Recently found the industry - and I like it

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My name is Sean. I live in Texas. 35. That's me. I grew up with a dad as a welder, then a mechanic, and now just an aging boomer. I missed many years of opportunity to actually learn a trade such as welding. I was exposed to it for years, but never took an interest.Last year my neighbor let me house his SP125 MIG and Oxy-Acetylene torch in my garage. That's where the interest got started.....Here are a few projects I have been messing with over the last year-ish:I had to build a table to start. The thinnest piece is the top at 3/16. WAY too big for this machine, but I didn't know or care. (I don't have progress pics - be glad that I don't because the welds suck).Then I ratted out my little girls Radio Flyer. Then I built a small grill (I have a few progress pics I think)Now I'm working on bench (not finished)Now let's see if I can manage to post these pictures properly.......Here is the bench and the Radio Flyer. This is what each looked like when I finished (no progress shots on these) Attached Images
Reply:Here are some progress photos of the little grill I made. It's a rough looking thing but it cooks like a champ. Attached Images
Reply:About six weeks ago I was able to spend my one day off each week (Saturday) in the shop with a local custom fabricator in town. I just hung out and absorbed anything he was willing to share. Then about two weeks ago I started a CE course to get a bit more acquainted with as much about welding as possible. I've decided I like it enough to go back to school to learn how to do things right.It will be another 10 years before I dare call myself a welder. School is just to learn the basics. Anyway.... my most recent project is a bench. It's a combo metal / wood bench. I was browsing the web and ran across this web page where a guy is making them out of stainless and selling them for about $900: http://www.wayfair.com/popups/media_...hp?sku=GUS1042I decided it would be a great next project. To date (almost finished)... I have less than $50 into it.Here are some pics... not posted in the correct order. The first two pictures were just a couple hours ago. I took a flap wheel and polished the metal a little then cleared it. the rest were taken on Wednesday as a mock-up and I tossed the wood stain pic in there since I'm allowed 5 photos and ran out of metal shots. Attached Images
Reply:Those are all the pics I could find so far.In class I'm learning some interesting things about DC welding with 6010 and 7018. I am enjoying learning that process. I am looking forward to getting introduced to TIG as well.Well, it took me 35 years to get here, but now that I found it, I am glad I did. I hope to stick around for a long time and plan to keep learning and getting better.
Reply:i remember those stickers from home depot steel....do yourself a favor, look in the yellow pages under steel and find a supplier, the home depot prices will make you to give up metalworking in no time.otherwise, nice work and stick with it.
Reply:Yeah I am no longer getting my stuff from there. The guy that is letting me hang out in his shop has stuff he calls "drop" and said I can come get it whenever I needed to. I require him to charge me something for it but so far he hasn't. I'm keeping a tally of what I am using so if he ever says "I'm broke" I can pony up whatever he needs for the metal I'm using.
Reply:For a guy that just really started with a little welder, you look to be doing just fine and dandy!  Nice Work!  Some Blue , Some Red & Some GreyProverbs 16:2-3.2 "All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."
Reply:Welcome, from another Austinite.
Reply:I think you need some tricked out rims on that Radio Flyer  Stuff looks great. Greetings from up here in Big D.PapaLincoln Idealarc 250 (circa 1962)Lincoln Weldpak 155 w/Mig KitLincoln Squarewave TIG 175
Reply:welcome. Just have a couple suggestions. 1) find out the mentor's favorite spirit/brew and bring him several bottles. If he doesn't partake find out what he does for fun and help him out with some stuff for that.2) go have a couple long sit downs with Dad. Fathers always enjoy knowing that their kids enjoy the same things they do.gotta say your fitment is a lot better than a lot of people first starting out. keep up the good work. and Make sure you're only learing good habits as you go along. It's a lot harder to unlearn something.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Dad and I have had some long discussions. He now knows that after many many .... many years I finally appreciate things he did when I was a kid. My little girl is two now. When dad was my age..... I was 13....I took the long way around to finally appreciate the hard work dad did back then (and now). I'm making sure he knows that I finally figured it out.On my latest project.... I finally finished my $50 ..... $900 dollar bench idea.Here are the pics of my latest finished project: Attached Images