WeldingBasics2013
Introduction/Definition/etc
A little experience with Welding, and some impressions so far...
Body
Meandering
Welding is joining metals by melting them/ fusing them together.
Soldering is adding other metal (solder, lower melting point temperature) to attach them together.
Brazing is something else, somewhere in between,
so go look it up, for better definitions (Grin)......
Filler metal is what you add to make them stick together,
depending on the techniques used and metals used
plus the applications the "weldment"/"work" is designed for...
Stick welding or SMAW (?) is a consumable wire electrode
coated with flux to create gas to shield metal from oxidizing
and other contaminants on the surface and from getting into
the weld (porosity i.e. bubbles, etc).
Slag is the crap that the flux creates (usually, but not always floats
to the top) and needs to be cleaned off,
usually by pounding/ hammering or wire brush,
but the better you are at it the less likely
it's a hassle cleaning. I'm not much of a fan of Stick welding, though they
say it's the "Bread and Butter of Welding" (common money maker)
but don't have a lot of people willing to do it,
according to a $2k textbook video series that says "tape" on DVD/Blueray?.
Careerwise, there aren't a lot of welders anymore, the job market
is supposedly good, high pay, if overtime is taken into account.
It's hazardous with risks of [ female worries?: birth defects caused by chemicals?],
skin cancer from UV radiation, light, heat and chemical burns, and other physical hazards
due to the environment, working outside in a shop/ garage/ industrial / military, etc
environments.
But like driving, if one learns how to do it better, and lessens the risks,
sort of a risk management/ harm reduction approach.
Most people don't know much about welding, but once you start,
people tend to come out of the woodwork, so to speak, and more
know about it than you think.
It's fairly blue collar, AFAICT, but others, like artists, and craftsman
do it too.
OxyFuel welding is kind of a Lost Art, not many people do it anymore,
but the cost of entry is relatively low, a few hundred dollars for equipment,
but getting gas tanks adds up over time.
Electric arc welding, including MIG and TIG (Metal Inert Gas,
and Tungsten Inert Gas (DMAW & GTAW, respectively?),
with the Inert Gas usually argon of different concentrations/ purity/
mixed with carbon dioxide (75/25), though they tried other gases
with varying degrees of non success, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc).
TIG is a fine process that can be used for larger applications,
it's relatively clean, but expensive, Tungsten is not a consumable
electrode, but you contaminate it fairly often learning and in practice.
It's sort of the mechanical pencil and drill bit on the torch,
you add filler rod with the other hand, and a foot pedal or thumb
control for how much electricity is added. The electric arc
produces the heat that melts the metal and a weld pool
is created, if done right...
Weaving, "walking the cup", (cups ontrols gas flow towards the weld
pool. "heat affected zone", with postflow settings too) and
other torch controls affect the weld.
Like a sewing machine different patterns (zig zag, etc)
create different results.
Usually you start with creating stringer beads. Running a string of beads
teaches torch control, both fine motor control and more planning,
like the motion of the torch across the entire welding area.
1G is flat groove welding.
2? horizontal
3? vertical
4? overhead (like metal hair spray?)
5?
6G gets complicated with say pipe welding across all the dimensions,
n (for n=1-6+) F is fillet welding, not like the steak, but fill it...
like G welding it's a classification of welding positions.
Testing on 6G say Pipe with TIG welding is probably one of the tops
of the skill levels, but they say welding pipe takes 5 years to learn,
full time, not just little 40 hour lab classes...
Certification
Certification means different things:
a certificate from a school for passing say 7-9 welding classes,
or actual tests acknowledged by AWS (American Welding Society)
which now includes paper tests as well as practical tests.
For employment, they will probably test you on site, as part of the job interview.
More hazardous uses, say military or nuclear, etc you will probably
need certifications.
Instructor and testing certifications exist too..
Jargon
There is slang to welding also, besides the technical terms,
like coupons, are sample welds one shows to get work,
either paid employment or contract type work,
or just to show off...
Artists usually use a portfolio...
Lab Environment
I knew I was going to have problems socially in a shared
lab environment, but hadn't really realized how much...
I wanted to create a shipping container, separate lab space
away from others, for myself, and maybe a few others,
call it the Dog House ("faculty" cats are mousers) but still nearby.
The booths are very cramped for space, trying to fit 16 or so booths
(actually two sets, one oxyfuel brick fireplace like, one regular
metal bench electric) plus equipment (shear, grinders, supply cabinets,
electrode oven, plasma table, test bender, etc into the size of a double wide garage
(roughly two bay doors, with a regular door between) back say we estimate square,
plus welding gas "manifold systems", some inert gas tanks, tools,
trash cans, grid table, etc.
There is an outside driveway/patio where larger work like cutting down an automobile
frame or other stuff can be done. Storage sheds used for various things (grinding, supplies,
etc), maybe replacing those with shipping containers, but flat roofs, etc plus heating,
ventilation, etc to consider...
This trailer park modularization of expansion didn't happen as hoped,
finding a space to park it, electrical, and othter connections and cost,
but I've learned some things from thinking about setting up a lab,
from other students, sometimes annoyed, though other issues like
women/girls in the lab and competition for attention, rivalries,
pettiness, nastiness, domination and control, bullying, etc happen too.
Bullying
Even at approaching 50 years old (bifocals aren't the easiest thing
when welding, there are "cheaters" magnifying lenses you can put
in a welding helmet/ shade/ visor to help see more...) bullying still
exists in schools. Sometimes it seems more like high school
or middle school/ elementary school playground than a community college...
Welders are a rough crowd in some environments,
and lab space is limited, so getting rid of students (someone joked
about Medical School attrition type stuff) makes more room for limited
student space, and bullying/ hazing, etc seems to exist, more redneck
and military and other gender related than anything else, AFAICT.
Or they just don't like you... A definite possability with me...
Uses
In the pure education sense, learning about metals has helped somewhat,
having soldered electronics kits since the 1980's on and off (lookup Heathkit kids),
welding is a different process, with much higher temperatures, different solders
(around kids, you don't use lead (pb) based solder, which was about all we had,
burn and fire risks exist, but like with candles, you manage it...)
Selling/ taking donations for used bicycles, I had wondered about metals and strengths
over time, rust and corrosion, stresses, different metal types (chrome molly, aluminum alloys),
old school steel bikes, now used for fixies (or single speed), and other applications,
just plain metal. Metallurgy is a good place to learn, if you are geeky.
Molten metal is in different states have different properties
and names, like augustentite (?) and other crystalline structures
which exist at different temperatures and pressures to determine properties
like tensile strength and hardness...
Making motorcycle replacement or custom parts is a long ways off...
Even relatively consumable levers and foot pegs are designed breakway
and make/model specific, plus accessories like hand guards aka Bark Busters
risk fingers and damage going down, etc...
Plasma
Like blood plasma and the plasma TV screens, similar name, but different,
blood is specific liquid mixture, whereas screens use small tubes in excited states
to display brilliant colors, like a very small array of neon lights of the old days...
Mostly used for cutting, PAC (Plasma Arc Cutting) as opposed to OxyFuel Cutting (OFC),
is a newer technology of very high energy (plasma) combined with pressurized oxygen
blowing out the molten metal forming a cut....
Grinding
Metal surfaces aren't always clean or the right angle,
grooves are frequently cut / ground out of the metal to create a V
or J or similar bevel for space to add the filler metal.
Strength
Filler metal, when applied properly, is usually stronger than the
base metal in the weldment (welding "work" or piece).
Woodshop Analogy
Like cabinetry/ carpentry, wood, or metal can be
planed, cut, joined, shaped, routed, bent, etc into shaped objects,
usually there is a plan but artists might just create freestyle.
Some of my first creative things were drawing with the torch,
to practice torch control, I wasn't very good at straight line stuff,
doing beads, or "stack of dimes" type repetitive movements,
but did better when I was creating and doing something
different, though not really the environment for it,
it's fairly macho/ hierarchical, like a factory work environment,
though there are/ were artists in most classes,
of varying degrees of skill and personableness...
Cutting can also be done creatively, and some people
cut out letters, and shapes from metals.
Supplies
Argon gas is expensive, relatively, at say $100 / per tank,
so that needs to be controlled, so not wasted.
Gas leaks are expensive, to come in and have an empty tank
and can't do class, mostly last semester. Finding the leak
and it hasn't happened as much, AFAICT...
Sticks, or electrodes for Arc Welding are consumables.
One practice exercise was to fill up an angle iron (L shaped)
with metal, that was 60 sticks or so on one piece of metal,
and then cut to see if there were defects (geode like impurities).
Running good beads and good learning helps, AFAICT...
Tools
Helmet (shade)
probably the most expensive, a good autodarkening (goes dark
with sensors based on the amount of light, otherwise welding somewhat blind)
helmet can be $400, though goggles (approximately shade 5) for oxyfuel
can be much less, in the $40 range.
Glass plates of fixed shades exist too, for non auto darkening helmets/
visors, but changing glasses between a variety of tasks
(like old reading, walking and driving, etc).
Welpers
or Welders' Helpers are like specialized pliers used for welding.
Needlenose and MIG specialized, cutting, hammering Tungsten
breaks, etc..
Hammers
look like miner's axes, not used much for TIG, but hammering off the
slag/ flux burnt coating...
Brushes
like big wire toothbrushes for getting slag (or dross, the term for cutting) off.
Contamination is an issue, and using certain ones for only steel or aluminum/
(like tunsgten grinding) not crossing the metals, like a chemistry lab
supply bottle, known pure source...
Clothing
Starts to smell like gym locker after a while, sweating in them,
flame retardant (no giggles, please) and/or leather with 90-100+ degree weather,
plus red hot welding metals nearby, like a fireplace radiating heat at you,
and you may want some breaks, a chill out room in the classroom,
as garages aren't usually air conditioned, due to expense,
offices are nice, but mixing food and chemical aren't good,
and having a coal miners face with the burned flux
is not uncommon in some welding techniques,
as is black snot the day of and after...
Cellulose/paper based sticks/ flux vs. other mineral
or rutile based created different waste, AFAICT.
Anyways, protecting yourself from spraying metal, sparks,
and just plain dropping stuff (steel toed shoes...),
includes the leathers, gloves, (TIG gloves are lighter, finer,
Oxy and stick are thick gloves), you may need several pairs,
like for winter, as a kid...)
Eyes
And of course, safety glasses, particles are flying and going
blind wouldn't be fun...
Flash
Light burns are also a possibility, like looking into the sun,
the UV and other light (IR) can damage your eyes,
and in a busy shared environment, it takes some practice,
like with motorcycles getting the wind screen/ visor down
on a helmet, the timing while doing other things,
speed control/ slowing/ shifting, turning, slowing, etc...
Examples aka Coupons
I don't have a lot of good examples of my welding,
and considered created a HowNotToWeld.org welding site,
originally, as that was all I was qualified to do starting out...
Not that I'm finished, it's a skill and takes more time,
(academic requirements draw it out even further,
see WaitingForGodot , WaitingForGodAgain2010 ...)
much more time to master, practice takes frustration acceptance,
say getting back to a root weld not going well, or why isn't this working out?,
WTF? like a failed lab experiment, missing information
(welding machine settings, late to demo, missing a step/trick/etc?),
torch/ stick angle, sharpening the tungsten, filler metal selection, etc...
AC vs DC, polarity, and other variables,
including the weather, humidity, etc affect stuff
and the end result...
License Plates
Drawing with the torch on metal creates something that
might be construed as a bicycle sized license plate,
if you do numbers, letters, "I Break for Bears", etc.
And beginning welding labs seem regimented,
IMO, so it feels like a state institution/workcamp anyway,
( AVeteransSonLaughsAndSpitsAtMe2011 )
and having some humor helps, as you worry about stuff,
for the first time (did I put my gloves on before touching that hot metal?).
you mean visor down every time???
curtain closed between you and elsewhere?
etc...
Muscle memory is important, as is learning a good routine...
House of Cards
Sample welds are usually mild steel about the size
of a playing card, so I started stacking them into buildings
and stuff, after the basic exercise Butt joint, Lap Joint, T joint,
Edge Joint, etc. Setting and Keeping the cards up, and arranging things
into some short of shape created some realistic shapes
and issues I might sometime experience when welding for real,
instead of just for class(es)...
Links
GodsEgo2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welding
and others inside the text above
see also YouTube videos of Welding of various technologies
and skill levels, Smitty in Cali seems a good teacher,
WeldingTipsAndTricks.com among others...
Conclusion
Summary of experience or similar
Got to try most of the available welding techniques,
and some new machine/ tool per day starting out,
but have so much more to learn...
Discussion
A place for feedback on the page presented
What have you tried that has worked out?
What hasn't?
Why?
What have you wanted to try but haven't?
What is stopping you?
Is is disability?
Culture?
Skill?
Others?
How to proceed?
When do you know you have learned/ done enough?
Time's up, lab shutting down for the day,
cleanup time...
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20130623 Jerry
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