Welders?

[Divine Wind]

At 55, I'm planning my retirement at 65. People like to talk about going fishing or golfing all the time when they retire, but actually most would be bored shitless after a couple of months. I gave a lot of thought to a home business where I could work for someone else if need be. Something that gave me an opportunity to pick and choose jobs plus be outside. Being inside on a computer or shuffling papers isn't my idea of fun. In the end I took a year's worth of welding classes at a local community college, two nights a week, for $2000. It was very enjoyable.

Even though there are many practical applications to welding, it's also an art form. Here are a couple of my works:

A 22 inch scorpion from scrap. My beagle is dates the picture as Halloween:

An armadillo from horseshoes:

 

[uscitizen]

Wire feed aka MIG?

 

[Dabs]

Very nice Divine, indeed
One of my sons is a welder, and he says having to work in this hot heat is a killer.
My first husband was a welder, still is actually, and I remember him constantly burning his eyes because he refused to wear his protective glasses.
Dumbass, he pissed me off so many times ~LoL~
My son wears his...and once again kudos to you for some terrific products!

 

[Divine Wind]

Wire feed aka MIG?

I use MIG, but those were stick since I need the practice. I also have a TIG set up for my stick welder, but need a lot of practice there. I'll save that for cooler weather.

Very nice Divine, indeed
One of my sons is a welder, and he says having to work in this hot heat is a killer.
My first husband was a welder, still is actually, and I remember him constantly burning his eyes because he refused to wear his protective glasses.
Dumbass, he pissed me off so many times ~LoL~
My son wears his...and once again kudos to you for some terrific products!

Yes, the heat is why I haven't been working on my latest project, a trailer, for 6 weeks. It will be late September or October before I do.

Your son is smart. Repeated exposure to unfiltered welding arcs results in loss of sight over time and with age. My girlfriend recruits workers for a temp employment agency. Mostly industrial type workers including welders. She asked about the blindness thing since she knew some of the older welders who were having problems and worried about me. I told her it was caused by improper use of safety equipment just like hearing protection.

 

[freedombecki]

At 55, I'm planning my retirement at 65. People like to talk about going fishing or golfing all the time when they retire, but actually most would be bored shitless after a couple of months. I gave a lot of thought to a home business where I could work for someone else if need be. Something that gave me an opportunity to pick and choose jobs plus be outside. Being inside on a computer or shuffling papers isn't my idea of fun. In the end I took a year's worth of welding classes at a local community college, two nights a week, for $2000. It was very enjoyable.

Even though there are many practical applications to welding, it's also an art form. Here are a couple of my works:

A 22 inch scorpion from scrap. My beagle is dates the picture as Halloween:

An armadillo from horseshoes:

Wow! A man of art! Fabuloso!

 

[daveman]

At 55, I'm planning my retirement at 65. People like to talk about going fishing or golfing all the time when they retire, but actually most would be bored shitless after a couple of months. I gave a lot of thought to a home business where I could work for someone else if need be. Something that gave me an opportunity to pick and choose jobs plus be outside. Being inside on a computer or shuffling papers isn't my idea of fun. In the end I took a year's worth of welding classes at a local community college, two nights a week, for $2000. It was very enjoyable.

Even though there are many practical applications to welding, it's also an art form. Here are a couple of my works:

A 22 inch scorpion from scrap. My beagle is dates the picture as Halloween:

An armadillo from horseshoes:

Very nice, DW!

I start welding classes on the 15th. I'm stoked. I have some projects in mind -- art, furniture, maybe even a car.

 

[strollingbones]

love it and you wont believe what people will pay for yard art.....can you make them move and all.....

but i love the work....good luck

 

[Divine Wind]

I start welding classes on the 15th. I'm stoked. I have some projects in mind -- art, furniture, maybe even a car.

Great! I loved it. Where will you be going to school? Night or day classes?

I'm working on a trailer now, but my girlfriend was eyeing a wooden loveseat swing for $300 and I said I could build a better one of steel for the same price. Looks like I'll have to prove it when the temps drop down to sane levels.

 

[Divine Wind]

love it and you wont believe what people will pay for yard art.....can you make them move and all.....

but i love the work....good luck

Thanks. I've seen some cowboy art. A common thing around here is horseshoes for lamps, boot mud cleaners, hat racks, etc.

I want to do something a little different plus practice my skills at the same time. Especially TIG skills so I was thinking of visiting an aircraft junkyard and buying scrapped airframes for furniture. Something like this DC-9 bed. I'd start small, like a coffee table or something.

http://sleeprevolution.com/blog/bed-frame-blog-news/the-dc9-bed-has-wings/

 

[daveman]

I start welding classes on the 15th. I'm stoked. I have some projects in mind -- art, furniture, maybe even a car.

Great! I loved it. Where will you be going to school? Night or day classes?

Night classes, here. I tried to switch to day classes, but they were all full by the time my plans changed.

I'm working on a trailer now, but my girlfriend was eyeing a wooden loveseat swing for $300 and I said I could build a better one of steel for the same price. Looks like I'll have to prove it when the temps drop down to sane levels.

She'll love you for it.

 

[daveman]

love it and you wont believe what people will pay for yard art.....can you make them move and all.....

but i love the work....good luck

Thanks. I've seen some cowboy art. A common thing around here is horseshoes for lamps, boot mud cleaners, hat racks, etc.

I want to do something a little different plus practice my skills at the same time. Especially TIG skills so I was thinking of visiting an aircraft junkyard and buying scrapped airframes for furniture. Something like this DC-9 bed. I'd start small, like a coffee table or something.

SleepRevolution Bed Frames Blog » Blog Archive » The DC9 Bed has wings

Motoart! Man, they do some absolutely beautiful work.

 

[Divine Wind]

Night classes, here. I tried to switch to day classes, but they were all full by the time my plans changed.

Good choice! I went to Weatherford Community College. $200/5 week class, 10 classes total. I hesitated to ask because there are a few ripoff places like Lincoln Tech. They wanted $17,000 for a full-time, one-year course to be a welder. Their hook is "We get you interviews with all the local employers", but what they don't tell you is their courses are mostly academic. No employer cares how much you know about the manual or how many kinds of electrodes there are. They want to see you weld and that can only be done with practice.

Weatherford College, Weatherford, Texas

 

[Divine Wind]

Motoart! Man, they do some absolutely beautiful work.

Yes, they certainly do!

Heck, even the used parts for those aircraft are expensive. I'm looking at Cessna and Piper GA aircraft scraps and eventually hope to make a splash at some local airshows every year.

 

[daveman]

Night classes, here. I tried to switch to day classes, but they were all full by the time my plans changed.

Good choice! I went to Weatherford Community College. $200/5 week class, 10 classes total. I hesitated to ask because there are a few ripoff places like Lincoln Tech. They wanted $17,000 for a full-time, one-year course to be a welder. Their hook is "We get you interviews with all the local employers", but what they don't tell you is their courses are mostly academic. No employer cares how much you know about the manual or how many kinds of electrodes there are. They want to see you weld and that can only be done with practice.

Weatherford College, Weatherford, Texas

WKCTC doesn't offer an Associate's -- some of the other colleges in the system do -- but they offer a diploma and certificates in all kinds of different welding. I'll be getting all I can, except I'm not interested in underwater welding.

Weatherford looks good.

 

[daveman]

Motoart! Man, they do some absolutely beautiful work.

Yes, they certainly do!

Heck, even the used parts for those aircraft are expensive. I'm looking at Cessna and Piper GA aircraft scraps and eventually hope to make a splash at some local airshows every year.

Yeah, even a trashed airframe ain't cheap. But, man, that aluminum polishes up purty, don't it?

 

[freedombecki]

Found: welded '34 Ford:

Daniel's Welded Wire Arts

 

[eots]

At 55, I'm planning my retirement at 65. People like to talk about going fishing or golfing all the time when they retire, but actually most would be bored shitless after a couple of months. I gave a lot of thought to a home business where I could work for someone else if need be. Something that gave me an opportunity to pick and choose jobs plus be outside. Being inside on a computer or shuffling papers isn't my idea of fun. In the end I took a year's worth of welding classes at a local community college, two nights a week, for $2000. It was very enjoyable.

Even though there are many practical applications to welding, it's also an art form. Here are a couple of my works:

A 22 inch scorpion from scrap. My beagle is dates the picture as Halloween:

An armadillo from horseshoes:

cool

 

[freedombecki]

There's a good welder/artist, Joe Pogan video, here.

His knack for ornithology is what got my attention. His eagle page also includes links to two more pages of different sculptures he has made from incorporated pieces of all kinds of scrap metal pieces, which he collects at garage and junk sales.

 

[eots]

There's a good welder/artist, Joe Pogan video, here.

His knack for ornithology is what got my attention. His eagle page also includes links to two more pages of different sculptures he has made from incorporated pieces of all kinds of scrap metal pieces, which he collects at garage and junk sales.

its nice...but I personally prefer the big chunks of black ...heavy metal

 

[daveman]

Found: welded '34 Ford:

Daniel's Welded Wire Arts

That is soooo cool.