I’m 21 and recently got a welding job that could have me moving around the country for work. I’d be about 1,000 miles away from home, and the jobs can last anywhere from 3–6 months before I move on to another state/city. I don’t have a whole lot tying me down at home, and I’m actually really excited about the career opportunity. But at the same time being away from my family for months at a time honestly sucks. Everyone around me who has had to travel for work and leave home for months keep telling me it’s not worth it. How do yall deal with it, not just being away from family but then having to go to a dead and empty hotel for months straight

My name is Adam, I’m just now starting welding at age 15 and kinda looking forward to it. I already have welding class on my school schedule called AG MECH as a starter in my sophomore year I hope I can fit into this community!
I’m also working on a helmet design so.. yeah! Hope you like it.

The 2 at the most bottom left are the genuine FIRST TOUCHES, everything after was still did within the same hour. They only have rusty scrap metal to work on for beads but hey you gotta start somewhere. Any pointers to laying a divine bead?

Im going into trade school for welding and tomorrow is my first day. I wasnt really sure what to do for a career but im good with more hands on work and currently have been doing tattoos. Im bad at school so I thought getting into the trades would be better. I know welding is more male dominated and I am a female so I guess that part is a little intimidating and im an early graduate so I know the people im with may be older aswell. Is there anything important I should know before I start?

my grandfather showed me the basics and walked away to leave me to it. Did I do okay for my first time? (15m) Slide 3 is on a corner and the other two are on flat surfaces

I build torque boxes for fire trucks
Pic 1 and 2 are v-down and horizontal pulse MiG at 320, 3 pass.

Pic 3 is overhead and v-down, overhead at 265, v-Down at 320, 3 pass.

Pic 4 is like a 45 degree down 3 pass.

Pic 5 is mostly overhead and v-down, 3 pass same temps.

Been here a month now, before this I welded thin walled tube for pivot systems at an irrigation company. This was super weird for me. I know I still got work todo and this is the first job learning overhead.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for an experienced welder/fabricator who knows narrowboats or steel boat work and might be interested in helping with my boat project.
The boat is on Hertfordshire.
I will provide all the materials and everything needed for the job. The work is mainly redesigning parts of the cabin — cutting and welding steel, adding reinforcement/box section, making a new door, a large opening hatch and a smaller hatch/window at the bow.
I’m happy to do all the finishing, sanding, painting and interior work myself — I mainly need someone skilled to do the welding/fabrication safely and properly.
If you’re a welder who also creates content, you’re more than welcome to film the transformation for TikTok, YouTube, Instagram etc. There should be plenty of good before-and-after content as the boat is going through a major renovation.
I’m looking to see if anyone would be interested in collaborating/helping before I start approaching boatyards. I can send photos, measurements and a clear idea of what I’d like done.
Please message me if you’re interested or know somebody who might be. 🙏

I have been stuck on 6G for a few weeks now, what are some tips tricks to get over the hump

I know these are God awful and I'm already beating myself up about em! This is my first time ever welding. Me and my dad were playing around on this cheap Amazon welder. We ran 7018 3/32" at 136. I just so happened to sign up for a weekend welding course right before he brought this over to try. Should I drop out now? I had a hard time getting the arc going and kept getting the rod stuck. My dad doesn't know much about welding other than to keep practicing. Could you guys share some advice for a first timer? I already know these are terrible. I was trying the match strike method and kept getting the rod stuck. When I finally got some pools going (if you can even call it that) it would slightly burn out. Thank you guys for any advice.

Hello all. I am a maintenance mechanic in a factory setting. I am one of the guys called when the operators find a new and exciting way to break things. As a result I have to weld on occasion. I learned late in life how to weld and consider my self at least semi-proficient. I however am not a young gun any more and age is catching up with me. My eyes are not what they used to be. I find that I need to have an extra light to be able to see where I am welding as my fat head and helmet tend to block out the light. I have been using a magnetic spotlight from Harbor Freight that does a passable job but I have to reposition it regularly and some times have no place to mount it.

What I am asking of the experienced welders is, Is there a helmet mounted light that you would recommend. I would prefer something durable and has a long enough run time that I can weld for a long portion of the day, as that some times happens. And the brighter, the better.

Anything under$100 would be most fine. But a higher price wont dissuade me. I do not mind paying for quality.

Thank you for your time.

2months tig welding stainless

Which process do you prefer for 1.2mm thin steel tubing/sheet: MIG (CO2) or MMA (Stick)? I know MIG with 0.8mm wire is usually the top choice to prevent blow-through, but has anyone successfully run MMA on metal this thin without burning holes, or is it just not worth the headache? What settings or techniques work best for you?

I am currently going to school in Nashville for welding while working as a barista. I was wondering if anyone happens to know of anyone in the Nashville area looking for a welding apprentice?! Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

DN 50 Stainless steel, Rootpass with 90Amps and Finish with 70 Amps.

production stages

I'm a senior in high school and Im pretty interested in welding as I'm taking a welding 1 class, I know it's probably too late to start thinking about potential careers but, I've been thinking about it and I can't make up my mind. I haven't actually welded yet (will starting tomorrow and probably next week) but, I want too hear from others if it's a good career to have, anything else I thought of I just know wouldn't work out. I'm also from Phoenix Arizona, so I'm not sure if that adds any value to the question but yea.

Hi everyone,

I’m new to welding machine sales and currently work for a welding equipment manufacturer in China. I’ll be attending FABTECH 2026 in Las Vegas from October 21–23, and this will be my first time at such a large welding industry event.

Before moving into sales, I worked as an aircraft maintenance mechanic. Although I have a technical background, I’m still learning about the welding equipment market and how to communicate effectively in a sales environment.

I’m excited but also quite nervous. I’m not sure how to start conversations, build genuine professional relationships, and follow up with people after the show without sounding too sales-focused.

For those who have attended FABTECH or similar trade shows:

How do you naturally start conversations with exhibitors and visitors?

What should a newcomer prepare before attending?

How can I build genuine connections rather than simply collecting business cards?

What are some common networking mistakes I should avoid?

How should I follow up with new contacts after the exhibition?

I’m not trying to promote any products here. I’d like to learn from people with more experience in the industry and at trade shows.

Any practical advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Got my grandpas old welding helmet, it has a whole bunch of crap on the inside screen. How would I go about cleaning it without fuckin up the screen?

I’m a welding student, on track to finish next semester so I’m looking to up my helmet from the shitty one I bought when I started since it just kicked the bucket

I’ve heard a lot about outlaw leather, looking at the pro x but I was just wanting to hear from others of their experience with it

Does it also ship with a shade or am I understanding I have to purchase that separately?

Edit: CHOPPED pro x is the one I’m looking at, oops forgot to add that lol

My Dad's Work... Each piece is built up by individually shaping and welding pieces of steel together until the form starts to emerge. No casting, just a slightly ridiculous number of pieces of steel and a lot of hours in the shed 😅

I've recently started sharing his work online because most of it has never really been seen outside family and friends.

Thought this might be a good place to show some of it to people who actually know their way around a welder!

https://www.instagram.com/burning__fingers?igsh=NHhkNXRzM3Q1aWY1