Welder Course

Lesson 1 • Shop Safety and Hazard Control

Identifies electrical, fume, fire, and radiation hazards specific to welding. Establishes the safety mindset required throughout all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 2 • Welding Symbols and Blueprint Basics

Introduces standard welding symbols, joint types, and basic drawing interpretation. Prepares students to read work orders and fabrication drawings used in all core chapters.

Lesson 3 • Personal Protective Equipment

Details selection, fit, and maintenance of PPE for welding environments. Connects proper PPE use to hazard types identified in the safety section.

Lesson 4 • Metals and Material Identification

Surveys ferrous and non-ferrous base metals, their properties, and identification methods. Provides the metallurgical context needed for process and filler selection later.

Lesson 1 • Oxyfuel Equipment and Setup

Covers cylinder types, regulator function, hose assembly, and torch components. Safe assembly and leak testing are emphasized before any flame is struck.

Lesson 2 • Heating, Bending, and Straightening

Applies controlled heat for metal forming and distortion correction. Connects thermal expansion principles to practical fabrication and repair tasks.

Lesson 3 • Flame Types and Adjustment

Explains neutral, carburizing, and oxidizing flame characteristics and their applications. Students adjust flames to specification before progressing to cutting.

Lesson 1 • Electrode Classification and Selection

Decodes electrode classification systems and matches electrodes to base metal and position. Storage and conditioning of low-hydrogen electrodes are also addressed.

Lesson 2 • Flat Position Joint Welding

Applies bead skills to butt, lap, T-, and corner joints in the flat position. Joint fit-up, tack welding, and multi-pass sequencing are introduced here.

Lesson 3 • Weld Discontinuities and Correction

Identifies porosity, undercut, overlap, and incomplete fusion causes and remedies. Connects defect recognition to parameter adjustments practiced in earlier sections.

Lesson 4 • SMAW Equipment and Setup

Covers power source types, polarity, amperage settings, and electrode holder use. Correct machine setup is the prerequisite for all SMAW welding practice.

Lesson 1 • Pipe Welding Introduction

Introduces fixed-position pipe welding using SMAW on schedule pipe coupons. Students apply positional skills from plate work to the curved pipe surface.

Lesson 2 • Vertical Position Welding

Covers uphill and downhill vertical techniques with appropriate electrode and parameter choices. Students learn whip and weave motions to control the molten puddle against gravity.

Lesson 3 • Overhead Position Welding

Develops technique for 4G overhead plate welds where molten metal falls toward the welder. Protective positioning, short arc length, and reduced amperage are key adaptations.

Lesson 1 • Flat Position GMAW Joints

Applies GMAW technique to butt, lap, T-, and corner joints in the flat position. Tack welding, travel angle, and work angle are practiced for each joint type.

Lesson 2 • Shielding Gas Selection and Flow

Explains gas mixtures, flow rate settings, and the effect of gas composition on arc and bead profile. Students match gas to base metal and transfer mode requirements.

Lesson 3 • GMAW Equipment and Wire Feed Systems

Covers wire feeder types, drive roll selection, liner maintenance, and contact tip sizing. Proper equipment setup prevents feeding problems that cause weld defects.

Lesson 4 • GMAW Positional Welding

Extends GMAW skills to horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions using short-circuit transfer. Students adapt gun angle and travel speed to control the puddle in each position.

Lesson 1 • FCAW Technique and Positions

Covers drag angle, contact-tip-to-work distance, and travel speed for FCAW in all positions. Higher deposition rates and slag removal distinguish FCAW from GMAW practice.

Lesson 2 • FCAW Wire Types and Equipment

Distinguishes gas-shielded and self-shielded FCAW wires and their equipment requirements. Wire classification, polarity, and shielding gas choices are matched to application.

Lesson 3 • FCAW Weld Quality and Defects

Identifies porosity, slag inclusion, and lack of fusion specific to FCAW and their root causes. Students apply visual and destructive testing to evaluate coupon quality.

Lesson 1 • GTAW on Stainless Steel

Addresses heat input control, distortion prevention, and color-based oxidation assessment for stainless. Students weld butt and T-joints maintaining corrosion-resistant properties.

Lesson 2 • Arc Starting and Bead Control

Develops high-frequency and scratch-start techniques and two-handed filler feeding coordination. Students practice consistent bead width and penetration on flat carbon steel.

Lesson 3 • Shielding Gas and Filler Rod Selection

Explains argon, helium, and mixed gas use and filler rod classification for GTAW. Gas and filler choices are matched to base metal type and thickness.

Lesson 4 • GTAW Equipment and Tungsten Preparation

Covers power sources, torch types, collet bodies, and tungsten electrode selection and grinding. Correct tungsten geometry directly affects arc stability and weld quality.

Lesson 1 • Welding Procedure and Qualification

Explains welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, and welder performance qualification. Students interpret WPS documents and understand their role in quality systems.

Lesson 2 • Mechanical Testing of Welds

Introduces guided bend, tensile, hardness, and impact tests used to verify weld mechanical properties. Students prepare and evaluate test coupons to industry standards.

Lesson 3 • Visual Inspection Methods and Tools

Covers weld gauges, magnification, lighting, and systematic inspection sequences for surface discontinuities. Visual inspection is the first and most common quality control step.

Lesson 4 • Quality Documentation and Reporting

Covers inspection report formats, traceability records, and non-conformance reporting in production environments. Accurate documentation supports regulatory compliance and rework decisions.