What are some good online resources for learning to weld, I just picked up https://www.forneyind.com/forney-easy-weld-261-140-fc-i-flux-core-wire-welder
for $200 used once with a cheap auto darkening mask. I'm also considering taking proper welding classes at a local CC, but I wanna mess around with it before hand and see if I can fix a broken weld on our trailer. Any good places to start?
drag dont push, CC classes are a scam, youtube has literally everything you need to know
What a good community college or technical school offers is materials and a well to decently equipped shop. Its what you make of it. If you go just to learn and go home, then you are a moron. If you go, do your work, then use the extra time to practice or work on personal projects to learn and ask questions from the instructor then you will get ahead. I got a job rec from my instructor half way through the year and i dropped out to work.
Your credits are going to cost more than the raw materials you use
>never went to a day of school in his life
My community college offers full certificates in HVAC and plumbing for under $1,000 and welding for under $2k. These are some of the best investments for anyone serious about getting into the trades with no real connections or experience opportunities
It depends on the actual circumstances. Total cost for the program I attended was around 5k, and I only paid ~2k after some scholarship money. Half that was spent on equipment like welding helmet, gloves, etc. but I know other places can be much more costly, and charging for materials is apparently not uncommon for trade schools. Not counting equipment, 1k for a years worth of education, including oversight by experienced professionals, and the chance to try a decent variety of welding, cutting, and brazing methods was an extremely economical opportunity. No idea how costs at other CC's compare, so take my experience for whatever it's worth.
meant for
Weldingweb forums, Miller forums and the rest of the free stuff on their site, any welding textbook in pdf format. Practice on scrap first not your trailer. Then make simple test coupons and bend them (watch bend test videos) because what's untested is unknown.
Classes are not a scam because booth time in a training environment with all the gear is valuable. You will not duplicate that at home. Check out financial aid, you may end up paying nothing. A good structural/pipe program has access to far better gear than some Harbor Freight 120v buzzbox and consistent practice coupons so you don't have to frick with sourcing and making those.
If you just want to stick stuff together that lives don't depend on and weld junk to junk then you could skip it but the experiences are very different. I've done it both ways then volunteered at and worked for my local CC welding department.
I have that exact Forney welder
you got scammed at that price used.
I just looked up some youtube guide/tip videos, mainly TimWelds.
I'm using an arc welder not flux core, but it was pretty easy to learn enough to do basic repairs. 90% of it is just refining your technique with lots of practice.
Also, auto-darkening masks trigger by sensing infrared light, so you can test it with a TV remote to make sure it's working before welding.
Or flick your torch striker or butane lighter as the spark triggers them. They block UV with or without darkening.