Welding Instruction - in Tucson AZ

Hello everyone. I have a great interest in getting into welding metal for both fabrication and sculpture. I have "single shop class in eighth grade 2 weeks of welding" experience (spot welding and oxy/acetyl welding). I am looking for somewhere/someone I can get some instruction from. I have looked into the community college in town and they offer welding associate degrees but no welding non-credit courses. I don't want to spend 5 years of a single audited class a semester to learn about this, just a push in the right direction, some safety information, and advice.

My brother lives in Bozeman MT and there are a couple of Blacksmiths up there that offer their shops and instruction on a couple Saturdays a month open to the public. Wondering if there is anything like this available in Southern Arizona.

Any feedback/advice/pointing and laughing is much appreciated

Thanks, Justin

Reply to
Justin E
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I'd go to that welding school and talk face to face with an instructor there. If they can't accommodate you then maybe they know where else you can go. I doubt it will be the first time they've heard the question.

GWE

Just> Hello everyone. I have a great interest in getting into welding metal

Reply to
Grant Erwin

This is the same problem I have here in Phoenix, AZ. I can't find any classes that are offered on my non-working hours so I am trying to teach myself. I haven't been able to talk to an instructor - they aren't available when I get off work. It got so frustrating that I just said the heck with it - if I blow my self up I hope I do it right :) - I am getting some advice here - Vernon has been very helpful. It would be nice to find a Saturday hobby class to take. I would be even better if it didn't cost an arm and a leg. They did have classes at the community center downtown but stopped them when they had an accident - apparently the instructor didn't know what they were doing.

- Justin - check on the dialog on he topic "Torch Care" in earier postings. I have gotten some good advice there and I hope to get more.

Greg

Greg

Reply to
ConcreteArtist

Up here we just pay Ernie to come teach a few of us at a time. Maybe you could find some local guys to chip in and a local welder who would be willing to come teach you all on a Saturday morning.

GWE

C> This is the same problem I have here in Phoenix, AZ. I can't find any

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Greg,

When is your "non-working" hours.

Mesa Community College has AWESOME welding classes. (Stick, TIG, MIG, Oxy-Actylene) night and day classes. You can't beat the price or the quality of the instruction and equipment. Instructors are cool too.

Bart

Bart D. Hull snipped-for-privacy@inficad.com Tempe, Arizona

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C> This is the same problem I have here in Phoenix, AZ. I can't find any

Reply to
Bart D. Hull

Taken that class, quite good!

Reply to
TT

Try a welding supplier - In San Jose - one large I suppose supplier runs classes themselves. I suppose one way to increase business.

I never could go when there since it was during the week and not easy with a job.

Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

C> This is the same problem I have here in Phoenix, AZ. I can't find any

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Well thanks for the advice. I have gone ahead and barraged the instructors at PCC here in Tucson with emails. I will have to call around to some welding shops and see if they don't offer some courses. Or I can just follow in the footsteps of Greg and do my best at it and hope for the skill to, if I screw up, hurt myself in an apocalyptic manner. Hopefully I will keep my fingers so I can let you all know how it goes ; ) Thanks again for the advice. Justin

Reply to
Justin E

Justin, one more time I think you'd greatly improve your chances of a positive outcome if you talked to the instructors face to face. I realize it might mean taking part of a day off work but you did say this was important to you, right? My point is that some people just aren't used to email as a serious form of communication yet, and it is my experience that community college welding instructors (with a few exceptions like Ernie) are mostly of that type. Whether you want to look at it this way or not, you're selling them on an idea (that they should help you learn to weld) and many sales encounters seem to work better in person.

Good luck. - GWE

Just> Well thanks for the advice. I have gone ahead and barraged the

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Grant just described my instructor exactly. SHE was a retired commercial welder, all 5 feet (0 inches) of her, who seemed to have contempt for the PC the community college tried to make her use. But, boy could she TIG weld.

Grant Erw> Justin, one more time I think you'd greatly improve your chances of a

Reply to
Gerald Cooper

OK - I am sold - I will take some tmie off work and go see them at MCC and see what they advise.

Thanks Justin - great discussion.

Greg

Reply to
ConcreteArtist

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