Along the proud Papa lines

[sandawgk5]

I got some time today so the daughter and I went down and loaded up my new trail tool box and she asked if she could weld.

We broke out the welder since it was in the closet I was rearranging in the garage and she got on her new HF helmet she got for Christmas and a pair of welding gloves that are about 10 sizes too big.

She picked it up pretty quick but she still has a problem with moving too fast. She has learned to listen to the arc and can tell when she is too far away for the gas to do any good.

I am pretty happy that she likes it, she is learning quite well, and she is not afraid of it.

Here are some pics.
The first one is her first bead it is inbetween the vertical welds in the pic. I had to apply pressure against her hand to slow her down but she did pretty well considering.

These are different angles of the same stuff. She also welded that pin on there while I held it in place.


And this is the heart she welded after about 15 min of messing around.

These were all solid wire with75/25 mix. I have 2 2# spools of flux core that I am going to let her practice with so I do not go through so much gas.

Just thought I would share.

Dik

 

[rdn2blazer]

AWESOME MAN! I cant wait to show my son how to weld, and machine, and fabricate. Me boy helped a bunch with bending up a main hoop for my k5 today. I could not have done it with out him, he's only 6 yrs. old. I told him he was an awesome help today. Glad your Daughter likes it.

 

[mudboggink5]

I have a girl on the way, I'll make sure she likes fixin the k5 with daddy

 

[cbbr]

That's great. My kids have no interest yet. But there is always hope.

 

[Dafey]

My daughter does`nt mind fetching tools now an then but she really only wants to drive in it (or wants me to let her drive!! shes only 7!Figures she can sit on my lap and I push the pedals)

 

[blazin_blazer]

how old is she sanddawg? that looks pretty good for a 1st bead....i've seen grown men not do that good on their 1st attempt!

 

[rjpastor]

Hang in there guys

There's always hope. I pretty much quit working on my own stuff about the time my son was 3 or 4, so he never helped much, but now we're doing the Jimmy as a father/son thing and enjoying it. He's also now a mechanic - works on Mitsu EVOs and SVT Subarus, but he does most of our work with my guidence - he doesn't know anything about carbs - we're even, I don't know s**t about injection.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

She can weld better than me.


Can I borrow her this spring? Got some welding to do.

 

[84zz4ss]

That's great Ira. Keep her headed in the right direction. My oldest has always been my little helper.

 

[sandawgk5]

how old is she sanddawg? that looks pretty good for a 1st bead....i've seen grown men not do that good on their 1st attempt!

She just turned 9 in November

Dik

 

[vortec]

She just turned 9 in November

why'd you wait so long? you have to start early. fetus early. shove a maglight and a roll-up chilton's in there, because the kid has nothing else to do for 9 months.

if i ever want to teach my kid to weld, i'll have to learn first...and acquire a kid. my father and i are both handy guys, but for some reason, welding is one of the few things neither of us ever learned.

i gave my 17 year-old cousin his first tool set, for christmas. i can't imagine being that age and having to ask what the ratchet and sockets were for. at least he recognised the hammer. WTF? i in kindergarten, i didn't understand why other kids liked playdoh so much. all i really wanted to do was go home and work with my tools. when dad came home from work he was always pretty good at pretending 4 boards nailed together (or something similar) was an awesome achievement. today, it might pass for modern art. . but he really was proud a few years later when he came home and found that i'd changed the spark plugs on my mom's chrysler lebaron after school.

 

[blazin_blazer]

thats cool..man

She just turned 9 in November

Dik

thats about how old i was when i picked up my 1st stinger...by 12 i was fabbing my own gocarts

 

[sandawgk5]

I was 10 or so when I started. I learned on an old lincoln 250 stick machine. It wasn't pretty but it would hold.

Hell Readymix used the same welder I learned on back when we were in school in FL.

Dik

 

[nad]

Man, I wish I had a father that would've tried teaching me stuff like that when I was young. I pretty much had to teach myself everything that I know (by asking you guys and reading a lot), and now it's funny because anytime my dad has problems with a car, he comes to me and asks what's wrong.

I had to explain to him yesterday what a "yoke" was because he went to the junkyard with me to find one since I broke mine. He had no idea what I was talking about until I finally found one to show him.

I'm glad to see some of you starting your kids early, because I sure wish I was as handy as a few guys my age that started at a very young age.

I'm sure once I have my own kid, I'll be super eager to start teaching them how to wrench on a car or weld

 

[Cowboy_80]

That is awesome. I love it when kiddies are interested in work. My oldest girl is about to be 4 and she helps me (she thinks so at least) on the cars. She gets to drive the truck up the driveway too, and she told me quote: "I wanna drive by myself daddy. I'm old enough." "Are you?" "Yes daddy, you need to sit in my seat and I'll drive you to work." Now, she can't even keep the truck straight down the driveway, but she sure thinks she's big enough to do everything on her own.

 

[Dafey]

Man, I wish I had a father that would've tried teaching me stuff like that when I was young. I pretty much had to teach myself everything that I know (by asking you guys and reading a lot), and now it's funny because anytime my dad has problems with a car, he comes to me and asks what's wrong.

Thats 100% the way me and my dad are/were.Weird.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

That's the way my dad and I are now but he won't listen to me even if he asks me for automotive advice so eh...

 

[BGKYK5]

That's awsome - she is gonna have to teach her boyfriends that stuff when she grows up. Most kids these days can build a computer, but don't know how to use anything but screwdrivers and it takes them two tries to figure out which end of the car the engine is in. At least the ricers (the ones who turn their own wrenches anyway) know the basics. Most people are clueless.

My dad can keep his cars running and do tune ups and stuff, but that is about it (awesome carpenter though ) and my step-dad doesn't know much of anything about working on cars (great taste in them though ) - I pretty much learned everything I know myself (lots of reading ). I am determined that my kids will learn that stuff. Right now they just complain about me working on the truck too much , but last year my then 5 year old and I rebuilt a lawnmower engine.

 

[Ten_Bucks]

Thats cool to see someone that young learning that like she is. My dad never learned welding so in turn, he never taught me how to weld. I pretty much taught myself how to weld when I was 15 using my neighbor's welding equipment. I do need to get myself a welder and welding equipment so I can use those skills I've learned more often. My welding isn't that great, but it holds well and I can still learn with practice.

Scott