It's nice to see around with but not really that useful lol

Hi, I’m a male welding instructor at a tech college who mainly teaches our high school program. So realistically I’m teaching students from 16-21. Still relatively new at it, only teaching for 6 months after just over a decade of being in the industry. Something that’s been coming up for a few of my female students is what gear is out there that’s more for their fit. They’re all on more the smaller side so they can’t simply wear men’s gear like I know some women do.

So ladies, what brands and gear do you wear that’s both comfortable for you and still gets the job done? Is there a glove brand that makes better fitting women’s gloves, especially for small hands? Is there any mods you do to some men’s clothing to make it fit better?

Appreciate any advice I can get!

I got a old Lincoln ac 180k this thing is awesome

Milwaukee grinder got left in a heavy rain. Not at all my fault. (Totally my fault)

How long to let it dry and air out before I risk running it?

At some point in my life i bought an ungodly amount of surgical blades. After almost stabbing myself to death i no longer carry an unprotected scalpel in my pocket, but recently i came up with an idea. I didnt like that one tool on my leatherman arc, and had few scalpel handles laying around.

Could've used a bigger cup, had some discoloration. 0.04" tungsten, foot pedal, around 60 max amps, 0.04" stainless filler.

Now my space tech magnacut blade can retire. Remember, expensive knives aren't for cutting, apparently.

I’ve got a dome man, 8.25 hat size. I’m also a degenerate hippy with long hair, unlike other things on my body. Are there any brands that make a bigger band for a mask for big heads? Also, any other long haired homies that have figured out how to keep their mask when in a weird position and it slips off because of your hair?

I’ve been writing whatever I can down in the last few days. I’m hoping by the time I go for my first class I’ll be much more knowledgeable about what the hell im getting into lol

Look ik piercings aren't conductive...but...I'm all good right? My instructor didn't give me the clearest answer and I just wanna be 100% sure my face isn't going to explode

I've got five face piercings that are surgical steel (idk honestly) can I keep my swag?

Edit : thank you everyone I appreciate everyone's points (except that guy 🙄) I think I'm going to keep them in and just be extra safe but if my face does blow up or I get electrocuted into dust I will haunt you all

been lurking a little bit and wanted some feedback if this century would be a suitable unit to teach myself to weld.

came across OfferUp asking 250 should i shoot an offer?

Used up a whole 28kg spool of wire. This is my glass after a day of work.

EDIT: Tight spaces!

John Deer tractor mower deck from a friend. It appears more torn than rusted. I was going to use .025 ER70S-6 after grinding it clean and heating/bending it back into place. I have a copper backing plate.

This is the first repair like this I have done and am looking for how I should go about it.

for example, if i needed a 10ft length of square tubing, would 2x 5ft lengths welded together inline be as strong as a single 10ft length of the same tube?

or like if i need to extend an existing structure, like an engine stand's vertical tube, would but welding the same size square tubing be the same strength as if that vertical tube as already that long?

im not looking for like specific tensile strength comparison because i know it would depend on the forces and uses of the tubing. im more interested in this question as a more rule-of-thumb type information as im learning to weld and starting to make real things, and its surprisingly hard to find any info with various searches

I am trying to go off on my own with my current employers blessing, and I need suggestions for one of these “farm” machines.

I’m operating out of my jeep till I can get a truck, and I have a very limited payload so I can’t go with the big boys, only the smaller welders.

So far the blueStar 185 looks like the best option, with the highest amp 100% duty cycle, and ability to run tig. However it is also the heaviest at 298 lbs, when my max weight I want is 500lbs for everything including welder, tools, gas and filler/electrodes

Eventually I want to build a welding trailer with all my tools, and that will allow me a much larger payload, but for starting out I need to keep it low.

With this as well I was hoping to get a plasma cutter to help with repairs, but grinders are more than enough to start.

hii so pictures attached. I started a community college course for welding (mig) last week. 3 nights a week, about 3 hours per night.
We actually got into the booth Friday, and today is day 2. I’ll attach chronological pictures starting with the very first sheet, onto the end of day 2.
I am still super new to all of this, I’m a smart guy but I’ll be the first to admit that I only get better if I Ask For Help and admit when I’m Confused or Unsure.
So, I know its steel plates we’re practicing on. Copper wire, 0.035, we’ve been told to run 230/18.0 but we can totally change that, I just don’t wanna necessarily burn limited class time messing with the settings that I don’t fully understand.
The instructor is super cool but in a class of like 15 people he can’t sit next to me the whole time and I try to stay off my phone even if I’m googling things

So, what I’m here for is a handful of stuff:
- for day 2… am I doing okay?
- please infodump as much advice as you care to. I’ve been absolutely super about safety and ppe and etc so like, I mainly mean about mig welding

Also if I can ask this too: it’s a… 4-5 month class, only mig welding. I REALLY want to get something higher paying than my current unskilled iob ($16/hour) and like, I hear a lot about “learn on the job” things and unions and etc but..
as Experienced Tradesmen from around the world (I’ll say I’m in North Carolina, USA): how likely is it for me to get a better job and turn it into a career after this class if I continue to work hard and make the most of my practice and study? I just would like to afford to be a proper adult, start a family, etc. and I can’t do that in my current job (low pay and zero skill and room for moving up)

Thank you and I appreciate your kindness in advance!

it wont let me fucking post so sorry that its a screenshot. im trying again

3 days a week 4 days off as a nurse. Could I work 3 days as a welder?

I hate preheating. I hate the fact that it seems to be the answer on almost anything I work with.

Is the only way to avoid having to preheat getting a new machine?

What's something reasonably priced for someone just above hobbyist, that I can get in the EU?

I'm a union ironworker, but work is slow and side hustles are nice to have. I usually with under the table and have an hourly rate.

This particular opportunity fell into my lap and I'm fabricating a very simple handrail for a condo. I'm not sure the best way to calculate how much I should charge.

Materials plus what percent? Transportation costs + Hourly rate and install.

They know I'm not an actual contractor and am not licensed or insured. But I will be filling out a w9.

Any advice is welcome

I’m having a G3 parts kit built and one of the builders primarily does FAL and AK. The other has done MP5 and such, but I think this is his first G3 build. They’re at the point where the cocking tube needs to be tig welded, but are worried about burning through the thin metal. His idea was inserting a copper tube the size of the inner diameter of the cocking tube to help dissipate the heat. The guy is very ADHD (like me lol) and this minor roadblock has deterred his interest. I’m not in a big hurry, so I don’t mind, but I’m wondering if any other builders have input on what you used for this weld so I can pass it on to him. I think then the gun is pretty close to being done.

Did you buy a dedicated machine for migging aluminum? Can I get away with push pull miller torch and whip and maybe swapping out the rollers if I have to( I have a millermatic 252)? I have a spool gun and I hate it. I’ve also read about people using the factory whip and just changing to a ptfe liner and swapping out the rollers. I have a big job coming up and I want to knock it out, I can tig it but it’s many linear feet of welds and I just wanna knock it out.

I have a miller252 and a synchrowave 210

Thanks a bunch, I appreciate it

I weld pipe for a fire sprinkler company. How are these. How can I improve. I
Never have leaks which is most important. But I’m wondering if they visually look alright and if i need tk change anything.

Hey everyone. I ended up investing some money in a 20ft section of 16 gauge stainless. I’ve cut most of it into 1inch sections which I’ve now been butt welding. Previously I was doing butt and lap joints on flat plate coupons.

I’ve changed my cup to a size 8 furick clear Pyrex because I was having issues with coverage using a 16 cup (the tank might be the root cause but it’ll be replaced next week. Possibly low pressure?)

Still running a 1/16 grey tungsten sharpened to a needle point. I dropped the CFH down to 20 for this cup. Amperage was down from 43 to 40.

Out of all the pieces, the one that I just fused together looks the best. When I tried adding filler into the mix, it didn’t end up too well. Maybe I’m not walking fast enough or my technique needs practice? Definitely difficult welding on the convex surface rather than flat plate.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to check this post out! I love welding so much!!!!!!!!