Thread: How _not_ to videos.

As per another thread in which I've recently posted, which made reference to "learning from videos" where i commented that there are good instructional videos by professionals and then there are LOTS of not-good-at-all videos out there as well.

It matters very much that you know enough about the subject to be able to differentiate the two.

Especially when the process could be used to fabricate unsafe items that could affect unknowing users/bystanders.

This is a "welding" video with good production qualities, a nice guy, and simply pathetic welding. Feel free to ad other examples of How NOT to vids.



It should be quite apparent to anyone who has ever cracked a book (on welding) or learned welding from anyone else who knows how to weld, that this fellow has done neither.





For the record and betterment of new welders, HERE IS A GREAT INTRODUCTION to welding with MIG: (a bit long and wordy and slow, but it's VALID!)

I was waiting for the guy in first video to do the slag down the shirt dance.

Also, there are great videos by amateurs, and bad ones by professionals...I didn't mean to imply one or the other had exclusive rights to either. It's just that sometimes one can be misled by well-meaning people.

I have experienced some very slightly better blobs (than in first video) on commercial mowing equipment, where a previous owner added brackets for a bagging system onto the mower deck. He had welded over paint. I broke all the welds and removed the bracketry with a hammer. Paint had survived _under_ his welds.

I also de-constructed some homespun mods on my log splitter, but it took a much bigger hammer and some grinding, bad design- with passable backyard welding.

These guys make utility trailers too. I've seen 'em.

Originally Posted by HaiKarate

I was waiting for the guy in first video to do the slag down the shirt dance.

Yeah, he's begging for that...I burned my arms by welding in short sleeves once (when i was 14). Pretty slick how he gets them gloves on too eh?

I knew a fella that took a real piece of slag in his right sleeve welding overhead. He was wearing coveralls. It ran all the way under his clothes, down his arm-across torso-down his leg, into his boot which was laced up fully, where it sizzled a nice hole in his leg. He said you could trace the exact path by the hairless trail it left. That'll make you dance, and consider fireman's zipper boots.

Haha I had to go back to catch the gloves at 2:20..

Originally Posted by HaiKarate

Haha I had to go back to catch the gloves at 2:20..

"minimum voltage" just before that!

yeah, you don't want to mess up and penetrate the parent metals.

That first one is so sad...Got that $139 farm store "Beginners welding Package." Read a couple pages from the "manual" and now "Look - I'm a welder" The only thing those dollar store shields are good for is a poor parts tray. You can't make consistent decent welds one-handed - certainly not a novice beginner. I do tack welds one handed, but always use support while running beads.

I have seen some pretty awful "instructional" or "demo" videos over the years...

Originally Posted by WadePatton

As per another thread in which I've recently posted, which made reference to "learning from videos" where i commented that there are good instructional videos by professionals and then there are LOTS of not-good-at-all videos out there as well.

I recently heard youtube mentioned as "The Clearinghouse of Human Stupidity" and it does live up to that lofty title. If someone has committed a stupid act, you can be sure its been posted! It cited as such in reference to a research project to determine if "cow tipping" is for real. The conclusion of the project was that cow tipping is an urban legend. No evidence of it could be found.

hahahaha, I didn't come up _actually_ on a farm but was never far from one. Cow-tipping is just a variation on snipe hunting, but college-age girls seem to love the notion. I remember trying to explain to one how it wasn't _feasible_, but you know how that went.

HEY but as to my OP, I'm now learning about CNC programming on youtube. There's some gold in there (like that second video, real genuine worthwhile instruction for a total novice). But you gotta be careful and slightly knowledgeable to find the good stuff. That's the truly sad thing about the first video, is that it's SO BAD it looks like a spoof or parody but it's NOT! Therein lies the danger of trusting only one source based upon otherwise legitimate appearances.

So far I've watched 3 different instructors on G-code programming, they do things differently, but enough the same to learn some basic machine coding...whoohoo!

Originally Posted by WadePatton

hahahaha, I didn't come up _actually_ on a farm but was never far from one. Cow-tipping is just a variation on snipe hunting, but college-age girls seem to love the notion. I remember trying to explain to one how it wasn't _feasible_, but you know how that went.

Growing up on the coast...going to watch the submarine races was a popular event.