Get in the mood for Halloween with some… welding?  There’s no better way for the students at Pickaway Ross Career and Technology Center!

Pumpkin pyramid reborn for 2009

Pickaway-Ross students make improvements

By CRAIG ALLISON - STAFF WRITER

Published: Monday, October 5, 2009 2:17 PM EDT

The famed pumpkin pyramid, always located in the heart of the Pumpkin Show, has received a rework in time for the 103rd show. The job was a joint effort by the Pumpkin Show Inc. and a group of welding technology students at Pickaway Ross Career and Technology Center.

Under the direction of Tommy Collier, welding instructor at Pickaway Ross, students made a design, mounted the pyramid onto a wheeled trailer, fastened a towing hitch,  installed stabilizer jacks, and welded all the parts together for strength and durability.

Brandon Hart was the lead student on the team and was assisted by Burman Detty. Dakota Waggoner and Cody Hettinger assisted in the early stages of the project.

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What will you be welding this Halloween?  Share your ideas HERE.

There are a lot of misconceptions about welding such as what kind of work it is and what kind of people weld.

When Jennifer Simpson first came to Arc-Zone.com she knew little about the industry.  ”I didn’t even know much about welding– except maybe what I’d seen in movies. Flashdance comes to mind, of course,”  she said.

The longer Jennifer worked at Arc-Zone, however, the more fascinated she became.  ”It’s not the actual work, per se, but rather what people do with metal that is amazing,” she said. As she learned more, she also became interested in the stories behind the people in the industry, and particularly the women in the industry, of which there are few. As of 2006 only 6% of welders were women according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, in spite of a projected shortage of welders, and the fact that there are good paying jobs out there.

With a hat tip to Rosie the Riveter, the iconic World War II factory worker, Jennifer developed a regular feature on the CarmenElectrode.com blog called “The New Rosies.” (http://www.carmenelectrode.com/category/the-new-rosie/)

Through this column she has profiled women who weld in a variety of industries, chipping away at some of the lingering stereotypes about women who weld and some of the misconceptions about what kind of work welding is. With the JoeWelder.com blog, Jennifer initiated a feature called “Show Me The Metal” (http://joewelder.com/category/show-me-the-metal/) to profile all kinds of interesting welders and a variety of welding applications.

Both of these endeavors have showcased the incredible people in our industry to well over 130,000 web views world wide in the past year alone.

What does this have to do with What Welding Looks like?

Well Jennifer has been honored with the Image of Welding award from the American Welding Society.

There is an official ceremony planned for the FabTech Welding Show in Chicago (November 15-18).  Jennifer is unable to attend, but said, “I am honored to receive the award, especially since writing the columns and meeting welders is one of the best parts of my job!”

Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) and Plasma Arc Cutting (PAC) are two processes that are pretty amazing.  Plasma refers to the physical state of gas after it has been exposed to extremely high temperatures.  This ionized stream of gas generates a column of heat that is used for welding or cutting metals.

You won’t find a lot PAW applications in a backyard weldshop, but Plasma Cutters are pretty common….

If you already know all about plasma cutting, then this article is not for you.  This article is for newbies, for people like, well, I’ll just say it — for people like me.  But now that I’ve read the article, I think I might be ready to move on up in the world… you know, to articles like these –>

Plasma cutting and how it works

By Kent Swart, Contributing Writer
August 11, 2009

What is plasma cutting, and when is it your best metal cutting option? What information do you need to choose the right plasma system? This article answers these questions and more about plasma cutting.

The basic technology for plasma cutting has been around for decades. Researchers and engineers remain focused on increasing cut speed, improving cut quality, and extending consumable life, while making systems smaller and more powerful.

What Is Plasma Cutting?

Once a gas is heated to an extremely high temperature and ionized, it becomes electrically conductive and is considered to be plasma. Plasma arc cutting and gouging processes use plasma to transfer an electrical arc to the workpiece. The metal to be cut or removed is melted by the arc’s heat and then blown away.

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Having trouble with your SMAW?  Have no fear — Practical Welding Today® is here!  This article talks you through the SMAW process from start to finish and even includes a section on troubleshooting some of your more troublesome welds.  Enjoy!

SMAW: A welder’s guide

Advice and troubleshooting tips for beginners

By Harry Sadler
September 15, 2009

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is the most common form of arc welding. However, creating a good weld is not always easy, especially for a beginner. Following a few simple tips as well as learning the common weld defect and how to fix them will have you on your way to laying quality SMAW welds.

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is the most common form of arc welding. However, creating a good weld is not always easy, especially for a beginner. Unlike gas metal arc welding (GMAW), in which you basically point and shoot, SMAW requires a higher skill level and a mastery of certain techniques.

By following a few simple tips, even beginners can learn how to spot common weld defects and fix them to create a high-quality weld.

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Do you have any other practical SMAW tips that you’d like to share with the rest of the class?  Well, don’t keep them all to yourselves — post some below!

Maria Landa of Lima, Peru is one of the the area’s only women welders, and boy, is she giving the boys a run for their money!

CARE USA says:

Maria Ester Landa is a jet engine welder, the 2006 “Miss Micro-Entrepreneur” of Lima, Peru and was one of 31 women entrepreneurs from around the world chosen to participate in a Fortune 500 mentoring program.

While still in high school, Maria and her sister, Elvira, took a welding class sponsored by CARE. They liked it so much that they were inspired to take additional CARE offerings on technical and business skills. As the only female welders on their side of town, the two caused quite a stir!

When Maria decided to start her own welding business, she was turned down for a traditional bank loan. They said she was too young and had no collateral. But CARE believed in Maria and granted her loan through one of our microfinance programs. She repaid the loan, in full, in just one year. Today, Maria owns three successful businesses.

When a devastating earthquake hit Peru last year and left 40,000 homeless, CARE called on Maria and her sister to weld tent frames for earthquake survivors in need of shelter. They also made 100 classroom-sized tents so that children could resume their studies.

Winner of CAREs 2008 I Am Powerful Award, watch Maria describe how CARE helped her achieve her dream, and, in return, assisted CARE in responding to the humanitarian crisis that befell her community.