I’m not a huge fan of either Carrie Underwood (though she has a great voice) or country music (although I totally respect some of the storytelling lyrics)  but I noticed this the other day, and had to say whooo hooo!

Check it out, right at minute 2:22 on the All American Girl video.  It shows up again at 2:49, flames and everything!

Probably too late to register for the Spitfire Forge June 8-14, 2008 Women’s Welding Workshop (in Taos, NM one of the most beautiful places on our planet) but there is still time to sign up for the October 26- November 1, 2008 workshop.

The class is taught by metal artist Christina Sprongg, originally from Stockholm, Sweden. She now works as a blacksmith and fabricator in New Mexico. She has been teaching since 1996, advocating metal as a “tangible medium for all to tackle.”

The class is a “non-competitive and comfortable environment where students can familiarize themselves with welding and forging tools at their own pace.”

Taos is a wonderful place, and this week long workshop includes instruction, all materials, field trips, lodging… and more! Register Today…

Another great tip from Weldcraft®

Maintaining good electrical contact between your tungsten and collet helps improve current transfer and weld quality. Keep your TIG torch components tightened and check regularly for worn parts.

Why do boys get to have all the fun?

This just in from Lincoln Electric’s iWeld newsletter (if you’re not signed up yet, go do it now! they send lots of great articles and my favorite, the How I Did It section showcasing different projects submitted by real life welders.)

Project Go Cart was submitted by Martin Ziskind and his son and built in 9 days…. would have been a great mother/daughter project too!

For some great how-to pics to stimulate your imagination, visit the Lincoln Electric site.

This one caught my eye…. the Vision Award seems similar to the Image of Welding Award, and Tomboy Tools — what can I say. It’s the new tupperware! Check it out.

NAWIC’s Crystal Vision Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals with vision who help promote, expand and encourage the role of womenin the construction industry.

Janet Rickstrew (left), co-founder and CEO of Tomboy Tools, and Nancy A. Eaton (right), CCA, CDS, CIT, CFO of Par 3 Landscape and Maintenance Inc., help pave the way for women in the construction industry.

Fort Worth, TX (PRWEB) May 16, 2008 — The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is pleased to announce the winners of its 14th annual Crystal Vision Awards. The mission of the Crystal Vision Awards is to recognize individuals who promote, expand and encourage the role of women in the construction industry. Janet Rickstrew is the recipient of the Crystal Vision Award, which is awarded to a nonmember of NAWIC, and Nancy A. Eaton, CCA, CDS, CIT, is the recipient of the Crystal Achievement Award, which is awarded to a NAWIC member.

Janet Rickstrew is the co-founder and CEO of Tomboy Tools. Rickstrew, with the help of a friend, founded the company in 2000 in an effort to provide hands-on training and high-quality tools for women around the world. The mission of Tomboy Tools is to build confidence and empower women through education, quality tools and an independent business opportunity. In order to fulfill her mission to teach women the needed skills to make simple home repairs, she designed Tomboy Tools as a “party-plan” company. This structure encourages women to join the company as consultants who then reach out to their communities and teach other women the hands-on approach. Rickstrew has initiated educational processes of teaching women and promoting the idea that women can and should consider a career in the construction industry. (more…)