We recently had the chance to sit down with Joanie Butler, Arc-Zone’s resident metal sculptor, to discuss how we could encourage you, our lovely readers, to get started in metal sculpture. Let us begin by saying it does not matter how many creative, artistic bones are in your body, metal art is about having fun, welding, and creating something. Don’t worry about being the next Michelangelo of metal sculpture. Allow yourself to enjoy the creative process; you may surprise yourself.

Here are Joanie’s steps to getting started in Metal Sculpture Welding:

1) Start with Zen

Joanie gets into her creative zone through various breathing exercises and stretches, but you can go for a walk, relax near a lake, or sit and reflect. Do your best to be in the moment when your mind is clear of any type of stressful thought or emotion. Your thoughts, positive or negative, will impact your art.

2) Find Your Muse

Your muse, or inspiration, can come from a variety of sources.  Spend time looking around your surroundings and the things that interest you. For Joanie, it’s the coast and the sea. Inspiration can even come from that small scrap on the back corner of the shop floor.  A castaway from the earlier exhaust job.  The ah-ha moment. Here are a list of things Joanie uses to find her muse:

• Beauty you see in the world – a hot rod, a fish, or even Star Wars.
• A piece of scrap metal you can use in a sculpture
• Anything with a good balance of positive and negative space.  Think of what you cut out with those Halloween pumpkin carving stencils as your positive space, what’s left on the pumpkin is negative space.

3) Commit to a Design

Once you’ve been inspired, decide on the subject, design, or idea that you would like to fabricate.

4) Transfer Your Vision to Paper

Draw sketches to help bring more form to the project. The sketches do not have to be perfect, but they allow quick trial and error until you find a form that works.

5) Go Hunting

Pick your pieces and spend some time laying them out. It’s always nice to have a bucket of spare scrap.  You never know how a piece looks until you try it!

6) Ready, Set

Gather the right tools, equipment, and attitude for the project. It is important to have the right tools on hand to work with metal. Joanie uses mostly MIG welding and plasma cutting when creating her artwork. Your attitude is a critical tool. Remember that almost all metal art, especially scrap metal sculpture, is art from mistakes, miscalculations, and castaways. Prepare to make beautiful mistakes!

7) Create Your Masterpiece!

The operative word in that title is YOUR.  All art, especially for beginners, should be made for the creative experience of the artist. The harshest critic will always be you, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Priority #1 is to enjoy the creation process, and if you want your art to get attention or make you a little money, share that art with others.

Metal sculpture is not for wimps! Take the plunge and go make some art. Show us your homemade metal art!  Post images on our Facebook wall or comment below.

Be sure to check out some of Joanie’s artwork on her website. Joanie has been creating metal sculpture masterpieces and welding for several years now, and her artwork is truly remarkable.

We recently received a call at Arc-Zone.com HQ from a customer that wanted to know if there were any limitations to welding for individuals with a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator.  I had never thought about it before and I didn’t know the answer.  I decided to research it and share my findings with all of our readers and customers here on the blog.  Since this is an important issue that affects many men and women, we thought we’d post this blog both here and on the Joe Welder blog.

Conclusion and Disclaimer

Since this is a very serious medical issue and we are not very serious medical people, we will post the most important conclusion of this blog post right up front: consult your doctor!  Only your heart doctor can tell you what activities are dangerous, and how you should handle them.  Welding is an activity that is considered dangerous, so read up on the resources we provide below, do your own research, and most importantly, call your doc!  We provide resources and information that we’ve found in our research, but this is no replacement for your doctor’s expertise.  They didn’t spend years in medical school for nothing.

Electromagnetic Energy

The primary concern when welding with a pacemaker or defibrillator is the high electromagnetic (EM) energy created by the welding machine.  This electromagnetic energy can cause your pacemaker to continuously pace the heart, which can cause an irregular heart rate if your heart is already beating fine on its own.  On the other hand, the spike in EM energy when spot welding or starting a bead can cause a pacemaker to pause temporarily if it were pacing your heart.  Both of these situations are not good.  Implanted defibrillators could detect the EM energy from the welder as a fast heart rhythm, causing it to deliver shock (yikes!).

Interestingly, according to medtronic, the electromagnetic field created by a welding machine won’t cause any permanent damage or re-programming to your pacemaker or implanted defibrillator.  The primary concern is how these devices behave in the presence of the intense electromagnetic energy.  Any potential effects will end when the welding is stopped or turned off.

Another point to note is that Oxy-Fuel welding does not create an electromagnetic field, so it is safe to use with an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator.

How Can I Reduce The Risk?

Here’s a good list of precautions that we found from Medtronic:

• Limit welding current to less than 120 amps
• Work in a dry area with dry gloves and shoes
• Maintain a 2 foot distance between the welding arc and the heart device
• Keep the welding cables close together (twist them together if possible) and as far away as possible from your heart device
• Place the welding machine as far away as possible, and at least 5 feet away from your work area
• Wait several seconds between attempts when having difficulty starting a weld (don’t rapidly pulse the welder)
• Work in an area that offers firm footing and plenty of room for movement
• Work with an informed person that understands what you’re dealing with
• Immediately stop welding and step away from the area if you start to feel lightheaded, dizzy, or you believe your implantable defibrillator has delivered a shock

Resources

AWS

Medtronic

American Heart Association

Pacemaker Club discussion on the topic

We connected with Deborah on Facebook back in February when she volunteered to be exposed to the world as a New Rosie here on the Carmen Electrode blog.  Since we absolutely love women who are proud to be fabricators and speak up about it when asked, we love Deborah!  Deborah has had quite a long career in welding so far, starting when a woman was not necessarily welcome on the job site.  Through hard work, attention to detail, and pride in her welds she worked her way up to head of the welding department at Non-Stop Scaffolding in Shreveport, Louisiana.  Here’s our interview with Deborah; we’ll let her tell you the rest of her story.

Where do you live and work?

I live in Blanchard, Louisiana and I work in Shreveport.

What is your current job title?

Welding Supervisor at Non-Stop Scaffolding

How long have you been welding?

Around 30 years total

What sparked your interest in welding?

College was out of the question for me.  I was looking into vocational training at the time.  Welding paid better than an office position and gave me the opportunity to work outside.  I had always enjoyed working with my hands.  After looking into it a little more I discovered that welding had a wide range of possibilities.

How and where did you learn to weld?

In 1978 I was in the first class at the brand new Job Corps facility in Shreveport, LA.  The only girl in the class!  I learned most of my trade on the job.  In 2006 I went to Northwest Louisiana Technical College to brush up on TIG skills and get a few certifications I needed for a new job.

What type of welding do you use the most or feel more familiar with?

MIG welding

What welding jobs have you held?

I started out at Non-Stop Scaffolding in ’78 or ’79.  The owner was great for giving me the chance with so little experience.  In the mid ’80s I worked as a maintenance welder/Iron Worker on an Interstate 20 construction project.  I then worked as a fabricator and welder for Industrial Blowpipe Company.  I always seem to return to Non-Stop Scaffolding.  We manufacture elevating scaffolding.  I worked my way up from Production Line Welder to Head of the Welding Department.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?  How did you handle it?

When I started, welding was not considered “women’s work”.  Most men thought I had no business on the job site or in the fab shop.  I have dealt with a lot of chauvinistic behavior.  In order to deal with it I became determined to be better at the job than they were.  It worked!  It still works!

Please share a career highlight or story of personal fulfillment.

Working my way into management with Non-Stop, the company I have spent the largest part of my career with, was a high spot for me.  Doing this interview with Carmen Electrode is exciting too!  There are no women welders in my circle to share these thoughts with.  Thank you!

What advice would you give young women interested in welding as a career?

A woman going into welding has to be tough; there is no crying on the job site.  Know the proper terminology for tools and processes.  The fastest way to earn the respect you deserve is to be meticulous about your welds, and respect yourself first and foremost.

Women welders are more readily accepted in the workplace now.  I have made a great living by welding and will hopefully continue to do so for another 15 or 20 years!

As always, if you or someone you know is a female metal fabricator doing some interesting work, email us at carmenelectrode@arc-zone.com with “New Rosies” in the subject line.  We’d love to feature you on the blog!

We love to see events geared towards women in the trades, which is why we are thrilled about the 2nd annual “Women Building the Nation” conference in Sacramento, California. The event will be Saturday, May 19th to Sunday, May 20th at the  Sheraton Grand.  The conference welcomes all women in the trades.

After the success of the “Women Building California” conference (now in its 11th year) which brings together hundreds of women for workshops and networking events, the conference has transformed beyond California to become “Women Building California and the Nation”.  According to the event organizers, this will be the second national all-craft tradeswomen conference held in the U.S. since 2001.  Last year’s conference, the inaugural year, was very successful with almost 600 attendees.

We have compiled a list of four reasons you should attend “Women Building the Nation”.

1) Educational and inspiring workshops. Workshop tracks this year include: pre-apprentice, staying in and staying strong, building leadership skills in the union, on the job and in the community, policy and politics, and nourishing extras.

2) Enjoy the California weather. We know all you fabricators in the Midwest have been searching for a reason to visit sunny California; well, here it is!

3) Networking. Get to know other women in the trades. Last year’s conference brought almost 600 attendees; this year will most likely bring more. This is your chance to connect with another female fabricator over lunch.

4) Low cost to attend. The organizers keep the conference costs low to enable as many women to attend as possible.  Registration, if paid before March 31, is only $75 per person. The fee even includes food (breakfast, lunch, snack and reception on Saturday, and breakfast and snack on Sunday). They also have negotiated a special hotel room rate with the Sheraton Grand for $115 per room per night (plus tax).

Please check out this event brochure for more information.

As female fabricators, sometimes it seems like metal fabrication gear is not designed for us. Gloves, welding helmets, hats, and work clothing can be hard to find in the right sizes.  We’ve tried all of the women’s welding apparel to assemble this guide to the gear you need to get job done.  In this blog post we’ll focus on welding gloves for women.

Lesson 1: You only get one set of hands.  Whether you work with metal all day at your job or occasionally as a hobby, working with metal glove-free is a recipe for lost digits. When in doubt, wear gloves.

Lesson 2: Save your welding gloves for welding.  The nature of your work will determine the right gloves for the job.  Most welding gloves won’t provide the dexterity to do pre-fab, while most fabrication gloves won’t provide the heat protection for welding

Lesson 3: You get what you pay for.  Paying a few dollars more means the difference in buying new gloves once a month and once a year.

Now that we got that out of the way, here are our top picks in gloves for female fabricators.

For general pre-fab, project layout, metal grinding, de-slagging, etc.:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: A glove that can stand up to sharp edges and grinders, and provide the dexterity to keep your work precise.

TOP PICK: Miller Metalworker Gloves and Heavy Duty metalworker gloves

• Great all-purpose metalworking gloves
• Leather and spandex construction offer a good balance durability and dexterity
• Padded, reinforced palm and thumb saddle enhances comfort and extends wear
• For a couple bucks more, get the heavy duty gloves for longer life and increased protection, especially in the knuckles
• Not truly a product for women, as they’re only available in sizes M-XL, but we’ve used them and they’ll get the job done. Check the sizing guide to see if they’ll fit

For TIG welding and general metal fabrication for those with small hands:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: A glove that provides enough dexterity to control your torch and filler rod in all environments, but also

provides heat resistance.

TOP PICK: Firefly™ Women’s Premium Flame Resistant TIG Welding Gloves

• Excellent dexterity for precise TIG welds
• Drag patch and thermal lining for added protection
• Available in sizes XS to XL
• Top choice for the woman TIG welder

For MIG / stick welding:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Extreme protection and durability without sacrificing comfort.

TOP PICK: UPDATED- We’ve just added the new Angel Fire Women’s Premium MIG Welding Gloves!

• Fitted design just for women
• Premium grain pig skin palm with side split cowhide back
• Leather reinforcement on the palm
• Padded drag patch for durability
• Available in Sizes XS-XL
• Top choice for the woman MIG welder

For all of these gloves, getting the right fit is imperative.  Make sure to check the glove sizing guide before ordering a pair.

Do you have gloves that you love? Let us know in comments.