At the Welding shop

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So, today I went to the welding supply shop for some refills of my gas cylinders, a some other random things.  I was looking at gloves while another customer was with a salesman looking at the gloves as well.  The salesman asked is he had tried the Goatskin gloves since they were cheaper than the similar Mustangs. I heard this and chimed in with my experience.  I shared that the goatskins I purchased blew out the threads at the thumb and finger joints and that I was happy with the Mustangs since they had Kevlar threads.  The salesperson was interested in why the goatskins broke and asked what welding process I was using them for.  I said I used them for MIG and TIG welding and general shop work.  This is when the customer chimed in.The customer said to me, "Young man, if you are going to be talking about a welding process you should use the correct name.""What do you mean?" I asked.The customer said, "The proper terminology is Gas Tungsten Arc Welding and Gas Metal Arc Welding.  You should use the correct name for the correct process."I was at a loss for words for a few seconds.  Was he being serious?!  He seemed pretty serious.  I asked, "Well, MIG means Metal Inert Gas Welding. So, whats wrong with that?"He said in a matter-of fact way, "Well, not all gas metal arc welding uses inert gas.  Sometimes oxygen is mixed in there as well."Seeing that I was buying a 98/2 mix for my MIG, I knew about that too.  But I just shut up and let him feel good about himself.  Turns out that he is the welding instructor at the local Community College.  After that single encounter, I don't think I would ever go his class.   Is he actually graduating weldors that don't call MIG MIG and always say Gas Metal Arc Welding?  Geesh!!    I sincerely hope his weldors don't graduate form his classes, land on a job-site or a shop, and try to pull THAT with some of the guys he's working with.  That's a GREAT way to make friends.Last edited by HokieEd; 08-27-2007 at 12:12 PM.
Reply:I have a word for guys like that....douchebag.- John
Reply:I would have given him the "Weeeeeeell pardon me Captain detail"!! When you say MIG pretty much everyone knows what you're talking about. When you say Gas Metal Arc Welding, you have to think of which process for a second - why try to confuse people? So you can sound smart?    I agree, that guy is a tool - and not a useful one eitherFire!, Fire! Oh wait, that's my torch...Lincoln PT-225 TIGLincoln 175 MIG
Reply:HokieEd, I can one up ya on that.  Very similar thing happened to me a few years ago when buying a tig machine.  The guy was spitting out this and that about what I should be looking for, and was actually kind of getting on my nerves acting like he knew more about my business than I did.  Well, I asked my salesman who he was, and he told me he taught at the local tech school, and was quite a "tool" to put it nicely, well I just couldn;t stand it so as he was walking out of the showroom, I asked him if he knew ______ , and he replied, "yes he was one of my better students".  I said. "really, well since I had to fire him last week because he didn't know half of what he should, and not to mention he couldn't run a decent overhead weld to save his life, how about concentrating more on teaching your students to weld  instead of telling a professional weldor what machine he needs." ...............  Needless to say he left quietly...  hehehe  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:HAHAHAHa, that's great. It's a rare opportunity to be able to come up with a truly good response to people like that.  Musta felt wonderful.  Nice!!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_WeldingHokieEd, I can one up ya on that.  Very similar thing happened to me a few years ago when buying a tig machine.  The guy was spitting out this and that about what I should be looking for, and was actually kind of getting on my nerves acting like he knew more about my business than I did.  Well, I asked my salesman who he was, and he told me he taught at the local tech school, and was quite a "tool" to put it nicely, well I just couldn;t stand it so as he was walking out of the showroom, I asked him if he knew ______ , and he replied, "yes he was one of my better students".  I said. "really, well since I had to fire him last week because he didn't know half of what he should, and not to mention he couldn't run a decent overhead weld to save his life, how about concentrating more on teaching your students to weld  instead of telling a professional weldor what machine he needs." ...............  Needless to say he left quietly...  hehehe  ~Jackson
Reply:HokieEdSounds like the guy just want to be an a#$. Techinically the guy is correct, but it doesn't mean much. The American Welding Society sets most of the codes, specifications, terminology, etc. for the welding industry. As defined by the AWS, Stick, MIG, TIG and fluxcore are defined as GMAW (gas metal arc welding), GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding), FCAW (flux core arc welding), SMAW (shielded arc welding or stick as most people know it), and SAW (submerged arc welding). If you ever go test for your CWI stamp make sure that you use these terms for the welding processes.However for everyday purposes most people, myself included, still use mig, tig, stick, etc. Next time you run into this guy ask him to explain to you why welds are always held in tension even when they are loaded in compression. Maybe that will shut him up.Last edited by reddoggoose; 08-27-2007 at 04:00 PM.Arguing with a Welding Engineer is like wrestling with a pig... after a while you realize the pig likes it
Reply:Originally Posted by DDA52Now that one is priceless.  HokieEd, I have run into that as well. I have a saying I use on them .....Those that can weld, do...those that can't weld, teach...or work in the LWS.  Either one works.
Reply:Today I asked for 10 lbs of 3/32 "tig" filler.  They only had 7 lbs on the shelf.  I asked if I would get a discount if I bought a 50 lb box.  All three of em sort of choked or laughed......and one time I asked for cerated tungston. They said we have red or green, what size do you want?Don't get me wrong, they treat me great or so.  I buy all my equipment there. Its worth it.David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_Welding and he replied, "yes he was one of my better students".  I said. "really, well since I had to fire him last week because he didn't know half of what he should, and not to mention he couldn't run a decent overhead weld to save his life, how about concentrating more on teaching your students to weld  instead of telling a professional weldor what machine he needs." ...............  Needless to say he left quietly...  hehehe  ~Jackson
Reply:some people just live to be perfect. they even perfect the art of being buttheads
Reply:I know some guys who take welding classes may have a good handle on the process before they start learning.Lets remember most of the students don't have a clue.... Soooo I guess some instructors get to thinking they know more than everyone.We have "all" met someone that "knows everything" about something, or so they think.Me I know a little bit about everything and everything about nothing.Washman
Reply:Man that is sad that other welding teachers suck at life...  My welding instructor ended up being my boss all day and my teacher at night, not only taught me a few things about melting metal but also helped me change my life direction for the better... And I could never picture him doing something like that!!!!!He would likely offer some help to someone who looked lost but not just be a self-righteous jackass about it...I joined this forum because it picks up where I left off learning from him... a lot of you guys are a lot like he is... It works for me!
Reply:Did you offer to shove the gloves up his a$$ when you really should have shoved them all the way up his a$$ with a red hot poker and break it off.
Reply:Hammack, that comeback made my day.  That is just awsome.I have to agree that welding school taught me little welding skills.  There was one teacher who taught me a lot of the bookwork and I am very greatfull for that but the others just said "grab a booth and weld".  And when I asked for help, they didn't explain the right way to do it.  They would just say "Keep practicing".  Meanwhile I was learning very bad habits that stuck with me for a long time in the work field.I am glad I went to welding school because I did pick up helpful skills and I was able to become familiar with all the mainstream welding processes on several different types of metals.And to whoever said that their welding teacher was their boss in the day and teacher at night.  My old welding teacher ended up being my boss at my current job years later.  My first construction job foreman ended up being my welding teacher at the Carpenter's Union welding certification center years later.  And my welding foreman/inspector at my current job teaches at a semi-local college (not one I went to).It's a small world, don't **** off your teachers.  Most, if not all of the night teachers work full time as welders and teach at night.  You never know who will be your boss or your teacher later on down the road.  You never know, if you really shine at school, you may have a foot in the door with your teacher's employer.Last edited by WelderBoy; 08-27-2007 at 09:12 PM.
Reply:Like someone else said if he could make a good living actually welding instead of teaching he would. Don't get me wrong I am sure that there are plenty of reallly good welders that are teaching for a living but you won't hear them correcting people ( That don't even need to be corrected) or trying to act like they know more than everyone else. Kinda on the same note.I was a ASE certified auto mechanic for 25 years and I used to get a kick out of going into autozone to buy a part and listening to the monkey behind the counter trying to tell me what I needed and how to install the part. I would just look at them with a big smile on my face and let them think they were actually giving me some useful information so they could feel important.
Reply:Originally Posted by 737mechanicI was a ASE certified auto mechanic for 25 years and I used to get a kick out of going into autozone to buy a part and listening to the monkey behind the counter trying to tell me what I needed and how to install the part. I would just look at them with a big smile on my face and let them think they were actually giving me some useful information so they could feel important.
Reply:Originally Posted by WelderBoyI hate people.
Reply:Originally Posted by olddadBS...if you hated people you wouldn't whine about me being grumpy...you'd just growl back...J/K...J/K
Reply:Originally Posted by runchmanI have a word for guys like that....douchebag.
Reply:I am not a welder but get irritated at similar unwanted salesmans comments at all the big-box stores.  There is nothing more irritating then asking where the 2X4's are stacked, having a teen-looking clerk glance at a list and tell me they have only 4X2's on isle 17 but maybe I could put them in sideways.(or some similar ascinine comment)
Reply:Originally Posted by WelderBoyHey, I used to work at AutoZone and Shucks/Checker/Kragen and we were required to act like monkeys.  It was horrible.
Reply:Originally Posted by Knotbored....There is nothing more irritating then asking where the 2X4's are stacked, having a teen-looking clerk glance at a list and tell me they have only 4X2's on isle 17 but maybe I could put them in sideways....
Reply:All your stories also reminded me of another encounter I had THE VERY SAME DAY... at the very same store....  Differnet person this time though.  It was a sales person.I was shootin' bull, asking about the auto darkening helmet prices and such.  I told him I had both a miller and a speedglas.  I said I liked the window size of the miller, but the "darkening feature of the Speedglas" (the feature that makes the screen go darker when the helmet has powered off.)  I complained that with the miller, if it sits for too long and turns off, I sometimes forget to turn it back on and inevetably strike an arc and end up seeing spots.  He didn't get it.  He said, well, as long as the screen has the purple metalic coating on the outside, your eyes will be fine.  I said, "But I end up seeing spots."  He siad," but it is a UV filter, so your eyes are okay."  So, I changed the subject.Not as funny as Knotbored or Hammack, but a good little vent.  as I can see, the Welding supply shop is a wonderful place full of excitement.
Reply:Originally Posted by HokieEd  I was looking at gloves while another customer was with a salesman looking at the gloves as well.  The salesman asked is he had tried the Goatskin gloves since they were cheaper than the similar Mustangs. I heard this and chimed in with my experience.Originally Posted by Hammack_Weldingwell I just couldn;t stand it so as he was walking out of the showroom, I asked him if he knew ______ , and he replied, "yes he was one of my better students".  I said. "really, well since I had to fire him last week because he didn't know half of what he should, and not to mention he couldn't run a decent overhead weld to save his life, how about concentrating more on teaching your students to weld  instead of telling a professional weldor what machine he needs." ...............  Needless to say he left quietly...  hehehe  ~Jackson
Reply:Originally Posted by reddoggooseNext time you run into this guy ask him to explain to you why welds are always held in tension even when they are loaded in compression. Maybe that will shut him up.
Reply:Originally Posted by BWS29128That's funny as hell too, reddoggoose! I've gotta remember that! Excellent!
Reply:Originally Posted by reddoggooseCan you explain it. Feel free to PM me.