Welding course

Leanne1979 · Apr 11, 2007

Hi all
I have just found out that the welding course i was due to start has been cancelled due to "lack of interest" so now my local collage is only running the fulltime welding course and not the night class one (totally useless for me) So does anyone have any ideas where i should be looking to attend a short welding course? Something like what ratty went on over 2 days? We only have 1 Tech college in town and thats the one i was planning on going too
thanks all
Leanne xxx

Country Joe · Apr 11, 2007

That's exactly what happened to me! Not enough numbers to make it worth their while.
No help at all, of course - but you're not alone!

Spot the welders dog · Apr 11, 2007

Hi Leanne,

How many hours was this course based upon, and was it all MIG based (I understand you have been looking at Oxy too), and what was the content to be - welding only or welding and fabrication.

Bit cheeky - but if you wouldn't mind saying how much it was to cost you (approx)........ :eyepatch:

Paul

Hitch · Apr 11, 2007

I wondered if a few of the more experienced members of the forum could offer others a little bit of guidance in person. I guess spare time is precious to us all.

What college was that CountryJoe? I did a bit with Yeovil and Bridgwater a long time ago. Although they were both full time courses.

I guess you will need to wait until the course starts again, how often do they start, every 6 months?

Leanne1979 · Apr 11, 2007

Hi spot
Thanks for the questions
Well it said 34 Hours in the brochure but then when i went to the colleges infomration day they said it was around a year long and spread over two nights (monday 6.30 - 8.30 - therory and tuesday 6.30 - 9pm - practical). the course is advertised as AB Level 1 welding and fabrication and was going to cost £225 all in
I have been wondering if the length of the course had put alot of poeple of - what do you think, a year seems a long time for an evening class
Leanne xxx

Country Joe · Apr 11, 2007

Hi Hitch,

I was going to go to Taunton (used to be called Somerset College of Art & Technology, when I last went there 20-25 years ago!), but that's still quite far from here (Near to Wells), and would probably be about a 70-80 mile round trip - which in my very slow car would have taken a while!
Murphy's Law dictates that it's on the far side of Taunton too!
It was only 6 weeks, 2 hours each evening, and I think only cost about £60 or so.
The next course didn't take place due to a fire.

You were down Plymouth or Devon way before as I remember - so I'd guess you're in south Somerset, as it's nearer to Devon.

But supposing you ever had the urge to do a bit of a sideline in tuition, sorting out dodgy self-learned welding techniques...... :laughing:

All the Best,
CJ

Hitch · Apr 11, 2007

Some colleges should do short courses Leanne, about 6/8 weeks. Just looked at a college website, obviously no good to you, but gives you an idea...

Try a few of your local ones, some seem to do more of this sort of course than others.

CJ, have you tried Bridgwater college? That must be a lot closer than Taunton, by at least 10 miles? Even Yeovil would be closer.
You are right, i was in Plymouth, but moved back to Somerset last summer. Not far from Wincanton.

Ratty · Apr 11, 2007

Leanne1979 said:
So does anyone have any ideas where i should be looking to attend a short welding course? Something like what ratty went on over 2 days? We only have 1 Tech college in town and thats the one i was planning on going too
thanks all
Leanne xxx

The one I went on was at an agricultural college so might be worth checking out any in your area. It was two full days rather than evenings. One of the guys on the course was from W London! Think he stayed nearby with an aunt but it does seem as if short courses are thin on the ground. Best of luck

cobminor · Apr 11, 2007

I've just finished a basic mig course, level one C and G. This course, or courses, are ongoing. You can start anytime, I just phoned up and they started me the next Thursday evening. You can also miss weeks, I have until July 6th. to finish my Nine week course.They also do MIG, TIG, ARC and gas, all at the same time. There is plenty of interest and it is about 40 hours. This is enough time to give you the basics (I know now), the rest is practice or specialist. They would always help if you went in with a problem anyway. This has cost me £100. Well worth it when you think that it includes all consumables. The college do get a fair bit more from C and G when an enrolled student passes the test.

The spin off benefit is that the college is mid town where parking is hectic, being a student gets me a free ticket to their car park, until July 6th.

Spot the welders dog · Apr 11, 2007

Hi Leanne,

they said it was around a year long

Wow, that's quite a 'short' course.

Level 1 welding and fabrication and was going to cost £225 all in

That doesn't sound too bad really: s'pos it depends on the content, and what you can learn, as to whether it would be worth it.

Hi Hitachimad,

I wondered if a few of the more experienced members of the forum could offer others a little bit of guidance in person. I guess spare time is precious to us all.

That was my train of thought. Would take some organizing; perhaps regional workshops at first - with a national meet once a year where we could all compare welding burns & look at Leannes' photo album ( sorry just slipped out :laughing:

)
)

Hi Cobminor,

This is enough time to give you the basics (I know now)

Knowing what you now know, would you recomend this type of course for the complete novice/hapless starter. I'm thinking that they couldn't give the 1.2.1 for the hobby'ist like myself (thinking more about wire feed problems etc..) in real world welding?

:confused:

Paul

cobminor · Apr 11, 2007

I was the complete novice. I have a practical engineering back ground so a bit of common sense knowledge about welding but had never done any. The 1 to 1 you do not get, I would doubt that you get that anywhere. I managed without it and if I can so can most. I had a job believing the tutor when he went away and said, "play with the machine, change settings and see what happens". He was right, I would not have wanted him standing over me. Wire feed problems etc. are fairly rare, colleges do have good equipment, no hobby machines here. Our workshop was 95% Murex with a couple of Lincoln. I passed the tests on the fifth night and then practiced for the other four evenings. Learnt on a 3 phase but went down to a single 160 and thinner material for the practice.

Country Joe · Apr 11, 2007

Hitch,

You might have seen me going by on my way to Gillingham. But not in the very slow car - always on a quick bike - (something to do with the roads?)

In fact I got yet another rear tyre for the bike in Gillingham only last Wednesday!

CJ

Flat on my back · Apr 11, 2007

If anyone spots a evening welding course in the Glos'shire region tell MEEEEEEEE, please. Just doesn't seem fashionable now, computers and all that taking over!

Oh, and the idea of any of the 'master' welders showing us newbies how it should be done would be so grrreat. I'll bring the beer and sarnies?

Ratty · Apr 12, 2007

Spot the welders dog said:
( sorry just slipped out )

Bad dog Spot, put it away. It's not big and it's not clever, that's the naughty step for you.

Bigjoe · Apr 12, 2007

Hi Leanne,
Dont know if this the one that was cancelled on you but its at lincoln college and looks like a good general course http://www.lincolncollege.ac.uk/cou.../city-guilds-3267-introductory-welding-skills

have a look if its not the one you signed up for already,looks like a mini version of what i spent 3 years at college doing.

Joe

malcolm · Apr 12, 2007

I had a look for welding courses too - thought I might get myself a certificate, and maybe a little proper training. I've noticed the Internet seems to be a bad place to find the things. Though looking up likely looking local colleges in the phone book and giving them a bell seems a little old fashioned (and too much effort).

How are you guys finding these welding courses?

Drains · Apr 12, 2007

There are some good looking evening/weekend courses at Telford College in Edinburgh. MIG, TIG. Good for me and BigJoe. I guess the rest of you could travel? :rolleyes:

Hitch · Apr 12, 2007

I did one initially, when i first left school. It was a C&G l2, 12 weeks, full time.
A fair balance between paperworks and practical, although there is some
units that are utterly pointless. We did a bit or both each day to break it up a bit, i think the course was 'Performing manufacturing operations' You also get a bit of very basic fabrication tuition. Assumong you have a decent tutor.

Another one i did after was supposed to be day release for a year, but i hardly remember doing that as it was done in a month.

That was another C&G course. 'Joining materials through thermal processes'

I dont think that any of my employers have even been interested in them though. They seem a bit more interested in if you can do the job rather than certificates. Different when you get to coding etc though.

Bigjoe · Apr 12, 2007

Training can a good thing for technique, i did a year at college when i was 17 and i gained a welding & fabrication certificate covering O/A,Mig,Tig,MMA and fabrication processes inc theory and i got distinctions

.

Malcolm,www.hotcourses.com is a good base for colleges etc that run all courses not just welding.

malcolm · Apr 14, 2007

Tried hotcourses and there are only a couple of colleges listed that do welding stuff - neither are close to me. Interweb is rubbish unless you live in the cold dark north (of England - plenty of courses up there). Guess phoning around is the answer at the moment.

Had a look at coded welding - I didn't know what it was until today! It's being able to do "welding techniques to the Coded Standards of BS4872". Course in that would be fun, though I'm not good enough to meet entry requirements yet.

Of course you have to pay before you can look at the British Standards - way to get people working to the things. Anyone got a copy? Otherwise I'll buy one and summarise it in some way.

Welding course

Acid Burn

Argoshield Dark

Member

Moderator

Acid Burn

Argoshield Dark

Moderator

Putting the She in Sheds

Member

Member

Member

Argoshield Dark

Complete beginner

Putting the She in Sheds

Moved to the country!

& Clementine the Cat

Yeah, nah.

Moderator

Moved to the country!

& Clementine the Cat