Welding School in Houston, Texas

rvb, there used to be a Piping Industry Welding School on the southeast side of town. It was/is for serious minded students and wasn't as cheap as the JC route. Also, Alvin Jr. College used to offer welding and San Jacinto Jr. College did too.

Try the evening Tech School adult night program. This is usually administrated by the High Schools of the city. They often have welding classes. (they do where I live).

mike

Thanks, Cope. I'll check it out. I'm also looking into the Lincoln Electric Welding School. Anyone have experience with it?

rvb

Is there one in Houstan? (or are you talking about traveling to Ohio to take their course?)

mike snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Michael Sutton) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

There used to be one at the Conroe Area Vocational High School.

I was considering traveling to Ohio. It depends on the quality of the course. And, I'm not having much luck finding training here in Houston.

rvb

RVB,

I learned at Houston Community College long ago. I know that you said they are no longer offering those courses. There has to be a lot of welding schools here since this is such an industrial complex.

I will say this, the instructor that we had at the college, may have been good but for the months that I attended, I bet he didn't spend 10 minutes total time with me or anyone else. I had to constantly ask the guy to come observe me and tell me how I was doing. Still, the ten minute estimate holds.

What you can infer by this is that once someone shows you a few of the basics, the bulk of it is practice, practice and more practice ALONG with doing a lot of reading.

It is one heck of a lot of fun to be able to cut metal and weld something up that will last for a lifetime or longer.

My philosophy is that if you own a screwdriver and hammer, you should own a welder, too.

Cass

Where in Houston are you located?

RVB,

Also, why not go to a small shop and trade grunt work for someone teaching you what they know while doing hands-on practice? If it becomes where you are getting the short end, move on and find another shop.

Cass

I'm on the West Side (Beltway and I-10 area).1

rvb

Actually, I am working in a small shop. I'm doing computer and office work. However, I'm getting so much of that work that I'm not getting to practice any welding. :( Although, the Lone Star Rally is coming up next weekend and we're getting ready for that.

I'm hoping that after the rally I'll get some more exposure to welding. I'm also trying to figure out how I can get my garage set up so I can set up a little metal shop of my own.

That being said, I have an electrical question. I have a sub-panel in the garage tied into my main panel for the house. How do I know if I can get 220 out there or not? Also, it's not air-conditioned so I'm wondering if a window unit or two would do the trick. It's not that big. It barely fits my two cars, my Harley, and some lawn crap.

rvb

RVB,

If you have 220 at the main panel, you can wire the garage's panel for 220, if it isn't already.

I would insulate the walls of the garage as well as the roof of it. It really makes a huge difference.

Cass

Uh...stupid question coming up...

How do I know if I have 220 at the main panel? And how do I know if I have 220 to the garage already?

rvb

Look at the main input cable.

How many wires.

There should be a copper, a white(likely) and one or two others. The others are HOT lines - if two then 220. If only a copper, white and a black - then the circuit is single phase - or 120.

Do you have a single line of breakers ? or Two lines side by side.

Or do you have two fuses ? Two lines or two fuses means 220.

Not an electrician - but have seen it. Have it.

Martin

Almost never would you have only 110V coming into your house. Look above you electrical meter at the wires comming into top of pipe. It should be 2 insulated 110V hot wires and 1 uninsulated neutral wire comming from the pole. You get 110V when one hot wire and one neutral wire is connected to load or appliance. You get 220V when load or welder is connected to 2 hot wires.

Look inside your main pannel below the electrical meter. If any of the circuit brakers are tied togeather with bar covered by plastic amp label, 30, 40, 50, 60, those are 220 circuits going to stove, hotwater heater, sub panel, dryer, ect. If your garage has electric hot water heater, electric dryer outlet, or sub pannel in garage fed by tied togeather circuit brakers then your garage has 220. To use 220 in your garage must have unused 220 outlet that is compatable with your welder. You might be able to use

220 dryer outlet to power your welder but better to have circuit just for your welder.

Thank you both for your help. I'll check it out in the morning when it's light out. :)

From your descriptions I'm pretty sure I have 220 to the house, but want to check the connection going to the garage sub-panel.

rvb

Attached Garage sub-panel is normally for the house and garage 110v circuits. Yes, there is 2 hot wires supplying that sub panel so could get 220v out of it. Probably not practical to use that panel for 220 to your welder as wires & braker supplying it are too small for increased load.

Detached Garage doesn't need sub panel. So if it has sub panel it's likly to have enough capacity for shop tools maybe even a welder.

There is an outfit on the west side of state hwy 35 in Pearland, TX which is a welding training & cert center. It's just south of Beltway 8... but at the moment I can't recall the name. Big place too. Serious tank farm for consumable gasses, preheating, etc. From the outside it looks like it's more positioned for petrochemical welding support than for anything lightweight, but you might want to check them out.

I have to go that direction tomorrow and will post their name Monday PM.

Best to all...

Roark Somewhere south of Houston...

I second this idea. I started last week in a 1 night a week/6 week program. It is limited to 10 students per class and you can bring your own welder or use the school's. So far it's been good.

Jim

Excellent! How did you find them? I'm not having much luck searching on the Internet for schools in the area.

rvb