[KeS]

I don't know if any of you are welding any 4130 tubing for race cars, motocycles, bikes, aircraft, etc, or not, but be careful of getting China made 4130, its junk. Make sure that the 4130 that you get is made in the U.S. Pops

Most of my HPV projects are 4130, but probably much thinner than what you use in aircraft - I typically use .028" and .035" wall. I buy from the west coast Aircraft Spruce - no idea where it's made.

 

[bearhawk]

I use a lot of .035 wall 4130. Dillsburg in Pa. was the largest supplier of 4130 but Charlie got old and went out of business. Wicks Aircraft supply near St. Louis bought out what was left of his stock. I have bought a little from Aircraft Spuce in GA. This company makes U.S. 4130.
http://www.plymouth.com/products/carbon-and-alloy-tubing/promoly-4130-steel-tubing/ Should be an outlet on the west coast somewhere. Pops

Most of my HPV projects are 4130, but probably much thinner than what you use in aircraft - I typically use .028" and .035" wall. I buy from the west coast Aircraft Spruce - no idea where it's made.

 

[Optimist]

Thanks for posting that tip on the hole to allow pressure release. I don't do much welding that results in a closed tube, but the kid brother does. I'll mention it to him, and see if he uses it.

 

[Tex]

Something to make you laugh.

http://hooniverse.com/2012/09/24/truth-in-advertising-hazard-fraught-tools/

Tex

 

[Savinkov]

Something to make you laugh.

http://hooniverse.com/2012/09/24/truth-in-advertising-hazard-fraught-tools/

Tex

LAUGH... **** dude I am CHOKING to death

 

[bearhawk]

I'am going to wait until the 12V cordless hammer is on sale for a lower price. Pops

 

[WolfSoldier]

Welding in my future?

Getting a degree wont hurt you at all and will likely make you more desirable than a non-degreed welder. If you plan on making a decent living in the welding field you will have to go into either pipe welding or aerospace. I have done both and I prefer aerospace. It's cleaner, less physical and you get to do more new and exciting stuff. i have friends that still weld pipe and they make decent money but they work their butts off. Welding up in a rack of pipe in the hot sun, cold wind, muggy summer, damp winter is not awesome after the first few times.

Lots of the pipe welders have to travel to shutdowns to make a living. I wont be a gypsy. There are places that use machinist/welders but from what I've seen they don't put full value on either one. They never really give you full credit for being a machinist or welder and move you around too much to suit me.

If the government situation gets settled down and actually passes a responsible budget, aerospace is poised to boom again. We are in the R&D phase of the return to space and have lots of work ahead for thousands of people with the right skills.

Should you decide to go into aerospace welding, try to get as much DCEN aluminum experience as you can and friction stir if available. These two are the heart and future of aerospace welding.

Good luck.

I've been doing this for just over 33 years and I don't care if I ever weld anything again in my life.

Pangea - I've been flying airplanes for 32 years and don't care if I ever fly one again. When I retire in 606 days (so says the app on my phone today) I want to start a career as a welder (stop laughing ... it's what I always wanted to do before I got caught up in the flying biz). I've been looking at the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology in Troy, OH. Know anything about it? Would I be better off to go to one of the local community colleges for an associate or to this dedicated school?

 

[Optimist]

Welcome to the Board, WolfSoldier. Sounds like you're ready for a change in direction, all right.

 

[Pangea]

The Ohio State University offers a Weld Engineering degree that is widely recognized as the premier degree to have in the welding field. In fact, the N.A.S.A. only hires welding engineers from this university.

As far as learning to weld for a living? Just about any vocational institute will give you the opportunity to find out weather you have "the hand" or not. If it looks like you still want to do something as stupid as get into the welding field:then have at it.

I don't know anything about the Hobart Institute but if Hobart puts their name on it, it should be good to go.

You could go to the web site below and ask about the Hobart Institute. That board has a very well rounded membership and they have answered questions for people in a satisfactory manner.

http://weldingweb.com/

Good luck.

 

[superflux]

WolfSoldier,
You can do wrong going to the Hobart Institute.
I have volunteer taught at a local community college (no pay at all, I love to promote the art and science of welding) and can attest to the fact that it can very well depend on the individual instructor as to the quality and competence, as they varied greatly at this one school.
Having said this, you most likely will do just fine at your local CC, as Welding is like the guitar: easy to get some basic fundamentals down, but very difficult to master even one phase of it.
Analogy #2) Welding is like athletics (since there is a lot of precise hand eye coordination involved), and is exponentially harder for older folks to master.
Not knowing the details of your personal, financial situation... My general advice would be to try out your local CC for a semester and see if this is truly what you want. Then maybe make the big move to Hobart. There are other schools around the country that are just as good. I know a few Instructors. You may PM me for further advice if you wish

 

[Burnt wasp]

Oil Field trash!:

I welded gas lift mandrels for Weatherford Enterra for over three years. 12 hours a day, six days a week in Broussard Louisiana. Talk about hot! I was certified to 20,000# psi. Man when one of those failed a pressure test the whole neighborhood knew it!

I've just finished trade school and landed a new job for a company called Cadorath Aerospace in Broussard, Louisiana. They trained me on the job for about two weeks until I could pass the test, welding Inconel, cobalt, and various stainless alloys. Just wondering if you have any advice for moving up to the bigger and better aerospace companies as their top pay is only 20hr. I have about 5 years experience working in a small fab shop and the trade school I went to was geared towards the oilfield.

 

[Tex]

I've just finished trade school and landed a new job for a company called Cadorath Aerospace in Broussard, Louisiana. They trained me on the job for about two weeks until I could pass the test, welding Inconel, cobalt, and various stainless alloys. Just wondering if you have any advice for moving up to the bigger and better aerospace companies as their top pay is only 20hr. I have about 5 years experience working in a small fab shop and the trade school I went to was geared towards the oilfield.

Stay with what you are doing and learn the trade and industry. You are 22yrs old. Look forward to spending several years in the trenches before those around you and above you stop calling you kid.

Eyes open and mouth shut. And yes there are such things as stupid questions. Just watch what someone is doing and trying to teach. They will most likely answer your question without your never having asked. If at the end of the day you still dont know, offer to buy a round and they will be more than happy to answer anything yoou want. You are young and have a long way to go, but once you finally get there it is a very rewarding career. Just have a can do attitude and pay attention. When it comes to moving up, it is as much about your attitude as it is your ability.

Goodluck
Tex

 

[Levant]

I bought a welding machine at a tool outlet sale. I think it's made in China. The prongs on the plug were turned the wrong way so I bent them to fit into my dryer socket. The machine smoked a little then seemed to run ok. My question is, can I weld a metal part with it? The metal seems pretty hard. I can't dig my thumbnail into it but a file makes marks on it. The part is painted black and is out of the steering section on a local school bus. I think I can weld it in place because when I lay on my back, I can see it with a mirror.

Do I need to use any kind of special wire or rod for this? What kind do you suggest? Can I use coat hanger?

Thanks.

Go to the hardware store and buy a new plug. What you describe sounds terribly dangerous and unsafe.

 

[Pangea]

I've just finished trade school and landed a new job for a company called Cadorath Aerospace in Broussard, Louisiana. They trained me on the job for about two weeks until I could pass the test, welding Inconel, cobalt, and various stainless alloys. Just wondering if you have any advice for moving up to the bigger and better aerospace companies as their top pay is only 20hr. I have about 5 years experience working in a small fab shop and the trade school I went to was geared towards the oilfield.

My son in law works in Broussard La. Small world, huh? I used to weld for Weatherford Enterra in Broussard as well.

Stay where you are for a while and build your resume. A few years of doing what you are doing will look very appealing to any major aerospace company. Try to get some DCEN on aluminum under your belt. that is the most used process in the rocket building part of aerospace. More than AC even.

Space Ex, and Blue Origin have been looking for experienced fusion welders that have extensive DCEN as well as Friction Stir. Soon; if congress ever passes a budget, Boeing will need experienced fusion welders in New Orleans East at the Michoud Facility on Old Gentilly.

There is work out there but they are buying all of the old experienced people like me that they can find first to make a core group.

Good luck.

 

[Burnt wasp]

Thanks for the advice all. This particular company doesn't weld any aluminum or magnesium. I'm decent with AC aluminum. Tried DCEN with argon a long time ago and the weld looked too dirty. Cleaned up the aluminum with scotchbrite and acetone, set my ac balance to 95 and got some decent results. Guess I'll have to give an arm or leg for a bottle of the lab grade helium.

 

[Tex]

It all just takes time Burnt Wasp. Welding is an ever changing science and just when you think you have it all figured out somebody goes and changes things up. There are literally thousands of tips and tricks, so pay attention to how others do things. You never know when you come across a little gem that will make things easier.

I have alot of respect and awe for the guys in the aerospace industry. Some of the things those guys do is amazing. Myself, I am a rigwelder in the oilpatch. In any kind of weather that Wyoming can throw at me, but I love what I do.

There are several guys on here who have alot of experience, so dont hesitate to ask.

Tex

 

[superflux]

Burnt wasp,

Sounds to me you have been given a remarkable opportunity.
You say they have put you on the payroll and allowed you to train. No company ever did that for me. I passed a test before ever earning a dime and if you busted 3 X-rays, you were looking for another job. I never did get fired for the "3 strikes and your out", but seen it happen to many others.
It is quite possible that $20 clams an hour is far more than you may get with Boeing, Lockheed, or Space X, or whom ever at this point in your career. Like one gentleman in here said, they are paying well for their core group of experienced hands, but you are not likely to be exceptionally valuable at your level of experience. (Besides IMHO, $50/hr and living in Los Angeles is not that great of a deal. I just turned that down a couple months back as an Inspector for Space X.).
I am making an assumption with that previous statement but at 22 years of age and having to practice to pass their tests, I think you might be lacking in a few areas...
So! Ask yourself this... Can you perform every task and welding process in this facility better and faster than anyone else there? Can you repair a GTAW machine? Are you making top money? It just sounds to me like they are willing to invest in you and THAT is worth a lot more than what they are probably paying you at this moment.
It's EASY to pass a test. Everyone's job is easy until some thing isn't going right. There are a zillion little things that can go wrong and make a total FUBAR of the piece you are building. Materials and rework are not cheap. That is where years of experience pays off. Not only avoiding FUBARS, but knowing HOW to fix the F/Ups when Murphy comes knocking on your work bench. AND HE WILL!
Sure, we all hear stories about "the other guy" who is making a hundred dollars an hour. Maybe he is, and most likely if he did, it was an isolated incident. I had a part time gig back around 1977 that I made $75/hr. A lot of us have/had those type of gigs.
The Aerospace industry is still in it's infancy. There will be plenty of time to learn all you can from this facility and then maybe move on up with this company or be a marketable asset for another. And then, who knows, if you are all that and a bag of chips, you just might be the talented man whose expertise helps the company get the Big Money Contract and everyone gets a raise.
Best of luck to you in your endeavors.

 

[Optimist]

Gentlemen, I am doing some work with 4130 and welding it. What kind of heat treat do I need to do to get the grain structure back into good shape after I resistance-weld a plug into the tube?

I'm running salt baths for this kind of work and have been running up to critical, then austempering at 450-500 F. Is there a better range of temps?

 

[superflux]

Optimist,
One of the properties of 4130 is that years ago before aluminum and even more exotic alloys became the rage, bicycle frames were welded with 4130 because it would not require post weld heat treatment due to its low carbon content. Now depending on you're application, if you are getting it up to fully austinized (non-magnetic), quenching and then drawing at 450°F-500°F, that actually sounds to be a fairly good procedure. I say sounds because I have not seen any mechanical test results for your process. My advice would be to destroy some samples to see if it meets the desired strength of your application. BTW, what is your application??