Junior College welding classes?

[Beagle]

I'm in Denton County out of district for anything close to me for a welding class. I can prove residency for Hillsboro though, and they have a new "welding building" for their growing welding program. I think it ends up being about 300 instead of 500 bucks for 4 hours. Anyway, I'm very inexperienced with welding process and wanted to take a newbie class. Have any of you guys taken classes at the Jr. College level and what did you think of them? Worth it?

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

do you have a boc gas or an air gas store near you, they hold classes. and when I looked into it, it wasn't all that much.
you must have a vo tec high school near you..
I'd look into that also, sometimes they have evening classes. or you could do days if you are not working days..

that's what I'm going to look into

[Deaf Bob]

I had to take welding as part of my machine class.. The instructors were a buncg of goosing fools.. They say they are giving the "professional atomosphere"
I thought it was childish..
But it did help me get helmet time and improve my welds.

[Hemi Joel]

Are you saying that they want $300 for one four hour class? If so, That seems pretty high to me. And four hours isn't really enough time to accomplish anything. If it's $300 for a month of daily four hour classes, that would be a great deal.
I had three hours per day for six months of welding in vo-tech, and it was very worthwhile. The nice thing, besides the instruction, is that they have all different types and thicknesses of material for you to practice on. Then the instructor destroys your welds in a press so you can see what you did wrong.
Also they have many different types of equipment, so you can become familiar with the various processes.

I would look for something like that.

[squirrel]

I took oxy and stick welding classes at the local college....good stuff! It forces you to practice a lot, which is something I needed. And the instructors were good guys, who worked at real welding day jobs and taught at night, so they actually knew what they were talking about.

[68scott385]

I had the opportunity to learn stick welding OTJ. To learn to MIG I bought a small Lincoln and a book, read the book then started practicing on small projects that weren't life threatening if the weld failed. My projects escalated to where I am comfortable doing bigger/stronger/structural projects.

I never found the time and money at the same time to attend welding classes.

[Beagle]

it's 300 for a semester, 8 hours a week. They offer a couple of intro classes and a couple of advanced classes for MIG and TIG, plus an autobody welding class that looked like it might have promise. I'm technically out of district with either Hillsboro or Denison but since I can show a Hillsboro electric bill, I think I can go there for a bit less. I may see if I can schedule a visit with the instructors to get a feel for what the class really is about. The Hillsboro College offerings include continuing education courses but my schedule will accommodate anything I want for the time being.

[Deaf Bob]

If you figure in power bill spike, price of rod, and mess you will make at home, $300 is a pretty good deal...
Check to see if you can show up during open lab times.. Might get extra practice and a different instructor than the one from classes.. Some places provide rod, some you may have to buy.. If you buy, go to the welding supply and they will give you a student's discount..

[Barry Donovan]

do you have a boc gas or an air gas store near you, they hold classes. and when I looked into it, it wasn't all that much.
you must have a vo tec high school near you..
I'd look into that also, sometimes they have evening classes. or you could do days if you are not working days..

that's what I'm going to look into

same here. I found classes at a supply store. Flux core is wild stabs, needs no course. Using gas is also primitive.. but tig, and learning some modern invertor settings type stuff is very good, mig or tig. A lot has changed. one can build anything.

[Beagle]

same here. I found classes at a supply store. Flux core is wild stabs, needs no course. Using gas is also primitive.. but tig, and learning some modern invertor settings type stuff is very good, mig or tig. A lot has changed. one can build anything.

built a lot of these with gas welds and rivets



Primitive indeed.

[squirrel]

Once you learn to gas weld properly, you can weld anything.

It's something you should learn to do.

[Deaf Bob]

Once you learn to gas weld properly, you can weld anything.

It's something you should learn to do.

And to braze..

Weld with a stick too!
Wire feed makes it too easy to not "get there"

[Beagle]

that's what I've been told. I've read every book I could find, they all say the same thing. I thought about brass and tubes for a go-kart-rough-mower with a suspension as a project. I'm really curious to see how hard it is to get a decent TIG weld. That is what is driving this. Before I pony up for a machine, I want to make sure I know how to use it.

They just opened registration for the Spring semester, I think I'll go have a chat. Thank god for Academic Fresh Start!

[DanStokes]

I used to be half good at gas welding and therefore did sort of OK with TIG - I never got enough helmet time with TIG, though. With my vision screwed up it's all I can do to MIG stuff together. I just go for super penetration and accept that I'll go off target pretty often.

I had some welding training in HS and some at Ferris in Big Rapids, MI. They had a pretty good Trade and Industrial program back then. Bottom line is that I'm sure you'll find it more than worthwhile. Have your vision checked before you start the class - it matters more than you can know.

Dan

[Huskinhano]

I learned to gas weld in HS. A skill that's been very useful. Even though I'm an electrician at the schools system I work at I'm kind of chief cook and bottle washer. During the winter months I braze an awful lot of steam heating coils in class room univents. I save the school a lot of money as well as quick turn around.

I learned to arc weld over 30 years ago at the local votech school at night. There was a German instructor who ran the class. He worked as a welder on the St Louis arch. The class was something like 78 hours. He said the only way to learn to weld was to weld. Every night he would hand us a big handful of E6011 rods. he said if we could weld with that rod we would be able to weld with any rod. He was right! I worked for a machine company at one time when we had purchased a small company that made a machine similar to ours. They had a MIG welder and that was my introduction to MIG welding. The arc welding classes made it easy to understand MIG welding and watch the puddle.

I'd love to try TIG but can't justify buying one.