Hi everyone

[zardoz]

I am in my 40's and doing a night class for welding at West Cheshire college. I am doing the first part of the mig section of the City & guilds course. This year they changed it and bizarrely the 'first year; course is easier than the introductory course i took last year (even though that was for arc welding, the test criteria were the same) ie: 5 different welds, fillet, lap, open outside corner, single vee butt in flat position, fillet weld vertical position. Then sawn into 3 pieces, visual inspection of weld for cracks, bubbles etc, bend and nick testing, and lastly acid etching of the weld.

That was for the introductory course for arc and mig. This year for the first year course the welds are the same but without the break tests etc !! I have no idea why they have made it this way, all i know is i did three 'passes' on my second week of mig welding. Very strange for those of us coming in from last year, but i suppose 'they' know what they are doing ?

Anyone else have anything like this happen to them at night class last year and this ?

ps: I would definitely recommend anyone who was thinking of taking a night class, to sign up. the advice and 'proper' kit you get access to is second to none. and if you have a good tutor that will allow you to come in a bit early and bring in the odd project from home, for professional advice or even to show you how its done, then its even better. Also hearing from class members how they are getting on with their own projects can give valuable pointers, that one simply does not get, sitting in the garage alone scratching your head over a problem.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Hi Zardoz, welcome to the forum. There's quite a lot of interest in welding courses on here at the mo so we'll all be interested to know how your course progresses.
Woz

 

[Cappy]

Welcome Zardoz,

My now there's a log-in to remember watch out for the floating head

Enjoy

 

[Chris Latham]

Hi mate

Do you have anymore info on the course you are doing at the moment as its exactly what im looking to do.

Been on the west cheshire website but it doesnt list any night courses.

Many Thanks

Chris

 

[zardoz]

Hi mate

Do you have anymore info on the course you are doing at the moment as its exactly what im looking to do.

Been on the west cheshire website but it doesnt list any night courses.

Many Thanks

Chris

The next course is starting in January, i would go and ask about it now, as there is often a waiting list. I go to the Monday night course, which runs from 6pm until 9pm, i think level 2 is Tuesday. The course is run by West Cheshire college in Handbridge chester, though it is based at the engineering site at Capenhurst (right next door the the nuke plant) The course is a City & Guilds 3267
Welding course. As i mentioned it is now being run in 3 month blocks, where you are supposed to pass 1 part each block ie: an introductory course in one of the following: ARC, MIG, TIG, Oxy & brazing. (or they may still do the course where you can have a go at them all ?) Then the next 3 month block you can chose to follow on your chosen course (Say MIG, for instance), either to Level 1 then level 2. Or you can do one of the other welding types. You used to be able to pay £150 for the course and try to pass as many as possible in a year, but now i think they have stopped that, and are making it into 3 month blocks and charging £150 a time, or £20 unemployed. Bit of a rip from what was a very good bargain, but still well worth it for the experience alone. I find the tutor (Alf) very good and willing to go into as much detail as you want. He even lets you bring in stuff from home to weld, for the extra experience, as long as it does not interfere with your course work.

So basicly IF you wanted to do them all (and some do, they have been there for several years) first, Introcuctory welding, then Level 1 at MIG, TIG, Arc, Oxy & brazing (choose any one or do them all, its up to you) then Level 2 the same, with more stringent destructive testing criteria. (below)

Saw into 3 pieces across the weld, do a visual inspection to make sure no slag or holes in weld, then a bend test on one part and a nick break test on another, finaly acid etching to check for microscopic cracks.

 

[Chris Latham]

Thank you so much for the information matey.

Im gonna pop down to the college on my lunch today. Is there anyone particular to ask for or just ask anyone?????

cheeRS

Chris

 

[MrFluffy]

Zardos, yes, and at west cheshire too. I went onto the yr1 of their general engineering national diploma course at handbridge and all the way through year one they told us we could specialize in either mechanical or heavy electrical engineering to obtain appropriate diplomas. When yr2 came around, they just told everyone it was going to be a general engineering diploma, but they waited till the first day of yr2 to announce to us, so we didnt have chance to find a alternative place to do yr2 and specialize. Chatting to someone informally mention no names, but he told me this was intentional to keep the numbers up to hit budget targets for the dept rather than any last minute change of circumstances, and they did the same every year. So they wasted a year of everyones life to improve the budget...
I did their yr2 but dropped out because the electrical stuff bored me rigid and I preferred to be out making money than sitting through yet another lame computers unit (seeing as at the time I was making a living writing game software), and eventually did yr2 mechanical engineering at liverpool, after getting a vehicle eng diploma yr1 at NEWI (and which they cancelled yr2 on due to lack of numbers, didnt have much luck me did I).
Dunno about alf, but the weldy guys were fine when I was there and I remember the weld testing, sawing in quarters a pad we'd made up with arc, but I did not gel AT ALL with the guy who ran the machine shop at handbridge. And he didnt like students touching machinery "for insurance reasons" so a fantastic workshop (with hobbing machines, capstan lathes, turret lathes, boring machines etc) sat idle while we hand sawed bits of alloy and perspex out with junior hacksaws doing his preset exercises like we were 7 year olds. I got more machine time when I was at school than there...
Anyway, enough, caveat emptor with handbridge though...

 

[zardoz]

Thank you so much for the information matey.

Im gonna pop down to the college on my lunch today. Is there anyone particular to ask for or just ask anyone?????

cheeRS

Chris

Alf Whitmore is the guy to see if he's there.

 

[zardoz]

Dunno about alf, but the weldy guys were fine when I was there and I remember the weld testing, sawing in quarters a pad we'd made up with arc, but I did not gel AT ALL with the guy who ran the machine shop at handbridge. And he didnt like students touching machinery "for insurance reasons" so a fantastic workshop (with hobbing machines, capstan lathes, turret lathes, boring machines etc) sat idle while we hand sawed bits of alloy and perspex out with junior hacksaws doing his preset exercises like we were 7 year olds. I got more machine time when I was at school than there...
Anyway, enough, caveat emptor with handbridge though...

That sounds a terrible time, i hope the guy was complained about and thrown off. But maybe he was "under orders from above" ? very strange behaviour though, for a machine shop course.

I was at Handbridge machine shop when i left school 20 years ago, on an engineering course. fortunately we had some decent tutors and used all the millers, shapers, lathes, Arc and Oxy welders, etc. Though these days of course the engineering block has moved en masse to Capenhurst.

 

[Chris Latham]

Alf Whitmore is the guy to see if he's there.

Thanks very much for info.

Still havent been down yet as mad busy at work. Will hopefully get down sometime this week so get the ball rolling.

cheeRS

Chris