Allen.cole, my uncle taught me to weld that way.

You said "it lasted a hundred years so it can't be all bad"... but that's exactly the problem. It's a hundred years old. The insulation gets brittle and cracks just from age, even if nobody touched it. That hidden crack is a fire waiting to happen. Saving money isn't worth betting your house won't burn down. People panic because the danger is real and invisible.

Actually, I've seen some welded ones hold up just fine!

Honestly, that's a brutal way to learn you just paid for a playlist. Tbh my entire "pro" skill set is built from a dozen half-watched tutorials and sheer panic. Ngl, the official software forums are usually a better bet for finding real project guides. The user projects there often have way clearer steps than most paid courses.

Three hours down to 40 minutes is a huge difference. How many jobs do you figure it took to actually cover the cost?