For those of you who want to be a little more familiar as far why I chose tig welding over the
automotive industry, because I am really feeling retarded after breaking my back in
the automotive field, time after time.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/welding-fabrication-53/tig-welding-jobs-3086872/
Here's one of my old threads that will refresh ones mind if interested.

It's been a good learning experience for about 6 years in the automotive
industry going from knowing nothing to picking up quiet a lot. However, I am
done with those "Service advisors."

I wanted to pick up tig welding and had my first test today. The T joint on two flat pieces
of metals went through flawlessly. However, when I had to do a pass around the end of the
pipe to fuse it to a flat piece of metal, I completely blew the trial. Keep in mind, I haven't
welded since February. I think I just need to pick me up one of those cheap harbor
and freight tig welders and start from there. :/ Any ideas of where I should start guys ?
Really looking to be into the fab scene, but I can't quiet pick up enough practice for
increasing my skill level.

 

If you really want to be a great welder, go to a real welding school. I see your in IL there is a great school in OH

http://www.welding.org/ --- very highly rated school

I have been in welding field for better part of 15 yrs and trust me it is no less "back breaking" than the auto field. I have worked as welder everything from shipyards (great pay, but lots of down sides), high end furniture, fuel cells for massive genorators (powering entire islands), to welding up race car chassis.

Dont worry about tour first test. **** happens. When i took my over head stick and 6g i failed my first attemet on each. I never cert in tig but have been doing for 10yrs.

 

So you never actually took a tig welding test but your tig welding on job sites ?!

I feel like a complete failure. I don't know about school. I have apartment rent, and
multiple bills coming in at the same time. Going to school in another state sounds great,
but there is nobody there to actually support me. I just want to be a talented high
skilled Tig Welder. I really don't care about Oxy, mig, or arc.

I understand where your coming from and I don't disagree with your point.
Especially for somebody that is a noob at it, school is the way to go.

Going to try the Illinois Welding school.(IWS)
See what that gig is really about. I can't go out of state due to financial reasons, and
other things in which I am going to leave behind.

Now did you learn how to weld from different employees ?

 

Yes i never tested for tig. Basically what i did to learn was when i worked in the shipyard on my lunch i would go down to the pipe fitters as i knew a bunch from when i was there as a stick pipe welder, and had the oldest tig welder there so me so tricks and drom there i would just take my hr lunch to practice, and practice more. I did my own simulated tests (break and cut test plates) and look for improfections, ask for feed back from old timers. And from there i was lucky at some of my industrial maintence jobs to have "down time" to just go and weld more.

I currently weld on side for a privateer scca owner/driver and i do all his welding. I have done everything from weld his entire chassis, to making new upper and lower a arms. I also have done some aluminum stuff. Thinnest and softest aluminum was .033" 33 grade soft as fvck( race car body). But deff dont get down on your self. It takes TIME and practice. Hell there are days i cant even pick up a whip and weld as my hands shake to much from either destoyed shoulder or arthritis in wrist (all from welding jobs)


All that being said could i pass a tig test yes, do i want to go and pay $500 for 1 aws test NOT NO BUT FVCK NO. I have acually went from welding into the auto repair field and working taking last 3 ase tests soon.

Main reason i stopped working as a welder is FL does not pay welders **** in my area. Closest descent welding jobs are over 50 miles away and they start at 9-10$ hr, F that. I love welding always have and always will, but if you do it on a industrial level it will beat you down fast

 

^^^ pm'd you a link to show what a self tought welder can do

 

What test did you do exactly? In all honesty its worthless to go out and take a weld test for AWS unless you want it for your own personal gain. ALL employers you go to WILL have you take a weld test. Just because you have a piece of paper that says you could weld doesnt mean ****. For example I have about 15 certs for D17.1 AWS for my work, but once i leave this job those certs go to 0.

What I would do is kind of like what jdmh22eg2 said and try to go to school or find someone that could lend you a welder to practice. But I would look around your local JC's and see who has a weld program. When I took class my instructor pretty much said "ill be over here, you need help call me. pass that your on your own". You just need to find a place to practice if you feel you need to.

 

Thanks for the inputs guys. Going to definitely look into IWS. Seems to Be a pretty
Intermediate school for welding the 3 basic different principles: mild steel, stainless steel,
And aluminum.

 

If you want to weld for a living and be paid well to do it, try to get into the Pipefitters apprentice program at Local 597 in Chicago..

http://www.pf597.org/index.html

You'll be paid better as a fitter than in any factory welding job..

 

Is that what you got yourself into ? I see your avatar is related to that site.

What kind of welding do you do ?

 

Im on the HVAC service side of that union, I do some welding but not much, and mostly arc and mig welding..

 

Interesting info y7turbo.

Sooner or later if I start working there, I can finally be like .. "Hey, I met another guy off of a honda tech! How awesome!" Lol.

 

dont worry bout the test, like the other boy said have to recert at every job, and if you talk to some of the older wellders that are really good most of them where taught on job site, any 1 can slap some dodo on a pipe few can do it right, the reason alot of people are good at welding is because there used to being in screwed up weldin situations and years of it, practice man you will get better comes with time, i learned threw a apprentiship progam at my old job had 2 stay over 2 hours every day after work in a 120 degree shop it sucked but now i think it payed off pretty well, the guy who taught the program i can now smoke is butt any day of the week

 

I think that's what this one guy is going to have me do at this new place I've signed up
for.

Only thing is I have to wait out until the middle of october until I actually get called in
for the job. I'm really leaning towards this kind of a profession because of the fab stuff
and art work that revolves around metals.

 

I'm kinda in the same position as well, I've applied for two Tig welding positions so far and haven't even got a response. These were companies that manufacture off-road parts. I have 2 A.S Degrees one for Welding Technology and one for Computer Aided Drafting. I even work as a tutor for the Tig Welding Classes at the college for 2 1/2 years. I would like to think that I have a good resume for an entry level job! lol I think the employers are passing me up because I don't have ton's of work experience which really sucks! I think I'm well above the level that there looking for. I love to weld and would really like the chance to do it full time.

 

What state do you live in ?

 

I live in Southern California

 

Surprises me a little that your not able to find any tig welding Jobs in California.

Were you atleast given a shot to tig weld so they could actually see your work ?

 

From what I been experiencing is majority of companies are looking for 5 years + exp which most of us don't have. I don't understand why they asking for so much exp when they going to have to train you anyways. Its been awhile now since I graduate with AS degree in auto&welding and still havn't found a TIG job willing to hire a college graduate. Right now I'm just practice my overhead welding to get my cert which will hopefully help me land a decent job. Thinking about now I would just bought a TIG and be self taught then going to school.

Fabchild - thought you work with your brother at a shop?

 

Yea, I can't even a call back lol I'm sure I would have no problem passing a weld test. I do have my equipment down there at my brother's shop, Dynasty 200 + a bunch of other tools but I haven't gotten any decent customers. Just people with Ebay turbo kits looking for the cheapest work possible and repair jobs which suck ***. Mostly cast aluminum crap that people break from not installing the parts correctly.

So I figured now would be a good time to regroup and get some work experience and better myself at Welding. I'd like to have some steady income and improve my skills and maybe I can get some better jobs in on the side.

 

Agreed. Having the basics of tig Welding can
lead you to a better job opportunity than people who
Don't have the skill.

Must be nice.

 

Yea, as soon as I can scrounge up the money I'm going to take a D.17.1 Cert test to spruce up my resume. Maybe if the employer sees I'm "certified" I'll stand out abit more.

 

Let me ask you. All those different certifications in which you have taken gives the employer a better perspective about yourself, correct ?

Are these certs accessible at a community college if I was to let's say for example attend a Welding School ?

 

Cert only shows them that you can weld to code. Not a certain they will hire just because you have it. Hell even with the degree from school didn't help me land any jobs. I talked to someone who told me to get one so I have a "better" chance. The school I went to never handed out any certs just visual and bend test in class. I would get some practice in and learn the code before taking a test cause the one I'm looking at is 500(one time deal).

 

Yea, I never took a cert test because they cost $150 and there so specific that when looking for a job it's really more for show and tell lol There is an Aerospace job listing by me that's requires a D.17 to put in an application, but they don't specify which one. There are many many variations of it. My boss at the college was telling me it's just to thin the heard of applications haha Which makes sense.

But, a student that I tutor in the night class said his job needs Tig Welders bad at the moment and he called his boss and got me a weld test on Thursday! Hopefully I don't blow it lol I get kinda nervous!

 

FOBrudy: I know man, it's all pretty much in the hands.

FabChild: With the experience that you have ... not knowing how good you are, but you seem good
based on your description, I wouldn't be too worried. Just relax, listen to some calm music
before you go there, and go to town.

Kinda funny that your teaching a student at the class who has a Job over there, and you don't. jk. Lolol.

I'm hoping to get good once I start going to school, and getting me my own diversion 165 pretty soon.
Hopefully I can land this job in october. He even said that he will train me on the spot for a little while
until I get good at it.