Did you ever "lose" your welding skill?

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Today I went out to the shop and did a little stick welding with some scrap just for the fun of it.  I haven't touched the welder in a couple of months.  The last time I used it, I did an inside corner weld with 1/8" pieces, 3/32 7018ac rod at about 80 amps. It worked beautifully; a nice, balanced, even, slightly concave bead straight out of a textbook.  Today, I tried the EXACT same weld, and holy smokes, it spattered and ran all over the place. It was the kind of weld you'd make if you were holding a rod for the first time in your life. A chimpanzee could have done better.Does this ever happen to you?  Do you ever have days when your welding skills just seem to take a vacation?-RuarkLincoln 3200HDHobart Stickmate LX235TWECO Fabricator 211i
Reply:Yes. And usually, I can trace it back to something environmental: bad ground, poor joint prep, damp rods, or what-have-you.
Reply:Yeah, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. Sort of a two-edged sword for me. Machine problems come up like Joshua said and it can take a while to realize it's the machine. On mine a bad main contactor had me head scratching because of strange intermittent symptoms. Then a couple of bad o-rings, then the filler wire itself getting contaminated really had me chasing my tail for a few months, all better now!The other problem is poorer eysight, from bad to worse, and a Miller Auto-dark helmet that doesn't think I need to see what I'm doing, plus coordination and muscle control ain't what it used to be. Fortunately the good days still outweight the bad days and I've still got a sense of humor...
Reply:I classroom welded for over two years straight just about and have taken over 3 years off and it took me about 2 days to polish up my stick welding skills about where they were aside from overhead.. Like the other guys said it can be so many different things you dont realize that take affect. Different machiene, enviornmental conditions, rods (even the storage procedure), etc.
Reply:Yes....... This will happen. Many reasons - eyesight changes, lens on hood gets dirty, someone else welded with the machine and changed leads or settings, different environment / time of year / amount of clothes on, background noise....... The reasons are endless.HoboLincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:Real skill is never lost!
Reply:Spattering is usually a symptom of wet rods or too much heatMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:Same deal here.  If I haven't welded a certain process for a long time, I get rusty and need practice.  There was about a 6 month period last year where I didn't Stick weld one time.  All MIG and TIG jobs.  Prior to that my 7018 welds were mint.  Slag rolled right off no matter what position or joint, weather plate or pipe.  After that little vacation, I found myself needing to stick weld again.  Took a solid day before everything was back up to par.
Reply:Originally Posted by usmcruzReal skill is never lost!
Reply:Originally Posted by REDONEI'll call BS on that one, haha! I've used auto hoods for the last two years, but earlier this week I put my old fixed hood on for S and Gs. I literally said out loud "Where the **** am I?!?!?". It took at least 5 strikes to even get ballpark with my arc, like the OP it's like I just did it for the first time.
Reply:Originally Posted by usmcruzReal skill is never lost!
Reply:i get that once in awhile if i take a long break from one. if its possible i like to throw down practice beads just to fall back into my grooveMiller ab/p 330Hobart champ 16Miller 140Lincoln Power Mig 255Lincoln SA-250
Reply:Originally Posted by AZEDGE *Stuff from the heart*
Reply:Yes if i go to long between sessions in different processes i will loose the sweet spot for my technique.   it usually comes back to me but the first couple of welds are awkward and not as perfect as i like to see themVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:It's probably like riding a bike. You never forget, but sometimes you need a few minutes or times to relearn or adjust.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:At one point I went 7 or 8 years without hardly striking an arc. When I got back into it, boy did I feel like a fish out of water for awhile.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:I don't weld every day, or sometimes for weeks/months at a time.  Doggone right I lose the touch.  Have to relearn every time to some extent.  Not big time, but enough to be annoying.And my glasses aren't thick enough anymore  Gotta get some that look like the bottom of a coke bottle pretty soon"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I don't have time to lose it..But then again some people can't lose what they never had either......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:You never lose it. it's like sex, just stick your rod in the groove !
Reply:Yep, happens to me.-AaronJet 17.5" Drill Press1942 South Bend 16x84 Lathe1980s Miller 320A / BP --- 2013 Power Mig 2562012 Jet 7x12 Horizontal BandsawVictor O/A Setup
Reply:Nobody said welding is easy!!! LOL
Reply:Originally Posted by AZEDGENot even close to a true statement there, sir. Accidents, injuries, health issues such as loss of eyesight, stroke, aneurism, heart attack, 1,000's of disease conditions and countless etc's can all cause loss of 'Real Skill', like it or not. Simple getting older can have a profound effect.Nobody is impervious, every individual that hasn't suffered these sorts of things should be thankful to God for their blessings every day. Some who have are still thankful to God for their blessings every day, for the simple fact that they're still here alive and able to comprehend and give thanks. I speak as one suddenly and unexpectedly disabled for life: NOTHING IS THE SAME NOW! Thankful, too, because I'm still alive to give thanks!
Reply:If it was easy everyone would do it oh wait seems like everyone tries itMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:Use it or lose it.It is magnified more by being a novice like me, and then trying to discern between where you are in your skill level vs. equipment related problems. Usually I start by saying to myself "well I suck, but not this bad" is it me, equipment, or both? Loose connections or a bad ground resulting in a compromised circuit are the first troubleshooting priority from a tech perspective, as well as not wanting to admit to yourself a skill issue. Blame the machine first, check it out, then well.....Welding is not a follow the book, not an auto repair disassembly, assembly, torque it your good. This too requires certain shop skills that need polish to stay sharp.There is an artful skill as well as knowing the equipment and consumables, both of which are dulled by inactivity.Stay sharp, stay hungry my friends!!Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 and WP17. 75A AC is for pipe thawing!HH 140 - new addtion 9/2012.I didn't agree, but hoped for Hope and Change.I got change for myself and my family: for the worse.This is the reality of: Barackalypse Now. Again.
Reply:Every morning before my first cup of coffee and smoke. If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ishOriginally Posted by BD1You never lose it. it's like sex, just stick your rod in the groove !
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterBut then again some people can't lose what they never had either......zap!
Reply:I think not only can you loose it if its been a while, the same as most things in life you can also have good and bad days. Doesn't matter whether its welding or sport or playing cards or whatever, somedays you are switched on and everything just works perfectly. Other days for no apparant reason you just can't get anything to work as well as you like.Plenty of times I have walked away from a job before I F&#K it up completely, come back an hour or a day later and everything goes smoothly.Cheers Andrew
Reply:I did much better today.  Interesting, never happened before.  One thing I was doing was holding the rod too far from the bead, in an effort to watch it closely.  I moved it on, virtually dragging it (7018AC) and it worked 100% better.  (knock, knock)-RuarkLincoln 3200HDHobart Stickmate LX235TWECO Fabricator 211i
Reply:Yep, spent a year running a welding 'bot...my tig skills deteriorated...138# anvilHomebuilt 6 tap kegerator100# cone anvil5" post viceVarious hammers ranging from 250g to 2000gSome tongsA few screwdriversA wrench or twoOh, and a Fronius TPS 2700