Isn’t it time you started getting involved? That’s what these students thought!
I met them recently at one of our local AWS (American Welding Society) section meetings. Daren Hitchman and Fred Paregoy (3rd from left in top and bottom rows) are the member recruiter and publicity chairman of their AWS student chapter, respectively.
I spent some time talking with them and I couldn’t help but take a picture of their workbooks. Unfortunatly, I did not capture the notes and diagrams on the inside; they were very detailed and technical — I was impressed with the level of training that these new students go throught to get certified.
Though they both are currently going to welding school at ECC in San Diego, they make the time to get involved in the local welding community by coming to events like this one.
Through attending meetings and events sponsored by local welding supply companies, professional organizations etc., these students are getting a better idea of the jobs that are available to them once they leave school.
Who knows? They might even meet a future boss, or learn about an opportunity to open their own shop just by hanging around and learning about the latest welding equipment!
San Diegans are proud of their local Plumbers and Pipefitters union which has taken on the task of securing jobs for marines being discharged from the base in Camp Pendleton — nearly 750 leave each month.
They are currently offering free accelerated classes in welding to 16 marines at a time, in the hopes that this will provide them with a lasting career upon leaving.
Local Union Hoping To Spark Welding Careers For Former Marines
BY KATIE ORR
December 11, 2009
A local union is offering men and woman leaving the Marine Corps a chance to learn how to become welders.
Organizers are hoping the program might spark some careers.
San Diego’s Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 230 is already into the fourth class of its Veterans in Piping program.
The union is offering Camp Pendleton Marines who are about to be discharged the chance to take part in a free accelerated welding program.
Union Organizer Gary Sallis said many Marines don’t know what they’re going to do when they leave the military.
“Right now 750 Marines a month are leaving the Marines at Camp Pendleton,” Sallis said.
“We’re taking 16 of them every month as we can to try to train them to be welders. And this way, when they get all done, they have a career when they leave the military.”
I often wish when I’m stuck in rush hour traffic, that my car would suddenly sprout wings and fly over all the heads of those other unassuming drivers. But I’m not Brady McCormick, and my car can’t fly.
But his – well, with just a few adjustments, it’s more of a possibility than you might think.
In North Kitsap, Turning Old Cars Into New Planes
By GENE YOACHUM FOR THE KITSAP SUN
Brady McCormick has his eyes on the skies.
The machine shop owner sees an opportunity looming in building experimental aircraft power plants out of 40-year-old Corvair automobile engines.
McCormick, 42, said the recent announcement that Seattle-based Boeing Co. is opening a plant in South Carolina instead of Puget Sound “creates a vacuum’’ for aircraft manufacturing locally.
“Now’s my chance to fill that vacuum,” he said, tongue planted firmly in cheek. “I haven’t found the plans yet for a 747, but as soon as I do, they are in trouble.”
McCormick’s plans for building experimental airplanes powered by Corvair engines is no joke.
Pulled from wrecking yards and scrap heaps, engines from Chevrolet’s once-popular compact car are perfect for experimental aircraft enthusiasts to rebuild and convert into airplane engines, he said.
For some, learning welding might just be a hobby, or a way into a new career. For teens at the Tuscaloosa juvenile detention center, it’s all that and much more.
Welding class keeps peace at juvenile detention center
Students stay out of trouble to attend sessions
By Stephanie Taylor Staff Writer
Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 3:30 a.m.
TUSCALOOSA | Some of the teenagers at the juvenile detention center don’t stop getting in trouble just because they’re behind bars.
Fights occasionally break out between the inmates, who are sometimes incarcerated for crimes as serious as shootings and burglary. They may cause trouble in a classroom or refuse to follow rules.
But fights are occurring less often lately since the facility began offering a welding class on Thursday and Friday afternoons.
“People won’t act up because they don’t want to miss welding,” said a 16-year-old who has been at the facility for three weeks. “Some of them want to have a career in this, and it might be the only chance they’ll have to learn.”
But the program isn’t just to motivate kids to stay out of trouble while at the facility, although that is a positive by-product. The administrators, teachers and businesses who have contributed to the program hope that the vocational skills will benefit the teenagers once they’re released.
ArcTime™ Brand Hybrid, One Tungsten Blend For All Materials
The Sky’s The Limit With The NEW ArcTime™ Hybrid Tungsten Electrodes!
State-of-the-Art, Non-Radioactive Tungsten Electrode Formula: For all metals, compatible with all welding machines.
Fabricators from around the world are using ArcTime™ Hybrid to improve weld-quality, lower tungsten inventory costs and minimize weld defects. What started as “cult product” with a few specialty manufacturers of yatch towers, aerospace parts, mountain bikes and race cars has grown into our most poular tungsten electorde product.
Professional fabricators choose ArcTime™ because of its excellent ignition properties, low burn off rate and Tip longevity. As an added bonus, ArcTime™ hybrid tungsten electrodes work well with all power sources and all metals from mild steel to titanium. The material is clearly differentiated by it’s Sky Blue™ color code.
The NEW ArcTime™ offers all that, at a price even a hobbyist or small weld shop can afford.
We are so certain that you will benefit from the new ArcTime™ Hybrid, we are offering a Unconditional Money Back Guarantee backed by our industry-leading No-Hassle Return Policy.
“You’ll notice a difference just by striking the first arc– no finer electrode exists anywhere,” says Jim Watson, president and founder of Arc-Zone.com, Inc.
ArcTime™ Hybrid Performance Tungsten Electrodes™ pass Arc-Zone.com’s 5-Point Inspection Program and are delivered complete with Arc-Zone’s popular Guide to Tungsten (pdf), and Material Safety Data Sheet (pdf) .
ArcTime™ Brand Hybrid, One Tungsten Blend For All Materials
State-of-the-Art, Non-Radioactive Tungsten Electrode Formula: For all metals, compatible with all welding machines.
Professional fabricators choose ArcTime™ because of its excellent ignition properties, low burn off rate and tip longevity. In other words, this stuff lasts!
As an added bonus, ArcTime™ hybrid tungsten electrodes work well with all power sources and all metals from mild steel to titanium. The material is clearly differentiated by it’s Sky Blue™ color code.
The NEW ArcTime™ offers all that, at a price even a hobbyist or small weld shop can afford.
We are so certain that you will benefit from the new ArcTime™ Hybrid, we are offering a Unconditional Money Back Guarantee backed by our industry-leading No-Hassle Return Policy.
“You’ll notice a difference just by striking the first arc– no finer electrode exists anywhere,” says Jim Watson, president and founder of Arc-Zone.com, Inc.
Amazing TUNGSTEN. I never have to switch it out when I weld something new and the arc always strikes perfectly. I am on this for the rest of my welding days!!
Date Added: 05/14/2009 by Roger Wilcox
Some of the best large tungsten I have ever used. I am a definite believer from now on. And they set me up with a Net account in a couple of minutes. A wonderful experience.
Date Added: 05/25/2009 by Duncan Moore
We started using the ArcTime after we had some major quality issues with our tungsten supply. One of the challenges of being a government entity is the material is supplied for a variety of reasons, and most times quality is not one of them! We were using the 1.5% and 2% Lanthanated material, and it varied in performance and each supplier had a box with a different label on it which did not sit well with our welding shop instructor. We tested the ArcTime material and were very pleased with the look of the material, the supporting documentation and most importantly the performance. We do maintenance welds on Aluminum ship hulls – the ArcTime hybrid tungsten out performs all other materials, and saves us a lot of headaches. Now we can focus on welding!
HT2 Hull Technician Pacific Fleet (sent via email)
Date Added: 06/25/2008 by Arc-Zone Admin
Check out what our very own Roxy Fuel has to say about ArcTime™:
He was concerned that his newer employees were wasting a lot of time dressing tungsten on side grinders, and they were getting inconsistent welds. We got him hooked up with a Sharpie DX-K pro-kit, and he told us a little bit about his work.
Chris fabricates stainless steel custom pool liners as well as supply pipes, flanges, and tubes. I didn’t know this, but evidently it’s a requirement that hotels with pools above the twelfth floor have the pool made entirely from TIG welded stainless steel!
Once completed, the pool is then sprayed with gunite to look like a traditional pool. As Chris points out, no one ever actually gets to see his work, but it is critical to the safety of the hotel nonetheless!
The Gas Saver Pro kits are a convienent and cost effective way to get all the components needed to convert your TIG torch to the benefits of a CK Gas Saver front end. It saves time and money by organizing all the parts in one kit with a lid card and part numbers for easy replacement.
Customers tell us all the time that the gas saver pro kits improve their TIG welding performance, improve weld visibility, and offer better shield gas coverage and lower gas consumption.
Everything You Need To Optimize Your TIG Torch, and Get the Best Quality Welds — Right out of the Box!
With a Gas Saver™ Kit you can produce high-quality welds on a consistent basis for a variety of TIG welding applications in many cases replacing bulky and expensive trail shields.
The Pyrex glass nozzle offers excellent visibility of the weld puddle and the tungsten electrode– ideal for inside corners, inside pipe and around tubing etc.
Gas Saver™ kits are available in tungsten electrode sizes from .040″ (1.0mm) to 1/8″ (3.2mm) and are engineered with a replaceable tungsten adapter and universal collet for low cost screen replacement.
The CK® Standard Diameter Gas Saver™ kit saves up to 40% of shield gas consumption and provides better flow patterns allowing for electrode stick-out of up to six (6) times electrode diameter. Gas Saver™ kits are lightweight, for improved operator comfort and torch control.
The CK® Large Diameter Gas Saver™ nozzle kit is used to provide an inert atmosphere for the welding of reactive metals such as titanium, molybdenum, nickel-based and aluminum based alloys as well as non-reactive metals like stainless steel. The nozzle is a whopping 1-1/8” (28.5mm) in diameter for ultimate shield gas coverage!
What Customers Say:
This kit is worth the money. You can switch out multiple sizes and reordering parts is very easy.
Date Added: 07/18/2009 by Fab Shop
Thanks for the kit gentlemen. It came exactly as described and the clear nozzle really helps. The tungsten sample pack makes really good welds. CHEERS.
Date Added: 05/05/2009 by John Crane
My torch looks exactly like the picture. This kit came with everything I needed. Thanks for the tungsten, works great.
Roo Trimble has been holed up in his backyard shed for months. Hunched amid whirring saws and jagged metal scraps, he has been welding the aluminum skeleton of a small car, smoothing the joints between the latticed pipes, aligning the wheels, and climbing in and out of the metal hull to make sure he can fit snugly – but not too snugly – inside.
Discuss
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GRAPHIC One gallon challenge
Trimble hopes the three-wheeled, almond-shaped contraption will carry him to victory Thursday in a first-time event called the One Gallon Challenge. As part of the second Boston GreenFest, Trimble and six others will attempt to drive their homemade cars from Greenfield to Boston City Hall Plaza, a distance of 100 miles, using just 1 gallon of gasoline.
“These days,’’ Trimble said, wiping his brow with the back of one hand, “we need to think about taking the snail shells off our cars – not dragging our house with us everywhere we go.’’
Event organizer Jory Squibb, who in 2005 fused two Honda motor scooters to create a fuel-efficient microcar called “Moonbeam,’’ said the message he hopes the One Gallon Challenge sends is that 100-mile-per-gallon cars are not impossible to build. The technology is there, he said; all that’s needed “are gutsy entrepreneurs and gutsy buyers.’’
100 miles. 1 gallon. Go! That’s the premise behind the upcoming One Gallon Challenge – a contest for alternative fuel vehicles to see who can get to Boston from Greenfield the fastest on one gallon of gas, if at all.
Contestants hope to drive the future into Boston
By Laura A. Bennett, Globe Correspondent
(Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)
Roo Trimble has been holed up in his backyard shed for months. Hunched amid whirring saws and jagged metal scraps, he has been welding the aluminum skeleton of a small car, smoothing the joints between the latticed pipes, aligning the wheels, and climbing in and out of the metal hull to make sure he can fit snugly – but not too snugly – inside.
Trimble hopes the three-wheeled, almond-shaped contraption will carry him to victory Thursday in a first-time event called the One Gallon Challenge. As part of the second Boston GreenFest, Trimble and six others will attempt to drive their homemade cars from Greenfield to Boston City Hall Plaza, a distance of 100 miles, using just 1 gallon of gasoline.
“These days,’’ Trimble said, wiping his brow with the back of one hand, “we need to think about taking the snail shells off our cars – not dragging our house with us everywhere we go.’’
How much do you value your car’s catalytic converter? I don’t know about you, but I kind of like mine, and I’d kind of like it to stay where it is: attached to my car! Thankfully, a device exists called a CatClamp™ (made by American Welding Inc.) to thwart off any would be “CatCons.”
Stainless Steel Clamp Thwarts CatCon Thieves
May 1, 2009 12:00 PM
When welding isn’t the answer, fabricator finds the right method to get an idea to market.
Thieves are shameless in their pursuit catalytic converters (they’re after the precious metal contents, especially platinum), which has resulted in the development of a number of defensive devices aimed at preventing efforts to cut the “cats” away from a vehicle’s exhaust system.
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The emissions control devices use platinum and palladium as oxidizing catalysts to remove several pollutants from a gasoline engine’s exhaust stream. Platinum, the more expensive metal, sold for $600/ounce five years ago. In 2008 the price was over $2,000/ounce — far more valuable than gold.
The crime is simple, and too common: a thief slips under a vehicle, often a SUV or truck with ample clearance and, with a reciprocating saw, slices through the exhaust pipe on either end of the catalytic converter, freeing it for removal. The operation takes about 10 seconds, and may yield the criminal $50 to $250, or more, from a scrap yard or recycler.
One of the most affordable and foolproof designs to combat catcon theft is a stainless steel device known as the CatClamp™ (www.catclamp.com), an innovation manufactured by American Welding Inc. (www.americanweldinginc.com) — a welding and fabricating operation in Toledo, OH.
Stainless Steel Clamp Thwarts CatCon Thieves
May 1, 2009 12:00 PM
When welding isn’t the answer, fabricator finds the right method to get an idea to market.
Thieves are shameless in their pursuit catalytic converters (they’re after the precious metal contents, especially platinum), which has resulted in the development of a number of defensive devices aimed at preventing efforts to cut the “cats” away from a vehicle’s exhaust system.
The emissions control devices use platinum and palladium as oxidizing catalysts to remove several pollutants from a gasoline engine’s exhaust stream. Platinum, the more expensive metal, sold for $600/ounce five years ago. In 2008 the price was over $2,000/ounce — far more valuable than gold.
The crime is simple, and too common: a thief slips under a vehicle, often a SUV or truck with ample clearance and, with a reciprocating saw, slices through the exhaust pipe on either end of the catalytic converter, freeing it for removal. The operation takes about 10 seconds, and may yield the criminal $50 to $250, or more, from a scrap yard or recycler.
“Home, home on the range… where the deer and iron triceratops play…”
Wait, that’s not how you heard that song growing up? Hmm… Well, perhaps John Lopez heard a different version, and you’ll see what I mean, once you view this video:
Ok, so I lied, it’s not all about dinosaurs (althought that was my favorite part). For more information about John Lopez and his work, you can visit his website here.
McCormick, 42, said the recent announcement that Seattle-based Boeing Co. is opening a plant in South Carolina instead of Puget Sound “creates a vacuum’’ for aircraft manufacturing locally.
He was concerned that his newer employees were wasting a lot of time dressing tungsten on side grinders, and they were getting inconsistent welds. We got him hooked up with a 
