Vote for a Welding and Metal Fabrication Forum

[Piper]

Welding is a mistical process thats important to anyone restoring a car of any make and model. I have assisted in a little welding in the process piping side of things, but never where it needs to look pretty, and do more than just hold water. I say Welding Forum could be important to anyone doing major body work. Bring it on!

[Passatman]

We need this forum could get alot of help from you guys.

[david58]

http://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=108971

[Leatherneck]

I voted NO.

I am a welder. School trained - TIG, MIG, stick, pipe, all positions.

And I am here to tell you that welding cannot be learned from a book, a forum, or experimentation.

To learn welding you must have the facilities to do something called Bend Testing.

You also need the proper equipment which can be expensive.

Then there is something call SAFETY.

I realize most people here on the forums just want to do occasional welding for sheet metal work on their cars, but they don't (usually) know what they are getting into.

Best advise: take a welding course at a local community college or trade school so you have a good instructor handy to answer all your questions and even demonstrate what he means.
e frustration level can get quite high in beginning welding, and you will want some "hands on" help and encouragement.
Not everybody can weld. Its an acquired skill. Best to find out before buying any equipment.
So, my opinion is not to waste the bandwidth on a thread that is bound to turn into an exercise in verbal masturbation at best and wrong, misleading, or unsafe advise at worst.

Welding course, great idea, but in my near future? Nope! Welding in my near future? Yup! I do know one thing I have gained much more experience from doing it and having others check it out then I would have of having to pay somebody else, when they got around to it to do it for me. As far as " So, my opinion is not to waste the bandwidth on a thread that is bound to turn into an exercise in verbal masturbation at best and wrong, misleading, or unsafe advise at worst." I think you have little to no trust in the knowledge, faith and ability of the STF group. These guys didn't just drive off the VW car lot with a water cooled VW ya know! Knowledge and experience, you can find it here, we just want to corral it into one forum.

[Bugfuel]

I haven't decided which way to vote yet.

There are pros and cons to both.

One benefit of a welding forum would be that people from DIFFERENT interest groups could possibly share information on welding and fabrication.

For example, if an off-road vehicle needed a tube frame modification or similar, the instructions for welding heavy gauge pipe, and fabricating load bearing or impact protection structures would greatly benefit the race car folks who would be interested in building a roll cage.

Likewise, sheet metal work is pretty much the same across the board. It would be nice to have it all in one place, WHEN it is not application specific.

The author could then post a link to the article in the appropriate forum where the discussion started.

It might make serching old messages easier, returning better quality search results.


Jan

[david58]

I haven't decided which way to vote yet.

There are pros and cons to both.

One benefit of a welding forum would be that people from DIFFERENT interest groups could possibly share information on welding and fabrication.

For example, if an off-road vehicle needed a tube frame modification or similar, the instructions for welding heavy gauge pipe, and fabricating load bearing or impact protection structures would greatly benefit the race car folks who would be interested in building a roll cage.

Likewise, sheet metal work is pretty much the same across the board. It would be nice to have it all in one place, WHEN it is not application specific.

The author could then post a link to the article in the appropriate forum where the discussion started.

It might make searching old messages easier, returning better quality search results.


Jan

Bugfuel I really want to say thanks for posting that up. You made some very good points. Only thing I can say is most likely no one in the STF Forums is not going to stop welding or fabbing stuff up whether there is a forum or not.

[shopteacher]

yeah.. either bend testing or x-ray analysis tells you if the weld is "right". I have lots of craft welder friends who have their welds x-rayed on a regular basis. most craft welders can make everything work by hand and feel.. the robotized welders get checked more since the craft is not there to hold the stick (lots of setup time for eh weld.. and it is done in 45 seconds or so)
a person should bend test a butt welds sometime and see where it breaks... it is part of "experimentation" but so is inspecting a weld after it breaks in the field.
books tell you the basics to make it work and how to set it up..
mentors help you do it right and show you how to interpret the welder. that is how i learned.

sounds like a craft welder is responding to a hobby welder's question with disdain. i consult with craft welders occasionally but then expect to sit there for 20 minutes for the full dissertation on the physics of that specific weld. and their welds are astounding!

craft/hobby school of hard knocks/tech school; there needs to be a balance. fitters/welders/grinders/preppers it all has to come together when the rubber meets the trail.

a forum would be great... i vote yes. those who dont like it can go somewhere else to ruminate.(edited for spelling)

[steve253]

" rhuminate"

heh- Can you spell that?? Can you pronounce it 3 times really fast? Will your Mother wash your mouth out with soap if she reads this thread??

[david58]

" rhuminate"

heh- Can you spell that?? Can you pronounce it 3 times really fast? Will your Mother wash your mouth out with soap if she reads this thread??

When you rhuminate over something, you consider it for some time from all angles.

[shopteacher]

" rhuminate"

heh- Can you spell that?? Can you pronounce it 3 times really fast? Will your Mother wash your mouth out with soap if she reads this thread??

ru·mi·nate /ˈruməˌneɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[roo-muh-neyt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -nat·ed, -nat·ing.
–verb (used without object) 1. to chew the cud, as a ruminant.
2. to meditate or muse; ponder.
–verb (used with object) 3. to chew again or over and over.
4. to meditate on; ponder.

[steve253]

" rhuminate"

heh- Can you spell that?? Can you pronounce it 3 times really fast? Will your Mother wash your mouth out with soap if she reads this thread??

When you rhuminate over something, you consider it for some time from all angles.

Dave: I'm afraid this one went over your head.

[david58]

" rhuminate"

heh- Can you spell that?? Can you pronounce it 3 times really fast? Will your Mother wash your mouth out with soap if she reads this thread??

When you rhuminate over something, you consider it for some time from all angles.

Dave: I'm afraid this one went over your head.

Steve typo's don't bother me. so you are right, Buttt my name is David. I think you missed the concept of the welding and fabrication forum completely. The concept of the forum isn't that you will be a certified welder if you visit the forum. The forum's concept is to help understand welding and fabrication from the hobbyist level of expertise just like every other forum on the STF.
We're not welding for NASA. I for one am cheap and am building my own car. While I agree with being a certified welder, to say you have to go to school to weld isn't real world truth. Plenty can be learned by watching and asking questions. When this forum gets up and running your input would be welcomed from the hobbyist point of view. I would like to build an aluminum spun tank, I bet you would know how to do it right and share info. to the point in could be fabbed up and tacked together. Then it would be up to the hobbyist to decide if they feel confident enough to weld it themselves or take it to a certified welder and have them put the finishing touches on it.
I say we need this forum and am looking forward to it happening.

[shopteacher]

tru dat... a forum for the hobbyists and DIY builders
when i was learning ow to weld... we asked lots of questions and made lots of pictures of what not to do.. and what works.

my builders in the shop class know that the welds they may do will work just fine for our purposes... but some of them have to be redone no matter who you are weldig for.

3 of them have never welded before our buggy project... luckily our frame this year was professionally welded in a jig.. the welding the class does is not structural for the frame

start the forum; nothing bad comes from learning here

[Ozzie]

What is the name of this place?
Oh.
Well isn't a welder in your shop?
If not, & you built & outfitted your dream garage, would it have one or three arc welders?
Everybody needs a squirt gun, so there's a mig there.
Stick acessories aren't that expensive, & you never know. I find that row of dimes looks a lot prittier with stick than with mig, but that's me.
Sheetmetal? Yeah, spring for a nice tig rig and start fusing some 20 guage.
OK. So you have the dream garage.
What speed do you set the wire feed?
Do I run straight polarity & what is reverse polarity? Will I time travel?
How much gas is too much gas? Regulator? Isn't that on the alternator?

Come on guys. It's a no brainer. Even with us half-wits.

[terry cloyd]

Steve your dead right, but I voted yes. I would like to say just one thing, the experienced do immediately what the inexperienced do eventually and that's is why we have this Forum