Where can I take some welding classes?
 

Who does welding classes without having to commit to a 6wk course like BCIT? I just want to learn some basics and then go play on my own.

VCC has nothing and BCIT only has intro to welding which is 6 sessions over 6 weeks and more money than I want to spend.

No one said school was cheap

Maybe he doesn't have the time to spare.

You can try the 4hr(?) crash coures at KMS.

youtube dot com
homedepot: go buy welding gear and practice at home like me

check out kmstools in Coquitlam, I think they a one or two day intro classes.

I never said I want to do this as a career? I have a busy schedule and just want to learn on the side for my own purposes.

Thanks for the KMS thing. I'll check it out.

If is just hobbies, as b92 said youtube then homedepot. Is not worth the price you pay for if you are learning the basics.

I was looking into the program at BCIT, its about 4k I believe and its full time. I am wondering how much career opportunities there are with a Welding cert?

That's the full time certification course. Not what this thread is about.

You can make anywhere from $15/hour to $100+/hour depending on experience. The first level at bcit is c level. About 7 months but most people finish early. You can expect to make $17-$22/hr after c level if you aren't an idiot.

As for OP learning for home use. Get demos from people who know what they are doing. It will save you hours and hours of frustration of trying to learn on your own. Are you looking for tig or mig lessons?

Are you able to challenge for a 'C' ticket?

Start with MIG, then when I can afford a quality TIG... go that route.

Mig is Easy.

A retard can run a bead with a MIG with half decent technique.
No worries about arc length, angle, or travel speed.

Check my post in that Who wrenches on thier own car thread. Not gonna re-type everything, but basically KMS wont teach you shit, and Steel is expensive.

But to start, just get any 3/8th plate at least 8x8, and just run beads half an inch apart. Flip it over, repeat. Grind it down, and start it over again.

If your welds looks like shit, chances are, they're shit.
And don't bother trying TIG until you can Oxy-Fuel weld. Burning through Plate = Burning through your wallet.

Also. Don't worry about tie-ins. Worry about running proper straight beads first. But same practice technique with that. Get plate, run a bead, stop 1/3rd of the way. Tie it in, run to 2/3, stop, tie in, finish.

Well with mig do like SpuGen said just run beads on flat plate to get a feel for things. It's basically like a fancy glue gun pull the trigger and go. Experience is the only way to get better. But having someone give you a demo of the basics will save you lots of headache and money. Also remember that fitup plays a large role in the end result, especially with tig.

I just got rid of 250lbs of scrap plates, tubing that would have been perfect for practicing on. I've still got some 2"-3" diameter tubing cutoffs, mostly sanitary stainless tubing that I could give you for free.

I'm upgrading my miller dynasty 200dx tig soon if you are looking for one.