I just got back from 22 days of instruction at United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, Oregon. I took a lot of videos of the Steel Brazing, TIG Steel and Intro to TIG classes and I uploaded them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjfbZ9RJavQ&list=PLtealVwG-rCjsF0Ahl_JgykpQERaFQUte That is a play...

Are there any Co-Op machining clubs in your area? There is a group in Rochester that leases some space in the old Bausch & Lombe with a half decent shop. They got lucky on the timing and scored some machines that would have been headed for China were it not for the Co-Op. I looked for a machini...

Eric, it may not be safe for you to continue associating with me. You should consider that I helped 1 buddy package a 6" lathe into airline acceptable luggage so he could fly it to Alaska and carry it into his apartment living room. I also once disassembled a Bridgeport in a school shop and de...

You only think that's an expensive pencil holder. Wait till you tally up the cost of a milling machine and tooling to carve a pencil holder from a block of steel. One of my lifetime goals is to get a small to medium mill and lathe (not a combination unit), and learn how to use them. I think this is...

I like the patchwork look of it actually. Pretty neat, sure beats welding 5 flat pieces into a square. Funny you should mention that. I just spent the last five hours welding 5 flat pieces into a square. I told about a half dozen people that I was going to make them a metal box, so now I need the f...

LtBadd wrote:That's one expensive pencil holder...

That is exactly what I told my wife! I uploaded a video of my son TIG welding for the first time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQXYfGmnv1Y

The pencil holder looks like it was made by a child. I didn't have a good plan.

I envy your fortune with your son. You may go broke buying Argon & paying the electrc bill, but it will be worth it. Look at it this way, you'll probably make faster progress with you cutting and tossing him the parts to weld up. That will give you more time to read machining and welding books ...

I am a complete novice myself, but today I got my 17 year old son on my TIG setup. This is a picture of his very first time welding. In the photo, he just turned off the Dynasty 210DX and the electrode is still glowing. He thought that welding was very fun (of course). He spent four hours under the ...

Thanks for all the great info. The only problem I had today was when I stopped getting any Argon at one point (after welding very happily for a few hours) even though the Argon tank was about 2/3 full (1400 psi). I fixed it by (1) putting in a new gas collet body, collet and #8 nozzle, (2) freshly s...

Cheers, Erik. Interesting thread. Since you're doing so many of the UBI classes and getting general info, you might also consider a 1-1 class with Steve Garn at brewracing. Like UBI, you'll produce your own bike at the end of the class, and since you have experience, you can select exactly the type...

This will give you a start and the cost is cheap. https://books.google.com/books?id=jN0JAAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_slider_cls_metadata_7_mylibrary Nice link. The PDF version of that book is free to add to one's Google Docs. I needed something free because I unrepentantly spend all of my discretionary ...

We're now at least 5 generations into CNC if not more. In 64 I met the first CNC, paper tape controlled Milwaukeematic going in at Carter tool. It was huge, ugly and nasty, not necessarily in that order, and shook the building every time it changed tools. It had to be set up, and then rehearsed wit...

Best I can do is suggest you go on the Historical section of PracticalMachinist.com and ask. I don't think a school could afford to keep its doors open teaching lathe and mill operation today. 4 years ago I watched a #2 Cinci and #2 Brown & Sharp head for China to become paperclips because the ...

I was also looking for the same sort of intensive, private (as opposed to community college) vocational school that teaches old school machinist skills, specifically how to operate a manual mill and lathe. I couldn't find any. Of course, I found plenty of schools that teach CNC. I would be doing thi...

Floor is supposed to be covered with jobs you ain't got to yet & parts, plenty of parts. Oh, I get it. Funny! So there is no electrocution hazard with having that Miller ArcStation on the concrete floor? Here is the non-welding part of the shop. The backlog of work pertaining to assembly of spa...

The man who does all my aluminum, 98% with a Cobra MIG rig on a Trailblazer power unit did probably half of the custom pipe hookups that went to the Winter Olympics in Italy, so he knows what he's doing. Danny's reputation leaked into the bike world, and the aluminum recumbant subset were lining up...

Here is a TIG bead from today. This is after about 15 hours of TIG hood time. I use 2% lanthanated 3/32" electrodes and 1/16" and 3/32" ER70S-2 filler. I had the machine set to 150A for this 3/8" steel plate. I made sure that the material was very clean. Also pictured is my setup...

For over 50 years, the two top schools in the country have been considered to be Hobart and Tulsa Pipe Welders. I'm currently sifficiently conversant with Hobart's school to know if ITW has cheapened and destroyed that as they have with everything else ITW has bought, so you'll need to do some digg...

I listen to audio about 11 hours/day while I work, and there are only so many podcasts out there. Can anybody provide links to any welding (any type!) or metalworking (again, any type) audiobooks available for sale? If I use my iPhone and YouTube for welding videos, the phone screen stays on because...

I think I get it- you're interested in the Hobart courses because you're interested in learning more about many different welding processes, not necessarily bike frames, and the Hobart courses are intensive multi-week courses that fit your vacation schedule. Is that it? I know a 60-hr week is tough...

Financially, it is best that I leave UPS when I am 65-66 years old if I can continue avoiding an injury for another 14 years. I would like to work part time in a job shop if someone will have me, but that is such a long time off. Working 60 hours/week now, I sure don't have time for any paid side hu...

It sounds like the Hobart Institute is adequate. In the course catalog, the classes for the Structural Welding program are listed in the order below: Welding Tech/Blueprint (2 weeks) Advanced Blueprint (2 weeks) O/A Welding and Cutting (2 weeks) SMAW Basic (4 weeks) SMAW Advanced (4 weeks) GTAW (2 w...

The welding is just fun for me; there is no paid work here. UPS has the paid work covered, leaving me with some free time and money for a productive hobby. Part of the hobby is testing my prototype police and commuter ebikes as much as possible, so I ride them to work and back. I purposely do not ow...

Hello. I weld only as a hobby because my day job (UPS driver) is 60 hours per week. I have to rest on Saturdays, but Sundays, vacations and holidays are very productive. I am almost 52 years old and I will almost certainly stay at UPS until I am about 65 years old because the cost of living around i...