What do you want in a welding book?

I agree with Carla. Welding is as much an art as it is a science: it requires seeing and hearing (and feeling, although that's a bit difficult to convey in any form of instructional media). A quality instructional DVD is the way to go, backed up by a book. In addition to the reference materials Carla mentioned, the book can also contain an instructional narrative of the welding process along with photos (both taking from the video) as a study aid: the students can review the book material to jog their memory and reinforce what they watched in the video. I would consider doing this project as a DVD-ROM with the book on the disk in PDF format. That would significantly lower your publishing costs.

Btw, why don't we have any cool metalworking gals like Carla in the rec.crafts.metalworking newsgroup? :(

- Michael

Good idea. A DVD in a back pocket of the book would do nicely.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

You're gonna need wheels for this book if you take even half the advice you've got so far..

What about booklets, wire bound (as someone else suggested).. one for each process, including a reference in the back on alloys, filler for what alloy and common sources of different alloys.

DVD's might work out, dunno. There you run into stuff like filesharing, if that bothers you. Books can also be scanned and fileshared but that'd not be the same as having a quality, friendly book. A DVD isn't as useful in the shop as a good book, at least not in my shop. On the other hand, a DVD can be sold pretty cheap- if you were willing to sell it cheap enough you might not have to worry much about people stepping on your copyright. Retailed on ebay at about $6, they would really sell, should also be cheap enough to discourage pirating.

Best of luck with it,

John

Ernie, Do the book. I know some people learn best by doing and others will do fine with just a book that's written, and if need be, illustrated well. Especially if the book is trying to teach a manual task or skill, good illustrations can really make a difference. Carla, I know videos can be very helpful but I have taught myself several things requiring manual skill from good books. So I think books are a great idea. Especially if the book is used along with either a teacher or a video. A good book is also great to have as a reference when you are not in class and don't have any way to watch a video. Eric R Snow, E T Precision Machine

One thing that'll make it stand out from all the rest will be the line on the cover (and the spine) that says "By Ernie Leimkuhler".

That one line, alone, will guarantee good sales. 8-)

Thanks for the compliment -

I also haunt the rcm group and occasionally post there also :)

Carla

I think it's quite difficult to get the right balance between theory and practice. It also depends on the person reading the book. I would prefer a book with quite a lot theory.

First of all, I wouldn't like to buy a book that spawns from stick to TIG. Separate the books, or you get a mischmasch of everything without all. :-)

Now, that you (err, I) have decided to write a single book for every process, the contents depends on the welding process. for example O/A and TIG are quite easy to learn, because it's more you setting the pace. You can weld slowly, or fast. If you're good, you can weld fast, if not, then not. For O/A, I still cant weld above 4mm. But I also don't care, I fire up the O/A once a year and use it only for thin stuff. What I want to say, is that it is easier to see what's happening, because you have much more time to observe what's going on, and you also see what the puddle is doing.

Now to the processes:

• O/A-book: would not buy one.

• TIG-book: would not buy, because I don't have a TIG. :-) The one I want costs above 3000 $, I can't afford that. Anyhow, what I'd like to see is:

- AC/DC, what for.

- AC, selecting the propper frequency

- sure how to select the propper rod _and_ how to find the propper rod for say, aluminium. Describe some chemical tests that give the content of Si, Mg, etc. and then a table what rod to use.

• Stick-book: A lot about the propper sticks. A _lot_!

- select the right stick for the different positions. Sticks for repair work (eg. CI, SS, etc.).

- starting an arc with stick X and AC or DC. Many do have problems with that.

• MIG/MAG-book

- selecting gas

- setting up. Many people don't have the slightest clue what's right. the bad thing about MIG/MAG is, that the seams often look good, but don't hold what they promise. teach them to check their welds. Now this is a funny aproach, but I think it helps a lot for MIG/MAG: teach them how to make _bad_ welds. for example a push weld, holding the burner flat. Explain what's happening and say they have to cut through the weld and look close at it (maybe some etching). If you know how to make the many possible errors, you also know how to avoid them. Preparation of workpiece.

general: Teach how to observe and _analyze_, how to avoid and improve.

Would I buy a dvd? I think no. A picture shows how to hold the burner, in a picture you can add some hints, lines, whatever. But not in a video. A video makes the project more expensive, without adding _real_ information. Until I get a real good example, I think that videos are for dummies. :-))

Nick

I support the book. I am a professional firefighter and in the evenings, between runs, I usually read something instead of watching TV and then I can go home in the morning and try out some of what I have learned.

I also support a book. First of all a DVD can suffer from a miriad of production probelms. The net result could be a lot of work for a very amature looking product. Then you are stuck having done all the work with no place to go with it. Kind of like a bad weld. A book can be fluid. It can be a work in progress. Add information, subtract, re-write, edit, add pictures, illustrations, expand Q&As etc. Print on demand...you and I have talked about this approach. I still feel this is a viable option. Secondly, any kind of video production takes hours and hours to set up shots, edit them, putting it all together so it doesn't look like a home movie. Net cost, even for you own labor is expensive. Do the book(s) by topic...o/a, mig, tig. Market them seperately or as a series. More topics? Just look at our posts on this ng...it's all here. The first edition may not be a masterpiece, but you can take input, improve, sculpting the final product. As with any complicated project, the best advice I can give is to start.

-Mike

From the beginner's standpoint:

I. When to use WHICH process: O/A, stick, wire, TIG, MIG A. Metal types B. Metal thickness C. Expected results 1. Strength of weld 2. Appearance of weld

II. Equipment types, requirements, and limitations A. "Shop" (ie. non-portable) 1. Power/fuel 2. Consumables B. "Semi portable" [portable if you have a Semi] 1. Power/fuel 2. Consumables C. Portable 1. Power/fuel 2. Consumables

III. Techniques A. Safety B. Fundamentals [DVD/VHS demonstrations vital] 1. Basic concepts a. Difference between Soldering, Brazing, and Welding b. Purpose of fluxes and shielding gasses 2. Basic O/A or TIG puddle formation

etc.

[I'm sure that you have your lesson plans engraved in your head and, with your multi-year experience with students, have encountered most of the more-repeated questions and problems! 8-) ]

One thing for sure: try to get the publisher to use a soft "cloth" cover and plastic-coated paper: the book _will_ be seeing _very_ hard use in a wide range of "hostile" environments.

If you still have an archive of your old posts to these two NGs, you can, probably, save yourself weeks of typing by "culling" from them. 8-)

BTW, please let us know when, where, and for how much this set is published. I, personally, intend to order several - I have friends who could stand to learn a lot more - in addition to the set(s) for ME!

can you make is so i can set it under my pillow and through sort of an osmotic process be able to absorb charted data whilst sleeping??

thnx

I, myself, get more out of seeing it done and hearing it instead of reading it.

When I was an 'on the job trainer' of 3-5 axis machining centers at a aerospace manufacturing company, it seemed that after showing and explaining what and how it should be done is when the light went off in their eyes (i get it light).

As a teacher of welding (Ernie), how many of your students got it by reading and how many needed hands on and verbal instruction?

Ernie, you've gotten lots of good suggestions; let me take a different tack on this (no pun intended, of course!):

As a college professor, I've written a couple of textbooks. I have found it helpful to work on the book *as* I am teaching the course. (Not necessarily writing it as you go along--I did that once and about went under!) But you will think of many, many things that need to be in the book as you are working with the students. If you don't write them down immediately (or keep a pocket recorder handy and record a memo for yourself) they will be gone when you sit down to write the book. You may even be able to work out some sort of release form that would let you take pictures of actual student mistakes for use in the book (probably need to consult a lawyer and your school on that one). At the very least see if you can take pictures as a way of reminding yourself of things you need to address, even if you have to reproduce the mistakes yourself for the actual publication.

I say all of the above even if you are not necessarily intending this book to be a "textbook" as such. The textbooks for the welding classes at the community college are more than $100, so they have a pretty limited audience. On the other hand, you could write a book for more general consumption that would still be very useful (perhaps even more practically useful) as a supplementary textbook, as well as for a lot of folks who are not taking classes (or already have taken classes). BTW, I don't know how publishers are in this sort of field, but textbook publishers in the humanities often want to see a *textbook* actually used a couple of times in a class, and preferably by more than just the writer, before they publish it. A more general-purpose text does not have to pass that test, so long as you can sell the publisher on it. As to the latter, publishers normally want to see that you have the credentials and experience to justify the book; I think you could refer them to any member of SEJW and/or RCM for a resounding recommendation!

Finally, I'll chime in regarding including a DVD or CD. More and more publishers see this as a way of distinguishing their books from their competitors. I think the words of caution about producing a full-length video (DVD) are worth noting. On the other hand, short video segments could sure make a difference in the usefulness of the text. I'm thinking for example about the short video demonstrating how to feed a TIG rod through your fingers that you posted to the drop box a year or so ago -- something like that would be *very* difficult to convey in text, but was clear as crystal with even a low-resolution video. Short video segments like this would, I think, be much more feasible and affordable to produce, and probably as useful and maybe even more useful than trying to put together 2 hours of continuous video.

Hope this helps!

Andy

As an afterthought ... You might look at present day examples. I do know that AWS is developing instructional materials for their approved instructors. Locally in B.C. Canada we have module books that are used in a vocational setting. ( currently being revised)

I know Alberta also has a considerable library of material for their vocational programs. There is no use re-inventing the wheel and at the same time reference materials also tell you what not to do in designing the presentation. Randy

Now that I have read all the posts. I would like to see a DVD / book that work hand in hand as a follow along so you can use the book to follow on and then take it to bed or work as a refresher to read. Some people do books and videos on a subject but they are now saying the same or it sounds different. I for one watch better that reading, but if I see it on video or DVD then read it, it will soak in better. This coming from a beginner. If you want to teach them right, you need to start with a beginner so you can groom them the ground up. I like reading this news group. It does help with info. Right now all I have is O/A and wire feed but I do buy books and videos on all I can.

Don D.

Oops, hit the wrong button and sent an empty reply. Sorry 'bout that!

While I understand that you need those books for teaching, it's already been done. I'm sure your versions would be better but what I'd really like to see is something more along the lines of a "tricks of the trade" or "bedside reader" type of book that covers all the cool tricks you've taught us over the years such as the pencil and washer trick to learn TIG torch movement, how to smoothly advance filler in your hand and the nice "corner square" you told us about. The kinds of tricks that aren't in books already. I've seen several books along those lines for machinists but not for welders/weldors.

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

...

I read all the responses, and don't recall "how to do destructive testing" mentioned elsewhere. I don't think it takes much explaining on the "how", so fitting it in shouldn't be a problem. (But as JohnM wrote, "You're gonna need wheels for this book if you take even half the advice you've got so far." Maybe that could be a welding project in the book :) Anyway, I think there should also be at least a few paragraphs about the "why" of destructive testing, and how important it is, and how informative and surprising it can be, and why destructive testing should be done by the maker rather than the end user. :)

Do you plan to mention or cover any nondestructive testing methods?

-jiw