BoatBanter.com - View Single Post

Short Wave Sportfishing[_2_]

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:52:33 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Jun 11, 12:36*am, "Calif Bill" wrote:
wrote in message

Wire feed is actually easier to learn than stick welding. *Also you can get
nicer welds, especially if using inert gas as opposed to flux cored wire.
Go tohttp://www.lincolnelectric.com/*And peruse the site. *Take a course
at the local community college. *If they have a welding for artists look at
that one. *Is a more condensed one than the ones for professional
certification. *Plus the correct wire feed welder will also support going to
a MIG spool gun for aluminum. *My wire feed is a Lincoln 180C. *Will weld up
to about 3/16 aluminum.- Hide quoted text -

I agree that in welding mild steel, wire feed is much easier than
stick. I've done a lot of both. I've also taken classes to get
certified for welding inspection.

When I was a Freshman in high school, the shop teacher, Manny Decastro
(who was also my football and baseball coach) wouldn't let me anywhere
near the woodshop - things happened in wood shop when I was in there
(which is odd because I have a complete wood shop which Mrs. Wave
won't let me use for many of the same reasons).

Anyway in a moment of weakness, Manny allowed me to take metal shop
under direct supervision of a Teacher's Aide for one week as an
experiment. During metal shop, I was introduced to gas welding.

I WAS GOD OF THE METAL SHOP!!!

I took to welding like a duck to water - I love it. Got so good at
gas welding that Manny purchased an AC/DC stick welder for my
sophomore year and that was it - I could weld anything. I got into
all the different sticks/coatings/substrates/voltages/amperages/types
of anodes and clamps, yada, yada, yada.

By the time my Junior year rolled around, I was teaching welding in
Metal Shop and Manny had purchased a used MIG welder in good
condition.

I used to have a Lincoln/Miller MIG machine that could use different
gases for shielding the electrode, but I sold it to a guy who does
farm equipment restoration. Still have a Lincoln AC/DC variable
output stick machine, but I havne't done any serious welding in years.

Love to weld things.