I started welding in high school. Kind of a funny story though. Up there with the story about drivers education. However thats a different forum altogether.It was our first day of practical! We study theory for so long. I was excited that I was about to put two pieces of steel together with electricity. Aka stick welding. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing! I got about an inch into the weld and got a little off that gap I was supposed to be filling. I had a great idea. More heat more light right! Little did I know then that isn't the way it works. I got going again and shortly after that arced it out. I was panicking trying to pull the stick off the steel! A this point I realized turning it to max wasn't as good of an idea as I first though. I couldn't get it off an looking down I noticed the welder itself was smoking! Where there's smoke there's fire! I grabbed the fire extinguisher and to no avail didn't do anything! Now with dust everywhere a smoking welder and me with extinguisher in hand; the teach walks around the corner walks up turns off the welder and quietly says go to the class room and review your theory. That was the last time he let me weld. The nerve of some teachers! My welds still to this day look like pooh. I blame the teach. it has nothing to do with my skill or a lack of it. Well the important thing is I have never had a well break. Well except that time I decided to build a 10 by 5 landscape trailer.