrodes: those are the mainstays of stick welding.

I am currently in high school, trade school, and working part time at a welding shop in my hometown. My part of the country is heavy on manufacturing and is desperate so welding school is a great option here. Almost every welding company is screaming for 10-20 people all the time it seems. In my area the options are limitless. I am working on my one year technical certificate or whatever you want to call it and it will runabout $7,000 and the y are adding an associates soon and pipe/fabrication classes. They also started working with employers who are going to pay you to go to school for 8 weeks, learn to weld their process, bump up your pay and shadow someone for a couple months and then go to full time.

I see it.
I can read the words that are not posted.
Future minimum wage welding machine drivers till replaced by robots.

Why bother?

JUST THE FACTS!

I am thinking about this machine anything I should be concerned about this guy?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MQ ... ec4ad39603

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLk26GACZ48

weldin mike 27 wrote:I can't help you, but as an Australian, I find this horrifying. Almost nothing in Australia costs this much, that you can't pay for through a scheme once you start earning money. All trade training for apprentices is paid for by the employer with incentives from the government

you guys are so lucky.
this side of the ditch govt made industry responsible for apprenticeships and many simply dropped them like hot steel on bare hands. cheaper to import staff than to train them.

nickwoo wrote:I am thinking about this machine anything I should be concerned about this guy?

I can't give the full correct explanation why, but inverter welders don't handle 6010 electrodes unless they are specifically designed for 6010. The machine you linked to, in addition to being out of stock , is not capable of 6010.

I went to the Everlast site- this machine is capable of 6010:

https://www.everlastgenerators.com/prod ... rarc-200st

Everlast sells direct through their website, by phone, at Amazon as you know, and at Lowes and Home Depot. HD and probably Lowes have "free ship to store" which may work out for you, or make a return easier.

To answer your other question, ChuckE2009 has received some criticism for being a paid spokesman rather than an objective reviewer. Personally i prefer Jody's videos for style and content- but Jody also has good things to say about Everlast welders.

BTW another option is to keep an eye on Craigslist and look for a used DC welder.

Can i ask- how did you choose welding? Tried it and liked it, friends are welders?

Apprenticeships are still going down hill. But at least they are still an option for people.

I have the older powerarc 200. It has the the dedicated 6010 port but I've never used it. Those rods are quite rare over here. Only for pipe welding