# Hello from Port Coquitlam



## RickD (Apr 26, 2020)

Hi,
I'm a semi-retired telecom engineering tech and I'm just learning to weld. My inspiration is my son, who is a professional welder/fabricator, and has convinced me that welding and metalworking is a great way to spend my time.
I'm looking forward to connecting with others on the forum.
Rick


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## CalgaryPT (Apr 26, 2020)

Welcome Rick. I'm retired out here in Calgary. I've been hobby welding and fooling around with electronics for about 40 yrs. now. I'm more on the fabrication and welding side of the hobby and work with steel only. 

Port Coquitlam is so pretty.


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## Chicken lights (Apr 26, 2020)

Welcome!!


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## Marc Moreau (Apr 26, 2020)

Welcome from Gatineau Quebec I am a retired mechanic . I have no problem to weld steel  but aluminium ??? I have a tig welder lucky my son weld aluminium . Nice hobby many youtube  you can see . Look on youtube  you see different  guy's  so you get an idea. Practice make perfect.


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## RickD (Apr 26, 2020)

I need lots of practice! So far, this has involved about 4.5 hours of time on each of 4 processes, during a basic Continuing Studies course at BCIT. One more class coming up, sometime in the future when the school reopens. I was able to try out:

oxyacetylene welding, which I liked because it is easy to understand and fairly slow-paced, once you get used to lighting and adjusting the torch.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW- aka Stick welding), which involves lots of fire and smoke. This was relatively easy to do, except for the electrode sticking to the workpiece part. I've a long ways to go, but at least I could get a few pieces of metal stuck together during the class.
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW- aka TIG). This process was the most difficult of the four, and quite frustrating, since I probably spent more time sharpening tungsten than I did welding. It will take me much more practice to be able to do anything useful with TIG.
Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW- aka MIG). This was the most fun, because it was the easiest process for actually getting results. The machine did a lot of the hard work by controlling the arc and the wire feed speed automatically. My welds were still poor quality, but at least I was able to accomplish some of the practice work I was trying to get done. I'm going to concentrate on learning this process going forward.
My son welds aluminum, too. Lots of it at his shop, which specializes in marine work. However, I'm going to follow his advice and leave the aluminum welding alone until I have more experience.
I don't have my own welder yet, but I'm actively shopping. It amazes me how much people ask for used welders. Is there no such thing as depreciation when it does to welding equipment?


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## Marc Moreau (Apr 26, 2020)

RickD said:


> I need lots of practice! So far, this has involved about 4.5 hours of time on each of 4 processes, during a basic Continuing Studies course at BCIT. One more class coming up, sometime in the future when the school reopens. I was able to try out:
> 
> oxyacetylene welding, which I liked because it is easy to understand and fairly slow-paced, once you get used to lighting and adjusting the torch.
> Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW- aka Stick welding), which involves lots of fire and smoke. This was relatively easy to do, except for the electrode sticking to the workpiece part. I've a long ways to go, but at least I could get a few pieces of metal stuck together during the class.
> ...


Keep going more hour's spend on welding better you will be . Take your time this is a hobby and you gone get it. Just more hour clean metal good set up on  the machine steady hand  good temperature for fusion and it should work.


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## David_R8 (Apr 26, 2020)

Welcome from Victoria!
I’m also new, been dabbling since about September or so. 

I’m buying an AC/DC TIG in May. 
Prime weld 225. I have a Millermatic MIG now but want to add TIG to my skill set. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Hruul (Apr 28, 2020)

Welcome!!


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## JohnnyTK (Apr 28, 2020)

Welcome from Collingwood, Ontario. I have taken welding in college 2 years ago and about to embark on the TIG journey once I get my shop finished. No destination in mind except to make an RC Lawnmower as did CalgaryPT. With flashing strobes of course and board


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## Marc Moreau (Apr 28, 2020)

I just work today with my new Miller 211 nice machine.


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## YotaBota (Apr 29, 2020)

Welcome to the site, I think you'll enjoy it. Are you a long timer of POCO? I started out down the road in "Haney".


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## RickD (Apr 29, 2020)

YotaBota said:


> Welcome to the site, I think you'll enjoy it. Are you a long timer of POCO? I started out down the road in "Haney".


I've enjoyed the site so far. Lot's of good info and friendly chatter. 
I'm from Vancouver, spent years in Burnaby, and have now been in PoCo for about 11 years— so I've been getting closer to Haney/Maple Ridge all the time.


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