Welcome to the community! Tell us about yourself, your welding interests, skills, specialties, equipment, etc.
WeldItWill
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    Tue May 28, 2013 11:39 pm
  • Location:
    Alabama

Hi there, my name is Will, or as my profile name says, WeldItWill. I'm in my last year of high school now, and have been in a welding class from the start of 10th grade. Since about two weeks after starting I have been in love with welding. It naturally came to me. I've been the top welder in my class since I've started. I am pretty good with all positions in stick welding. Tig welding is a bit challenging but I have done several nice welds this past school year on a few specialty projects that have came to the shop. Even though I am not a big fan of it, I am good with mig welding as well as flux core. I plan on furthering my welding education after high school at a welding or technical college. I have recently started looking for my own machine for home use. To test myself and maybe make a couple extra bucks every now and again. That being said, with my birthday being tomorrow, it won't be long until I get my own machine. So I may be asking a few questions if I get to a halt.
Alexa
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    Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:07 am

Welditwill.

Welcome.

Have you generated a list of technical institutes or colleges yet for the welding technology?

Alexa
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    Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:59 pm
  • Location:
    Australia; Victoria

Hey,

Welcome to the family. Happy birthday for tomorrow . Good if you get something welding related.

Mick
Mike
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    Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:09 pm
  • Location:
    Andover, Ohio

Welcome to the forum.
M J Mauer Andover, Ohio

Linoln A/C 225
Everlast PA 200
WeldItWill
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    Tue May 28, 2013 11:39 pm
  • Location:
    Alabama

Alexa,
No I have not yet made a list. I have for a while looked at Tulsa Welding School a little. Other than that, I really haven't looked into any others.
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    Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:40 pm
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    Near New Orleans

Hi, Will, and welcome!

When you look for reviews on welding schools, remember the source. Someone who's been on the job for five or ten years will say your school of choice is junk, no matter where you went. Why? Because most schools teach you how to weld, not how to do the job the guy's been doing for ten years. That's natural. No matter how good your welds are, you still have to learn the job, which of course involves much more than welding skill.

Tulsa School of Welding has an excellent reputation.

I'll go ya one better, if you can qualify. Fluor (formerly Fluor-Daniels) is a major player in industrial construction, shutdowns, and turnarounds. They are once again (after several years' hiatus?) offering advanced industrial welding classes (TIG on pipe, specialty alloys, etc.). The cost? $6/day. Can't be beat with a stick. There's no employment guarantee with Fluor, but the skills translate to any industrial company.

A typical job with Fluor, or another major player, will pay $25-$45 per hour, with (non-taxed) perdiem of $65-$125 per day, depending on region, working anywhere from 60-84 hours per week (add up THAT overtime! Sometimes Sundays are double-time!)

I've lived well on $500/wk while sending $2300 home, on $28/hr.

I'll see if I can find the link (another forum) and share it here.

Steve S
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    Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:40 pm
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    Near New Orleans

Will,

Here's the entire post:

Requisition Number 55342BR
Req # / CWS # 0000
Job Abbreviation Title Pipe Welder Training School
Job Description Fluor has immediate training opportunities in our award winning pre-employment welder training program in Greenville, South Carolina. This program is for experienced welders who are actively welding and need additional skills to advance to the next level or wish to brush up their existing skills. Duration of training ranges from a few days to several weeks, based on the trainee’s needs. Cost: $6.00 per day.

The preferred welder for these programs should be highly motivated to learn, have a good work ethic, possess experience ranging from intermediate knowledge to advanced skills, and be willing to travel. Students can enter the program at anytime; however, class size is limited to available space. Submit a candidate profile now and then give us a call at 888-782-3363 (prompt 5) to speak with an instructor!

Requirements:
Must be an experienced welder capable of welding 1-1-A-2 SMAW Structural or Carbon Steel in accordance with AWS D1.1.

Chemical screening required.

Participation in any Fluor training does not in any way guarantee employment, advancement, or promotional opportunities with Fluor.

Fluor values the contributions of a diverse and inclusive workforce and is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
Site Location - City Greenville
Other Job Requirements Submit a candidate profile now and then give us a call at 888-782-3363 (prompt 5) to speak with an instructor!
Base Pay None
Per Diem None
Alexa
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    Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:07 am

Welditwill.

There are probably strong and weak schools out there. Some may have traditional class hours while others are open in a way to allow someone who is working to fit in. It would probably be a good idea to get feedback from welders that had attended the schools. They will give their pros and cons.

Attending a year or two years of a good welding technology course, can give you an understanding to welding that would not be normally part of the on-the-job training. Obviously, a school is not on-the-job training, but a good school will give you multiple 'introductions' to various aspects of welding, not all of them. Part of what you learn in school in general, will end up being filtered out by you, on the job. Some information dished out in schools does correspond to the real world of welding.

Important to remember, that all welding processes (stick, mig, mag, tig, submerged arc, torch, etc.) need:
- base materials (what is getting welded),
- filler materials (electrodes, wires, rods, etc.),
- equipment (welding machine, etc.),
- personnel (welder or operator),
- a procedure (puts all of the above information together, plus other important data (preheat, interpass heat, PWHT, etc.) Sometimes written ... sometimes not.),
BUT ALSO
-welding technique. It is impractical to include many of these techniques within the procedure. The techniques are developed by the welder. In example, how to keep the weld puddle from falling when welding overhead, or how to control the weld metal in order to avoid various weld imperfections. Etc. etc. Good schools also attempt to introduce as many techniques as possible.

=====

After all this blah blah blah, with or without the school, the above aspects of welding are important to apprehend over your years of welding. The sooner the better ... but if too soon, of course they do not always make sense. In my experience a welder starts becoming good after about eight years of full time welding.

Alexa
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