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Posted

The problem is, MiG welding is so much harder with a crap welder.  It's enough to put you off.  You can have an ace technique and years of experience and still produce welds that look like birdshit and prise apart with a screwdriver.

 

My machine is an Oxford and cost close to a grand once I'd bought a pukka torch and a decent helmet.  But it's money well spent in my book.  I can run perfect welds, with no porosity that penetrate as they should.  I can even weld thin crap like the 1970s Avenger that is a friend's on-going project.... and I'm not a top class welder, by any stretch.

 

At least if you do a course at the local college, you will be using a top-spec machine, that feeds wire properly (the biggest downfall of a cheap welder!) and will allow you to build up your confidence.

  • Like 3
Posted

This is what I was thinking. Unfortunately the welding course is a no-go because its filled up. Daft that they don't do any more - despite it being a very popular course that books up in a day!

 

I think I'll book on to the Vehicle Restoration course. This covers:

You will work on vehicle components with some theory and relevant health and safety procedures. You will cover aspects of body repair, refinishing and welding.

 

Body Repair tasks include the following:-

  • Use of body tools and equipment
  • Bare metal repair
  • Plastic filler repair
  • Metal cutting
  • Metal grinding
  • Mig welding
Paint refinishing tasks include the following:-
  • Use of paint refinishing tools and equipment
  • Panel preparation
  • Application of foundation coats
  • Preparation of foundation coats
  • Application of top coats
  • Rectification of top coats
  • Like 2
Posted

The problem is, MiG welding is so much harder with a crap welder.  It's enough to put you off.  You can have an ace technique and years of experience and still produce welds that look like birdshit and prise apart with a screwdriver.

 

My machine is an Oxford and cost close to a grand once I'd bought a pukka torch and a decent helmet.  But it's money well spent in my book.  I can run perfect welds, with no porosity that penetrate as they should.  I can even weld thin crap like the 1970s Avenger that is a friend's on-going project.... and I'm not a top class welder, by any stretch.

 

At least if you do a course at the local college, you will be using a top-spec machine, that feeds wire properly (the biggest downfall of a cheap welder!) and will allow you to build up your confidence.

 

Spot on.

Posted

Real men do properly properly nasty stick welding outdoors on a BL shit heap with metal like tinfoil...

 

In all seriousness though I course might be handy for simply reducing teh fears of working on your own car even if it doesn't really cover anything in any great detail. I only dared wield welders, grinders and spray cans near my motor once I'd stopped given a solitary shit as to it's appearance at which point any work that was vaguely presentable became a pleasant surprise. Even a brand new but shite quality MiG can have you reaching for the trusty stick welder after a few miserable runs...

  • Like 2
Posted

Drove back from London village last night back to Accrington.

 

Passed 4 different accidents on the M6 & M65 where people had spun their cars into the barriers. Amazing how people think they are better than the laws of physics especially in RWD German machines. 

 

Horrible weather and loads of standing water means that 90 mph progress is not advisable especially with 20 inch wheels and low profile tyres

 

A few weeks ago after a lot of rain I saw 7 single vehicle crashes on a 300 mile round trip , that was just the 7 that were still being scraped up as I drove past so how many were there, one of the reasons I only ever buy premium tyres is that one time you need them

Posted

How did you find out about evening classes SiC?

 

I wish I could find something that covers various trades - tiling, plumbing etc to give a basic grounding on how to make repairs / do smaller jobs

 

Loads of free time in the evenings at the moment albeit in London/Croydon

Posted

A few weeks ago after a lot of rain I saw 7 single vehicle crashes on a 300 mile round trip , that was just the 7 that were still being scraped up as I drove past so how many were there, one of the reasons I only ever buy premium tyres is that one time you need them

 

I wonder how many people in these situations actually have a decent level of tread? We know cars come into garages with tyres worn down to the canvas. You can have the best brand in the world but if the tread depth is under 3mm, you're not well set for standing water.

Posted

How did you find out about evening classes SiC?

 

I wish I could find something that covers various trades - tiling, plumbing etc to give a basic grounding on how to make repairs / do smaller jobs

 

Loads of free time in the evenings at the moment albeit in London/Croydon

I had looked a good couple of months back on our local colleges website but a leaflet came through the door the other day and reminded me.

Posted

That leaf owner possibly, he might only have 25% charge. Could always plug him into your ciggy lighter?

Old guy driving it got out after 10 minutes and went for a piss in the bushes , waved at me when he came back , luckily he didn't want to shake hands

 

Luckily I was only about 1/2m from the incident which was a BMW 5 series stuck in the back of a corsa , corsa was a mess, fire brigade had cut the roof off it so somebody was injured unfortunately

Posted

Seriously, spend what you would have on the course on the welder and have a go. You will learn more by trying and you won't have to wait your turn to speak to the lecturer.

 

what he said. if you fancy a trip to north devonshite i can show you my shite welding skilz

  • Like 2
Posted

Out trusty fiesta apparently shat it's immobiliser yesterday and wouldn't start, RAC dude eventually found the fuse ( F16 ) had popped so all good, went to work feeling like death and then died even more as the day went on and was happy to get told to bugger off early, cruising home dreaming of sliding onto freshly made bed when, after going over a bump, the twatting immobilser twatted its twatting self again, I swapped several bigger fuses and they all popped instantly so it was a case of calling the RAC back out and sit waiting to reach the next level of death .

 

Fella didn't seem hopeful when he arrived and was hoping to tow me to an electrician for a good bumming, then he found out it was his mate who had been round yesterday, fuse kept blowing until he eventually found a short by chance in the ecu wiring where it hadn't been secured by the shitehawk mechanic who did the clutch last year and had rubbed against the battery tray. 

 

My voice is alternating between Barry White and Barry Gibb and someone is hammering icicles through my joints and bollocks 

Posted

what he said. if you fancy a trip to north devonshite i can show you my shite welding skilz

I would definitely be up for that offer if you get a chance!

  • Like 1
Posted

There's bugger all evening/part time courses round here for someone wanting to learn stuff/refresh their basic car mechanical skills* (i.e. me)

 

On the other hand if I want to learn how to be a customer service operative, there's more corporate courses than you can shake a stick at. Grandma, eggs, sucking so worse than useless for me.

Posted

It's a shame you weren't up for welding stuff this time last year, I was in Bristol weekdays/nights and bored out of me skull!

Posted

I wish I could find something that covers various trades - tiling, plumbing etc to give a basic grounding on how to make repairs / do smaller jobs

 

Loads of free time in the evenings at the moment albeit in London/Croydon

https://thebtc.co.uk/

 

Find a weekend course / take annual leave / throw a sicky. Apart from evening courses taking 3 times longer than what a 1 day a week course does, it's a wee bit frustrating packing everything away just after you've got it all out.

Posted

I’ve got a bit of work to do that is really rather pressing. So, of course, Windows is updating itself and seems to be stuck on the “Getting Windows Ready” stage. Like it has been for THE LAST TWO HOURS. IT have tried a hard reset but no, this is as far as it gets.

 

FUCK YOU GATES

 

And just to add to the misery, Intel kernel memory leak flaw

Posted

https://thebtc.co.uk/

 

Find a weekend course / take annual leave / throw a sicky. Apart from evening courses taking 3 times longer than what a 1 day a week course does, it's a wee bit frustrating packing everything away just after you've got it all out.

 

I'm a contractor, annual leave/sickies don't exist and time off is extremely expensive! 

Posted

And just to add to the misery, Intel kernel memory leak flaw

 

"Forcefully Unmap Complete Kernel With Interrupt Trampolines, aka FUCKWIT..."

 

:lol: 

 

​That surely did tickle my ex-IT tech funny bone!

Posted

Aye, I don't think the Linux kernal engineers are best pleased with Intel's testing.

Looks like I've narrowed my search for a desktop PC down to AMD-powered kit....
(This is the same year that the Intel chipset that powers a lot of cable routers - including Virgin's latest device - turns out to have massive memory issues and just grinds itself into the ground)

Posted

MIG Welding course I wanted to go on has filled up on both January and April starts already. Slots were only opened up yesterday too. FFS.

 

A vehicle restoration course is full in January but some availability in April start. Still has some welding but also has more painting+filling+etc. Possibly still worth doing.

If it's the one I went on in Leeds don't bother. It's not crap its just not worth the time.

Posted

Couldn't you just pay FOAD £200 and have a little holiday? Would probably learn more than any corporate course

  • Like 3
Posted

Couldn't you just pay FOAD £200 and have a little holiday? Would probably learn more than any corporate course

Absolutely this. He was very patient with me when I had a go.
Posted

If it's the one I went on in Leeds don't bother. It's not crap its just not worth the time.

Was that at the city technology college? 5 day course for 350quid?

 

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

Posted

^^yeah. I went on the full restoration course (it was 3 days a week for a year) while it was still at the dedicated campus in Beeston. Was a good course but die to a cock up cost me a fortune and really apart from welding (which I'm now shot at due to crap equipment) Iearned sod all.

 

Had a laugh though and has taught me I can't work in a garage anymore. Tutors were good but they can't give you the commitment you need. Better off just to go for it alone and get an opinion or two here and there.

Posted

If they were still at the old site, I think I would have gone back for the panel fabbing course after I did the welding one in 2014. Expensive, but good fun, nice to learn from the older guys, also they appreciated having mature students instead of the term time kids who didn't necessarily have much interest in it. Innit.

Same, I haven't done a tenth of the welding I meant to after doing the course, and stupidly moved from a house in the sticks with two massive garages and no neighbours to annoy with endless angry grinder noise, to a semi with no usable garage...

That's my excuse and it's got to go.

 

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

Posted

I'm a bit late to this party but on the XJS I had last year, the wipers didn't operate with a screenwash prod if the level was low. Sensible when you think about it. I wish all cars did that, so you didn't just end up smearing shit all over the windscreen.

 

Soz for the late reply, I've been away. Not looked at the car yet, that should be this weekend or tomorrow weather permitting. Will see if it is simply me not putting enough water in and update.

Posted

If they were still at the old site, I think I would have gone back for the panel fabbing course after I did the welding one in 2014. Expensive, but good fun, nice to learn from the older guys, also they appreciated having mature students instead of the term time kids who didn't necessarily have much interest in it. Innit.

Same, I haven't done a tenth of the welding I meant to after doing the course, and stupidly moved from a house in the sticks with two massive garages and no neighbours to annoy with endless angry grinder noise, to a semi with no usable garage...

That's my excuse and it's got to go.

 

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

LOL you were there when I was there! I am what can be on my described as totally sodding useless as fabricating panels. I just can't get the shapes in the metal.

Posted

Wow, EE are incompetent. 

Moved my direct debit date so it was closer to payday. Wish I hadn't bothered. 

First bloke said he'd moved it (but actually cancelled it altogether). Didn't realise I hadn't paid until a text farted up on Christmas Day demanding money. 

Got through to the call centre on the 27th and politely went mental explaining mes issues. Bloke on the other end actually set up the direct debit that bloke 1 promised - but failed to explain that for that month I'd have to make a direct payment instead of it going out on the date I'd stated. 

Finished the call confident that the new direct debit was set up to go out this month; checked my account and found it not to be the case. 

Rang up again with a serious case of incredulous WTF. Got told that the direct debit couldn't be actioned this month (?) but would be for next month and all subsequent months until the contract ended/I cancelled it/I ended up chewing the plaster off the walls in frustration/jessop jessop jessop. 

Made a direct payment to actually pay the fucking bill I thought I'd paid for both months and got written assurances this cock up hadn't affected my credit rating and was actually set up properly. Advisor could sense my bafflement over the phone (yes, the irony) and knocked £15 off the slate without being prompted ("Yes, the notes are quite extensive"). 

Is it me? Do the things I say suddenly invert their meanings when verbalised? I didn't realise "Please move my direct debit" actually meant "cancel it outright, put me in arrears and have collections sit within days of cutting me off altogether." I think I'd have remembered asking that. Although it may have resembled "poo truceless hunts."

  • Like 1
Posted

'Modern' camerawork on telly. My missus was watching one of those crap dramas on telly last night, and the constant flicking between (very bright) peoples faces, blurred-ish backgrounds and general camera angles actually made my eyes hurt.

 

Oh, and those British people who type 'ass' and 'butt hurt' etc on Facebook: Piss off.

  • Like 5

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