Signed up for Class

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Thanks to all who replied on my request for equipment advice.  I did take your advice and I have registered for class:Electrical Arc Welding I Course ID: 2702  Learn the practical application of weldments in various positions, theories of electricity, welding circuits, current controls, and types of electrodes. Students must provide gloves, goggles/helmet and textbook (textbook is $80).This is a 42-hour class that meets 6:30-10:00 every monday for about 13 weeks.I assume I am in the right class for MIG welding, these are the choices:  Electrical Arc Welding I   Electrical Arc Welding II   Heliarc Tig   Oxyacetylene Welding   Welding Certification Preparation I'm going to wait until class starts before I pull the trigger on a machine, I'm thinking I will probably learn something about machines in the class that will help my decision.  I do like the MM211 that you guys recommended, maybe I can snag one used.
Reply:Once again, thanks to all who recommended that a noob take a class to learn how to weld.  Had our 2nd class last night, and the class is focusing on stick welding with 6010 rod in various positions.  They have MIG machines in the lab, and the instructor said he will teach MIG to anyone who wants to learn.First exercise was welding two 1/4" plates at right angles and filling in the corners with repeated passes.  Must have burned 25 rods last night.  machine was set at 90A and seemed to work pretty well.  Of course, I've never used a welding machine before, so what do I know....Only flashed myself once when I went to re-position the piece before starting and the stick hit the table...oops...Still need practice striking the initial arc, I tend to stick the electrode a lot Anyway, here are photos of my first ever attempt at welding anything.  The beads toward the top are the last ones I did.  The instructor says I'm doing pretty good for my first time.
Reply:Congrats on your new class Burbman. I'm sure you'll get a lot of great information out of it. I'm new to welding myself, and hope to start classes soon.Keep us posted on your progress. Maybe even take some pics.TodHH140HF 4x6 band saw (cut straight right outta the box!)"-Of all the things I've lost... I miss my mind the most."
Reply:Stick is still the ole standard to fall back on.  Once you learn it, mig will be easy.  You will have fun and learn a lot, watch the puddle and slow down are the two things I was always being told.Miller 185Lincoln Weldanpower 225Lincoln 225 buzz boxCheap-o C&H 110v (my first welder)
Reply:Congrats on taking a class! Not many people actually want to take the time to learn the art and science of welding unless it is for a specific degree (like the guys in my welding class).My instructor plans on retiring before fall 2011 and our school is asking him to pick candidates to take his place. Somehow my name wound up on the short list. I have until Spring 2011 to finish my current degree then two years to get my teaching credentials. Of course, this is dependant on my willingness to apply for the position. I don't know yet. I am actually the only student that has been picked for the list of candidates (only three and the other two make way more in industry), but it is due to 10 years in general industry prior to enrollment.Learn what you can. Even if you never need to use it for a job, every bit of knowledge will help you.Looks like you are working on fillet welds in 2x2 angle iron. Just a word of advice: if you will set your angle on end (angle down) it will make the weld easier to make. My class is currently working on the same project. It is hard for most of the guys to get the concept until their metal is in this position.
Reply:I will hopefully by the end of the week be the proud owner of a new Millermatic 211. I can't wait!!!!The college I teach at also teaches welding so I have signed up for a MIG class. Works good as I get it for free. I am really looking forward to it as I want to be able to get the most out of my new toy. My only concern at this point is that they need 7 for the class to go and so far there are only 5 enrolled. Still a month away so I am thinking positive. I will post pictures when I get some beads down.Good luck on your course Burbman I know you will have fun.CheersBill
Reply:That's actually 1-1/2 bar stock welded onto 2" bar stock.  We had to hold the piece in place and tack them together at right angles, then run a bead at the seam.  Then build up the root with successive passes.  Of course when the first couple are bad, it gets harder to lay a decent looking bead on top.One problem I was having was holding the rod wrong.  I was tending to hold the rod at a 45 deg angle leading the puddle.  When I would catch myself and hold the rod more upright, the weld was cleaner and the puddle was easier to control.  Good suggestion on tilting the piece.I'm pretty sure I'm never going to be a professional welder, but this is really interesting to learn.  Our instructor is only 24, he got all his certs his senior year in HS (first kid in the tech school to do this) and apprenticed in the boilermakers union for a few years.  Had health issues wearing a respirator (got pneumonia 2x in one year) and decided bag the 7-12's of union life and come back to teach.About a dozen guys in the class, meets from 6:30 to 10 on Monday nites, good group of guys.  Looking forward to more!  I may even sign up for the Arc Welding II class after this!!
Reply:I am just about done with my 900 hour program and I'll lay some advice on you...ASK QUESTIONS. Seriously, no welding question is too stupid to ask. I've asked things that other students in my class said "Why the hell would you ask that?" and the teachers responded with "Well I've never heard that one before."PAY ATTENTION! Show up for every class and pay attention. The guys that are teaching it are probably grizzled veterans of the welding field, and this falls under the first point, know a crap ton of knowledge about welding.HAVE FUN! If what you are doing isn't fun, that's a problem. I got REALLY frustrated when I went from 3G to 4G (Horizontal to Vertical) for my SMAW classes. So frustrated that I took a week and just cleaned the shop. After that break, I came back refreshed and found out what I was doing wrong. It became fun again. Now that I'm in TIG, I'm having a blast and challenging my self with something harder each day.Even though you might never do Welding as a career, the skills you learn will make you more valuable in general.The world is amazing when you are slightly strange.
Reply:Originally Posted by BurbmanThat's actually 1-1/2 bar stock welded onto 2" bar stock.  We had to hold the piece in place and tack them together at right angles, then run a bead at the seam.  Then build up the root with successive passes.  Of course when the first couple are bad, it gets harder to lay a decent looking bead on top.One problem I was having was holding the rod wrong.  I was tending to hold the rod at a 45 deg angle leading the puddle.  When I would catch myself and hold the rod more upright, the weld was cleaner and the puddle was easier to control.  Good suggestion on tilting the piece.I'm pretty sure I'm never going to be a professional welder, but this is really interesting to learn.  Our instructor is only 24, he got all his certs his senior year in HS (first kid in the tech school to do this) and apprenticed in the boilermakers union for a few years.  Had health issues wearing a respirator (got pneumonia 2x in one year) and decided bag the 7-12's of union life and come back to teach.About a dozen guys in the class, meets from 6:30 to 10 on Monday nites, good group of guys.  Looking forward to more!  I may even sign up for the Arc Welding II class after this!!
Reply:YAY!  Good man. Always watch the puddle.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:UPDATE:  Class is progressing nicely, still working on 6010 stick, have gotten pretty proficient at fillets horizontal, vertical up, vertical down, and also lap welds, vertical up/down and horizontal.  Last 2 weeks the instructor has been letting me play with the MIG, and have gotten pretty good at the same techniques.  I've started grapping pieces from the scrap bin and welding them together in different configurations.  Will post some additional pics. One issue I have with the mig is getting the settings dialed when changing material thicknesses.  The good news is that we spend very little textbook time in this class, so far 95% of class time has been in the shop.  One thing I have not spent much time on is overhead stick or overhead MIG. We only have 2 classes left so running out of time for Arc Welding I.  There is an Arc Welding II, also a separate class for O/A.So my question is what should I focus on learning in these last 7 hours in the shop?  My current plan is to buy a Miller 211 with a spoolgun and tackle some home projects.  If I were to get plans and build a utility trailer, do I need any kind of certification to weld something that's going on the highway?I'm pretty sure I'm never going to be a professional welder, but I'm no hack either.  When I do a job, it gets done the right way and with the right tools.
Reply:Congratulations on your class. The guys on this forum give us all good advice. I never really thought about going to school until I started posting here. I start 5 days a week on August 16th!Keep up the good work!
Reply:Originally Posted by BurbmanSo my question is what should I focus on learning in these last 7 hours in the shop?
Reply:Thanks tanglediver...I guess what I meant to ask is what else do I need to learn as a "hobby" welder?  What skills am I likely to need?