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Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

The neighborhood here in SoCal was big into motocross racing. Of course I wanted to join in but did not even have a driver's license. But I did have a job washing dishes at the diner that I would ride my bicycle to. With the money I bought a cheap dirt bike, and the local trash company offered to teach me to gas weld if I bought the outfit, so I did, a Victor Oxy/Acet rig that was on closeout from the Air Compressor shop across town. My mom had to drive me to buy it and get gas. My dad helped me cut up steel. From there I could cut up dirt bikes, modify, and weld. Then rampage the foothills on my own dirt bike dodging the sheriff.

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

Like many here I first learned in High School, OA and stick. OA setup was a circular station with six or eight seatings, arc welding in three to five side by side booths. Forever grateful for the teacher putting up with us knuckleheads, we sure enough learned in direct relation to our willingness to work. I liked using the forge but didn't attend long enough to use foundry or machine tools.

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

Learned stick welding back in 1961 when I was a senior in high school.
Over the years it got away from me, picked it back up a few years ago.........man did I have a lot to re-learn...........still learning both stick and Mig.

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

Originally Posted by N2 Welding

The High school I went to my senior year had sheet metal and welding. The school had those Lincoln cracker boxes but we learned oxy acetylene Welding before moving on to stick welding. Second year students got to learn mig and tig. I graduated from the same school as CEP and I only attended that school my senior year so I was not able to further the education with metallurgy

Now that I think about it,, our high school had a foundry that we used to cast aluminum,, but, the school did not have a welding machine,,
There was a FULL BLOWN metal fab shop, milling, lathes, even a shaper,, but, no welding,,,,,,,,,,

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

I was 12 years old and went to a friend's fathers gas station with my sisters bike. Wanted to make it a boys bike, so we cut the girlie bars, and bent them up. They had a Montgomery Wards arc welder. First time I ever welded and got hooked! Stick welded in junior high metal shop. Didn't have a welding course in high school, so I took Machine Trades because we got to weld. Spent a lot of time "smoking" in the welding booth (it was the 70's!). Became a Moldmaker/Machinist. First welder was a Miller Thunderbolt AC 225. That wasn't enough, so I got a Craftsman Hi Frequency/TIG unit and tried that. That just made me want more so I broke down and bought a Miller 320 A/BP TIG welder to learn how to TIG. Years later, I bought a MIG welder to learn that. 50 years later, I'll keep welding until I can't do it anymore! -------------- John

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

My father was c51 contractor so I start about 9 or 10 welding projects. Be for I was in high school I welding on buildings.
I never took any classes. Just from books and a buss box.

Dave

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

Closest our school shop classes got was soldering copper wires in dinky little science experiment electrical devices. After that it was woodworking and drafting. Even in college, we used O/A for sheet metal... nobody knew what MIG or TIG were. Body work was often brazed with Bondo smeared over it. I didn't get into arc welding until I started farming in 81.

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

The High school I went to my senior year had sheet metal and welding. The school had those Lincoln cracker boxes but we learned oxy acetylene Welding before moving on to stick welding. Second year students got to learn mig and tig. I graduated from the same school as CEP and I only attended that school my senior year so I was not able to further the education with metallurgy

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

I started with O/A and stick welding in shop class in 6th grade (1972). My dad picked up a Lincoln 225 AC for fixing his snow plow when I was probably 15 or 16, at which point I started welding at home. Around 1980, the guy who I worked for was retiring and sold me his O/A torch, tanks and all for $75. My dad split the cost with me :-). It was a super nice Smiths torch with 10 or so different welding heads and a cutting head. I restored a couple of IH Scout 80s with that Lincoln and those torches. After college I got away from it for a long time mostly because apartment life didn't lend itself to owning a welder. When I got married and we moved into this house, my dad gave me the old Lincoln AC 225. Since then I have owned a Purox torch set, Hobart Stickmate, Hobart Handler 190, a pair of Miller Syncrowave 250s, Millermatic 252, and a Lincoln Idealarc. I have since sold them all and now have just the Multimatic 255.

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

Many Years ago, I'm 18, working on cars, not a lot of cash,,, O/A the biggest overall usefulness. Went to CryoDyne, leased tanks and attendended Thurs night classes. One each for Cutting, Brazing, Welding. Learning the basics of O/A welding, to carefully watch, read, & manipulate the puddle, made all future forms of welding (as I could afford it) So Much easier.

First time I picked up a Tig torch, I felt I knew most of it already...

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

I told the US Navy recruiter,, I had a two year degree in air conditioning, and a year experience fabricating sheetmetal ductwork,

He thumbed through a book, and looked up and said,,

"OH, you want to be a SHIPFITTER!"
A few months later,, I was standing in a booth 8 hours a day,, learning how to weld ,,

Re: Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

Same exact cracks in the leads as the one I learned on

Who/What got you started and what did you start with?

I had two FFA teachers in High School.
One taught me a lot about ranching and animal care.
The other one got me hooked on welders and repairing small engines.

We had Lincoln AC225 crackerboxes in the FFA shop and we built lots of stuff.
My Dad bought this one for me shortly after I got interested in late 60's and we grew up together....built and repaired lots of stuff with that old machine.
Things have changed a bit since then and its been sitting on top of the old dead refrigerator I use to store rods, tips, wire spools, etc. for almost 20 years.
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