Where it all started?

[Arc Tourist]

It started for me back around 50 years ago in Junior High School, when I took Metal Shop as an elective class. Fortunately no health and safety organization back then, just common sense safety instruction by the teacher. I was 14 years old at the time, and we were allowed to use all shop equipment after a demonstration on how to use it. I learned skills which have lasted a lifetime.

 

[Alan Reynolds]

I was a bored electronic engineer who did a C&G in bricklaying and then C&G in welding because I bought a stick welder to weld some metal. I then bought a faulty SIP mig on Ebay because I knew I would be able to fix it. I'd love to be able to do aluminium welding.

 

[indy4x]

My 1st car was a Morris Minor, back in 1983, spent a fortune getting it welded so when I progressed onto a very rusty GT6 in 85 I bought a SH Murex TradeMIG and taught myself.

Then got a job restoring Triumph sports cars and my thin panel work got fairly good, left it to work in IT late 90's and didn't touch a welder for 10yrs and then got the 4x4 bug so started all over again

Did C&G level 1 and 2 Welding and Fab (MIG & Stick) in night classes last 2 years, still a novice but have more faith in my welding now

 

[Keith 66]

I started at college back in 78 then general rough stuff in a boatyard, then years later bought a moggie pickup, it was nearly terminally rusty so i learnt a bit! When i restarted the boatbuilding business about ten years ago i got a tig set for doing stainless work as the local companies doing stainless boat work had shut & it was less hassle to do it myself than drive miles to get someone else to do it. Still got all the gear & not too much idea. But i never had anything fall apart either.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Rusting ex jersey post van. Shame it was scrapped before any real welding took place courtesy of a knackered fuel pump.

 

[KemppiFrog]

I wanted a better soap box than the wooden ones with swing steering. We had a trailer business inside Ryehouse stadium back then, so I picked up arc welding from the guys and made a tube framed one with ackerman steering, based on the Karts that raced there. I was 11. Sometime later I ran the works, but in another place. Since then, while it has not been always my main job, I have kept a w/shop continuously, making anything that people want and often designing it too. Gates, railings, stairs, bridges, boat fittings, light fittings,aluminium doors and windows, more trailers... and decorative sculpture. Bit of restoration of old wrought iron, but that is a pain(and getting heavy!)
Got my first Mig in around '85 and Tig in 2000. All self taught ( REALLY wish I had been on this forum back then)
KF

 

[addjunkie]

I first welded when I was 16 with an old buzz box. Then was taught as part of my apprentice ship as a marine engineer. Aquired my own buzz box. Built a fair few trailers for family and friends, hardtails etc while on leave and did a bit while at sea making new pipes on the cheap nasty Korean built ships I was on. I learnt early on not to weld cars, I can but choose not too!

Didnt do much for a few years, then post marraige got my self a mig, to modify bikes, built a few trikes too. Bought a tig about 12 years ago, can use it, self taught, but dont use it enough, since escaping to the country its mostly mig.

 

[fixerupper]

When I was 19 or 20 I left art college and I went to work at GEC in Colchester in the sheet metal shop making ducting, I got taught flame cutting and one of the welders taught me how to stick weld ...Then many years later I was fitting wood stoves and building fireplaces and chimneys...I bought a stick welder so I could make up steel frames to support flue liners and register plates ....Career change started working in Theatre building sets , prop making, scene painting , building stages , so got into mig welding....Jacked it all in ran away to Crete , became a small scale farmer , fix stuff, make stuff for my neighbours, still got the stick welder I bought years ago, bought a Clarke Mig welder a few years ago and joined this forum .....

 

[Seano]

Got hooked on it as an apprentice, so got my company to add welding to my course as a night class, gas and stick, then over the years ended up doing most of the welding on board ship, taught myself mig, then done C&G tig at college, owned various machines over the years, now do it generally as a hobby.

 

[steviec_lj]

Bought a BMW E30, or three rather, and an E34 that all wanted a horrendous amount of work doing to them. Self taught.

Moved on to making security doors and grilles, then on to HGV trailer chassis.

I still have the E34, along with an aging Pajero and an L200 keeping me busy welding, but most of my time is now spent hauling fertiliser and the likes around the country - hopefully not on the trailers I built

 

[Maker]

Outgrew a woodworking hobby.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Did a bit of brazing in school metalwork class and wanted my own method of joining things together so bought a Kel-Arc welder (still got it) when I was 18.

 

[skotl]

Outgrew a woodworking hobby.

Bit of that for me, too.

Always been into woodworking and the wife announced around ten years ago that I needed a hobby - Dad was in the REME (Centurians and Chieftains mainly) and then HGV maintenance, so I thought I'd try a bit of welding as the antidote to software.

 

[8ob]

Dad was a REME fitter and always doing homers, used to help/hinder him from a very early age so was a bit of a spanner monkey by the time I was ten. Being one of seven I had to build all my own toys from pushbikes,scramblers and later on to carts. Bought an air cooled stick welder when I was about thirteen to glue a cart frame together (not pretty) Had a Saturday job at fourteen working at a local engineering firm and learnt a lot ( imagine doing that these days with all the H&S bull ) When I left school I went and worked for a mechanical sevices company, got my welding tickets and that was the start of it.

Bob

 

[no idea]

I did a 1/2 hour welding "taster" session at university which got me interested. I actually started when I wanted a tool chest of a specific dimension but could find anything that suited so I decided to make my own using drawers that had been folded by a local fabricator (thread here https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/home-built-tool-chest.3955/). I started off with a Cosmo mig welder but a visit to a local welding supplier, advice from this forum and Weldequip got me interested in tig so I moved onto an Inverter Fusion 200PHF. I then wanted to try aluminium so moved onto a Parweld AC/DC unit. I then wanted to do mig again so sold the Parweld and got a Kemppi unit. I then wanted to do tig again so got an RTech 160 amp AC/DC unit. I then sold both because they weren't getting used. I then got the bug again and got a Lincoln multi-process unit. I then wanted to tig again so got a Lorch Handytig.

For me, part of the fun is learning and trying new techniques and machines. I've had a play with a fair number of machines and have come to the realisation that I really need lessons in tig welding to make the most of what I have. That's something I'll be looking into soon because I've reached the limit of what I can achieve on my own.

 

[bricol]

Learnt to drive late 80's . .impovished student so running late 70's cars and welding was part of the maintenance ;-) One Halfords bought SIP Migmate turbo 150 gas/no gas bought in an xmas sale in 92 . . . ten or more years of successful use later, I read on here they were crap ;-) Replaced it last year with a shiny new GYS. If I get anywhere near the same amount of use out of the GYS, I'll be pleased.

 

[Dieselman 63]

I came across welding as part of my voyage through life as a skill I’d like to learn.

‘Restored’ a lawnmower age 14, did a brilliant job I suppose for my age but a bit shonky in retrospect! Then nothing really til I was 23 and picked up the tools again to build a ‘small workshop’. Joined the forum in 2016 and the descent began. A heavy vice was bought, then a bench grinder, bench drill, metal lathe, then a pedestal grinder, a wood lathe... and lots of hand tools. Being at uni helped me restore the machines and I did courses to learn metal turning, brazing, oxy acetylene cutting, and mig welding. I can happily glue bar together and make holes in sheet metal

Best decision ever joining this forum though. Yes, it’s encouraged me to buy a lot of things, but I’ve learned so much and more importantly I’m much more capable than a lot of people leaving uni now who didn’t buy equipment, just used the workshop at uni. Being able to fix stuff myself is amazing and the best thing about learning is you only get better. Looking forward to the new year, cheers

 

[cianh91]

Started with my brother in law welding trailers and farm gear about 12 then done metalwork in school left school at 16 got an apprenticeship with a fab company purely by chance and doin it ever since

 

[Robbie260]

My Grandpa was a precision instrument maker at the singer factory during the war, then a mechanic in the army during the clean up in germany, after that he became a piping engineer worked for all the major oil companys and on all of the uks power stations he was one of the foreman on the heathrow air port southampton fuel transfer pipeline when it was built. I always thought i wanted to do that kind of stuff.

Tried to leave school as an apprentice mechanic at 16, was more than intelligent enough to go to uni didnt like the idea of having my career picked for me by teachers. Also my grandpa having worked from the bottom to head of a design office taught me you have no buisness designing something unless you have worked on it first. Got the job was the best candidate they had ever had allegedly but they chickened out at the last minuet. Then wanted to get into the RN as a helicopter tech the recruitment officer said my asthma and excema were a no no but here apply to the merchant navy the RFA so applied to them and maersk line as didnt really know the merchant navy existed until that day outside of a few history lessons and about ww2. Got the job with maersk line and part of workshop training was welding so thats how it started also bought a series 3 landy with my 1st sea phase money from my cadetship. And how its gone on since my welding leaves much to be desired some times but its getting there.

Like my current job as its the closest you can get to Scottys from star trek in the real world.

 

[brianblock]

Here’s where it started for me