Advanced Welding Class Poll

[malcolmputer]

Continuing from here:

TIG Welding class (beyond the basic safety class)

I wish! I’d love to teach something like that, but the issues I have with it are the following: We don’t have enough teachers. Any non-qualification class I teach is going to be taking time from the qualification classes and right now, I have classes of 8 that and extra 5 to 7 standbys show up “just in case” someone no-shows. I couldn’t teach enough of these classes if I taught one a week and I try for once a month. Classes that focus on skills like this tend to be more adapted to individu…

We’ve had three people volunteer to teach welding, so I’m starting to think about ideas of what to do instead of just teaching the class required to start welding.

• A free form “class” that I’m around to ask questions and everyone who signs up brings a project they’ve been welding on for advice.
• Guided practice time, where the class limit is small (3 or 4) and the students all get to practice on what’s giving them grief and get advice (same as above but instead of an audience, there would be only 3 or 4).
• A cacophony of “fun” to weld materials such as copper, stainless, and titanium (with permission from Jim) and maybe we could get some Tri-Mix gas to use during the class.
• A more structured approach, where we go through how to weld joints other than 2F, and maybe do some pipe welding or vertical up etc
• Other, please list below in comments.

[rlisbona]

We need more welding benches, one is not enough. When I was learning to weld I spent several hours welding small test coupons in various configurations. I took a tig class at Brookhaven and I think there were 3 or 4 work benches along a wall and one or two that you could stand around all four sides. Guided practice with a roaming instructor would be my choice.

[TBJK]

Randy, That’s on the agenda for the next metal shop meeting.

[malcolmputer]

I took a tig class at Brookhaven and I think there were 3 or 4 work benches along a wall and one or two that you could stand around all four sides. Guided practice with a roaming instructor would be my choice.

It’s been suggested, they are working on it.

[Erik_Young]

hen I was learning to weld I spent several hours welding small test coupons in various configurations. I took a tig class at Brookhaven and I think there were 3 or 4 work benches along a wall and one or two that you could stand around all four sides. Guided practice with a roaming instructor would be my choice.

Out of curiosity, what use is more benches without more welders?

I guess we have what? 2 TIG and 1 MIG welder?

Am I completely off base with this.

I mostly want to pick someone’s brain about putting together a jig that would allow me to weld 1/8 in HT steel plate to HT steel pipe (motor mount to bike frame).

[malcolmputer]

I guess we have what? 2 TIG and 1 MIG welder?

We have 2 TIG, 2 MIG, and a Stick welder. I have suggested 3 tables so that we may grow into them and so I can have a static demos on one table while the class has two tables with the two welders.

I mostly want to pick someone’s brain about putting together a jig that would allow me to weld 1/8 in HT steel plate to HT steel pipe (motor mount to bike frame).

One of the tables (the “teacher” table) would be a nice one that would have some sort of fixturing built into the table. T-slots, drilled and tapped holes, etc

[hon1nbo]

I mostly want to pick someone’s brain about putting together a jig that would allow me to weld 1/8 in HT steel plate to HT steel pipe (motor mount to bike frame).

We have a tubing tab magnet jig that is meant for this kind of weld, it’s with the others on the wall.

[Bill]

Before you go too far with this concept, remember that classes must be structured to receive honorarium.

[malcolmputer]

remember that classes must be structured to receive honorarium.

Well, that’s just silly. Thanks for the heads up.

I’ll add some structure to whatever class they recommend. Even if it’s a bring your own project I’ll get the project details in advance and then create a curriculum around welding up that project (for example, one guy wants to weld on his bike, so I bring some thin tubing stock to demo the welds on and for the class to practice and then he has the skills to weld on his bike in front of the class as a demo).

[Bill]

Well, that’s just silly. Thanks for the heads up.

I don’t think that is silly. We have had people try to get paid for a “watch me work on my car” class.

[Erik_Young]

tubing tab magnet jig

Is that the one with the switch positioned magnet in it? I was playing with that the other day.

[hon1nbo]

so there are the switch magnets, then there is the one with the dual pivoting magnets and adjustable 90 degree magnet. The latter is the one I am referring to.

-Jim