EAL Level 1 course passed!

[SiPMerlin150]

Day 2 out of 3 of my mma course and i've passed with more than average results! You can see the pictures of my test pieces on the album section on my profile page, rather than me uploading them twice, as you will see, there is one test piece with undercut, one with a small slag inclusion at the beginning, and one or two with spatter, but the tolerances are well within spec for this introductionary level.

Surprisingly, i'm the only student there so i have one on one tuition with my instructor and have gotten a lot more than i paid for, as for the rest of this afternoon gone, i have been practising my vertical ups with the better electrodes (7016 potassium, and i love 'em!) Stoving rods. Further more he is impressed and have prepared a 12mm butt weld with a 30 degree bevel and 2mm open root tacked up for a vertical up task for tommorow, also with a '6G' 45 degree pipe (inch thick) bevelled and ready to go (God, help me!)

He believes i can do it and has had a lot of other instructors just watch me weld away in my cell... All i can say is i wouldn't of been able to be so confident with the help and constructive critisism from everyone on this forum!

 

[rtbcomp]

Great stuff!

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Great stuff!

Thanks! still got tommorow to get through, but its extra skill, 'off topic' but good to learn.

Tommorow is:

Use of 7024 , 7018 , 6010's and more 7016's in vertical up butt welds multipass,
open root structural plate weld test mock, and a 6G weld test mock also!

 

[rob1]

hi do you get a cert at end of your course?

 

[SiPMerlin150]

hi do you get a cert at end of your course?

Yep! 2 actually, one of attendance, and the other of the completion of the course, stating what i am qualified to do at that level.

 

[Lewis Medlock]

Well done fella and good luck with the butt tomorrow!

Jim

 

[MonsterLandrover]

Ha! I saw this and thought "why is some one saying about an English Additional Language course!"

Anyways, well done! Thinking of doing a course like that.

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Ha! I saw this and thought "why is some one saying about an English Additional Language course!"

Anyways, well done! Thinking of doing a course like that.

Yeah, haha i should of titled it VRQ or summat!

Its definately something to think about doing, its a rewarding feeling when you get a certificate at the end, but its fun all the way through.

 

[rob1]

it sounds all very different from my college days .dont take this the wrong way as not trying to offend you personaly but i think your instructor is not helping you at all.
you shouldnt be moveing on to another weld till you master the previous one .
no point haveing 6 welds you cant do better to have atleast 1 you can!
let alone asme 6g
all hes doing is going to get you confused.
only trying to help you improve so please dont take offence

 

[SiPMerlin150]

it sounds all very different from my college days .dont take this the wrong way as not trying to offend you personaly but i think your instructor is not helping you at all.
you shouldnt be moveing on to another weld till you master the previous one .
no point haveing 6 welds you cant do better to have atleast 1 you can!
let alone asme 6g
all hes doing is going to get you confused.
only trying to help you improve so please dont take offence

Hi Rob, Mine wasn't a college course, its an introductionary course that covers the safety, method and basic welding skill. In reality its a basic qualified course.

In their own words:

'The qualification was developed to fill an identified gap in the market for an introductory level welding qualification.
The level 1 VRQ is designed to have a 'hands on' practical approach to introductory welding training and as such to
support approved retention and attainment at Level 1.

The qualification has been developed in close consultation with colleges, training associations and industry to ensure that the qualification meets the needs of the engineering and education sectors.'

I happened to have a little experience in my own time with welding, helped greatly by everyone on this forum , so the instructor was quite surprised that i got down to it quite quickly and more comfortably.

Skill and methods come with practise as I develop skills. The slag inclusion and slight undercut was way within tolerances for this skill level. You'd have to be blind or have bad trembles or even absent to fail this course!

The 6G pipe was a taster for what some of the big boys do as jobs, and i did manage to weld in a root without making a dogs dinner of it, and put down 5 passes all around, but took me 2-3 hours!

As for confusion, not at all was there any, the staff at the academy feel as though i can go quite far with more experience, training and fine tuning, I guess with the spare day after I finished the course tests early, he wanted to see exactly how much potential ability I may have.

 

[rob1]

ah fairplay to you .it sounds like you got alot out of the course so that cant be a bad thing.
how much was the couse?

 

[SiPMerlin150]

ah fairplay to you .it sounds like you got alot out of the course so that cant be a bad thing.
how much was the couse?

£595 VAT included in that price.

I did get a lot from it, i got a taster of TIG at the end today too!

I got an introduction to the iron powder rods (4mm 7024, what a beast!),
7016's , 7018's, 6010's, i can honestly say, that i would not ever use another 6013 if i could help it!

I did fully enjoy it and at the end he suggested that my next move would be to work on getting coded for australian standards, ( I'm going to be moving with my partner to australia, and working for her dad whos into the business self employed). Pipe welding is way off the agenda yet!

 

[rob1]

sounds like you learned alot so well worth it budy.
ive been in the game for 21 years and can honestly say i dont no it all .
nearly went to oz last year got offered job for mineing company .the bad points outweighed the good /to hot for me and the flies are suposed to be relentless oh and i realy dislike spiders.
i use 7018 most of the time but depends on the wps.

 

[SiPMerlin150]

nearly went to oz last year got offered job for mineing company .the bad points outweighed the good /to hot for me and the flies are suposed to be relentless oh and i realy dislike spiders.
i use 7018 most of the time but depends on the wps.

All the risks of burns, electric shocks, etc of the job and you're afraid of the flies and a few spiders? Insect repellant will do! Spiders, however, all of them bite, with 80% being toxic, makes you feel rotten, but the other 20% are dangerous, like the sidney funnel webs and the redbacks.. evacuate area with haste!

Do you do pipe welding?

 

[rob1]

yes but it varies alot from job to job i was doing suby work for alot of diferent companys last year .most of the work was puting right other peoples crap ie gouge out and reweld.
1 very big tip for you.
if you do pass asme 6g in future dont go out on site until you master a 5g 3 inches off the floor because you wount last to long .
any weld is alot easyer in school than in real life.and thats what sorts men from boys

 

[SiPMerlin150]

yes but it varies alot from job to job i was doing suby work for alot of diferent companys last year .most of the work was puting right other peoples crap ie gouge out and reweld.
1 very big tip for you.
if you do pass asme 6g in future dont go out on site until you master a 5g 3 inches off the floor because you wount last to long .
any weld is alot easyer in school than in real life.and thats what sorts men from boys

Thank you for that tip, i'll remember that one, I can see what you mean with the school being as it is, a learning enviroment, whilst in the field, anything goes. I've heard of welders having to place mirrors up against walls and weld backwards... im sure you've probably done that already though. The sad thing is that these are very skilled and high integrity jobs, but yourself and every other welder out in the feild don't get the same recognition as say, these fat desk jockey's get from being behind a desk all day.

 

[octo0072000]

Thank you for that tip, i'll remember that one, I can see what you mean with the school being as it is, a learning enviroment, whilst in the field, anything goes. I've heard of welders having to place mirrors up against walls and weld backwards... im sure you've probably done that already though. The sad thing is that these are very skilled and high integrity jobs, but yourself and every other welder out in the feild don't get the same recognition as say, these fat desk jockey's get from being behind a desk all day.

you don't get the fat desks pay either??

 

[SiPMerlin150]

you don't get the fat desks pay either??

Yes, that aswell, you don't get the recognition nor the mention, or the pay.

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

£595 VAT included in that price.

Usually courses need a required number of people to sign up before they go ahead with it. I thought that price was a bit steep for an introductory course, but.... at that price it does explain why they went along with it with only one atendee and having one to one tuition has obviously benefitted you greatly. You have come far in only 5 months, hats off to you mate.

Well done

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Usually courses need a required number of people to sign up before they go ahead with it. I thought that price was a bit steep for an introductory course, but.... at that price it does explain why they went along with it with only one atendee and having one to one tuition has obviously benefitted you greatly. You have come far in only 5 months, hats off to you mate.

Well done

Thank you! I'm trying my best because I really enjoy welding, i was introduced to the method of TIG welding at the end of the course, only very briefly, i was so surprised at how quiet and therapeutic it was compared to the noise of 5 hours of solid stick welding There was a cheaper course but with a local college, and it was evenings, twice per week, 2.5 hours each evening, but they failed to start the course due to lack of numbers. Another place wanted £900 and they wanted you to pay extra for your metal coupons and your own gear everything down to your own slag chipping hammer and wire brush!