any thoughts please

[davidjohnperry]

i thought i would ave a quick go at stick welding again ant touched one in about six months got a interview for a mig posistion monday so thoughts would be good i think my welds are poor

i know there not good but i could do with some confidence and i dont touch welders from months on end to end
thanks guys

but like i say would rather have critisum then anything thing i do love welding

 

[stormin]

Forget what your stick welding is like, if the job is for mig welding I would say it's totally different.
If you're serious about getting the job then beg, borrow or steal yourself a resonable mig set tomorrow and practice like hell over the weekend. If they don't ask you to do some test pieces at the interview I'd be surprised, or they're already not interested in you for some reason.

 

[cumbriasteve]

What machine and setting are you using? the welds look cold to me, first photo has a bit too much reflection to see clearly.

Rods..Type? old or new? been kept dry?

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

Forget what your stick welding is like, if the job is for mig welding I would say it's totally different.
If you're serious about getting the job then beg, borrow or steal yourself a resonable mig set tomorrow and practice like hell over the weekend. If they don't ask you to do some test pieces at the interview I'd be surprised, or they're already not interested in you for some reason.

I would totally agree. Arc and Mig are very different processes. being good at one, doesnt automatically mean you are good at the other with little or no practice. You will probably find that Mig is easier to grasp than with Arc, but that doesnt mean you dont need to practice it. Read posts tonght and watch the tutorials, then scrounge a mig set for the weekend exactly as Stormin has suggested. Research and putting into practice is the key....oh and of course having a mig set to practice with helps

Good luck and be confident mate.

 

[decepticon]

im guessing you thought you would touch up on your arc skills as a 'feather in your cap' for when the interview comes you could say you are able to arc weld also, and you probably have already done lots of mig welding.
failing the above i would say you are in big trouble and if an employer cant find a skilled mig welder at the moment then i will remove my hat, add sauce and consume.
good luck for the job and keep us all informed

 

[backpurge]

failing the above i would say you are in big trouble and if an employer cant find a skilled mig welder at the moment then i will remove my hat, add sauce and consume.
good luck for the job and keep us all informed

You would think so but I get told on an almost daily basis that people are struggling to find skilled welders, I think one of the contributing factors is what some companies are willing to pay for skilled guys, I know one outfit that is after EN 287 coded MIG welders and won't pay above £10 p/h

 

[asmeix6g]

You would think so but I get told on an almost daily basis that people are struggling to find skilled welders, I think one of the contributing factors is what some companies are willing to pay for skilled guys, I know one outfit that is after EN 287 coded MIG welders and won't pay above £10 p/h

BUT.... you and i know you could teach a complete novice in an hour to pass a EN287 in downhand plate, back ground and welded.... where i work at the moment iv taken a job just doing pressure vessels. a lot of flux core, but i also do fair bit of stick and tig.
We have people start, do a downhand plate, looks like crap, but because its back ground and DPI'd then welded, passes a bomb yet they are USELESS!! i mean worse than useless! i wouldnt pay them £6p/h let alone 10
so i think the wages for something like that are irrelevant. i just think its hard to find people who take pride in their work. if you take pride in it, youll always be good!

 

[backpurge]

Agree, if you set the parameters and stand over someone you can get them to lay a reasonable weld provided they have a bit of common sense and thats where the problems lie, these guys are not welders by any stretch of the imagination

In my day (and probably yours) it was a four year apprenticeship plus another years training on all processes/materials/joints/positions to 100% xray standard, when you had finished you could tackle virtually anything, and after 37 years I am still learning

Today a lot of people are reasonably competent on one process/material/joint combination but are totally out of their depth when they have to tackle something different, I witness up to 500 welder approval tests per year and the highest failure rate by a long way is on 3 run fillets with MAG in the PB position on mild steel plate, it's all down to training which the guys don't get these days

 

[davidjohnperry]

well im not gunna sit here and lie i failed the interview my nerves got so bad i could not weld straight mig bad tig ok but they wanted a skilled mig welder plus the money im on is a lot better then what the company offered also driving to the interview i nearly had a van crash my nerves were so bad. i really wish what i wanted to be at sixteen i would of loved to have done an apprentice ship i got some more scrap cut to practice my stick and mig welding at home and ill take more photos and hope when the recession ends there would be more options for me i would love to be a pipe fitter got a level 2 plumbing cert and level two mig welding im just trying to get expereince i also dont expect to be paid the earth to start but i am looking for a company that could offer training. thank you for all ur comments you guys are the best im not the worst welder i just lack exp but how do u get exp with out the work

 

[davidjohnperry]

and the welds not cold got full penitration on the but weld even burnt through but on the t fillet i tried to do a double bead but failed on the top run so it looks cold i agree the photos are shocking

 

[Lewis Medlock]

Keep your chin up fella.

The welds on the photos are ok, they're certainly nothing to be ashamed of and nothing a few hours practice wouldn't improve, like you said you haven't touched a stick welder in months.

Interviews also get much easier with practice! They're difficult times at the moment and it takes a lot of dogged determination to get a break, I got a start with my current employer because the lorry driver was on holiday and I could drive their trucks! (I weld for them now, eventually).

I signed up for a college course which not only added to my CV but also put me in touch with the tutors who are visiting all the local companies while they assess students. They have their finger on the pulse regarding where the work's at and can put in a word.

Stick with it! All the best,

Jim

 

[davidjohnperry]

cheers for the kind words mate im not sure still where to beging i am level two mig certified and bs certified in mig arc and tig ally part 1 i just need the experience or practice i cut some more scrap last week just waiting for the chance to practice very busy at the moment :-D