What would it take for you to cut off all your hair?  A million bucks?  A week’s paid vacation?

How about some welding supplies?

Hair trade: Student donates ponytail in return for contibutions of steel to welding program

BY TRIBUNE STAFF • NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Scott Stekly lost his ponytail Wednesday.

Stekly got a buzz cut from a classmate in the Construction Trades Building, courtesy of Joe Filipowicz, Salvage Manager of Steel Etc.

Scott Stekly, a welding student at MSU-Great Falls, gets a buzz cut by classmate Rachel Kaiser Wednesday in the welding shop. (TRIBUNE PHOTO/ RION SANDERS)

Filipowicz’ company agreed to contribute metal to the welding program as an added incentive for the hair loss.

Prior to entering the welding program to pursue a second career, Stekly had been a longtime local cosmetologist, where he met Joe Filipowicz and his father Jimmy, owner of Steel Etc.

When Stekly entered the fall semester, he made a challenge to the Filipowiczes. He would allow them to cut his hair in return for donations of steel materials to the MSU-Great Falls Welding Program. Steel Etc. accepted, and the hair cut was scheduled.

The donated steel will consist of pipe and plate that can be used for the college’s welding students to practice various welds and cuts. After being used by the program, the scrap materials will be returned to Steel Etc., which will recycle the metals, sending them to a steel mill for melting and reprocessing.

I’ve always had a great respect for teachers, no matter what grade they teach or where their specialty lies.  Teachers have a special job: they prepare us for the real world.  In times like these, the skills and inspiration that teachers offer is more valuable than ever…..

CCC&TI helps students discover their artistic talents

Hidden abilities revealed during classes lead to new careers, art sales and shows.

Posted: Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009

Two students at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute are finding success with their artistic talent.

Michael Arnold discovered a hidden talent and a new career when the demolition company he worked for went out of business. He enrolled at CCC&TI to pursue a GED and signed up for a welding class as well.

“We spent several weeks welding straight lines, and I wanted to try something different,” he said. “So I started welding scrap pieces together just to see what I could make out of them.”

The Granite Falls native created metal sculptures of a horse, a praying mantis, a stork, a reading man, a tree and a 90-pound dragon fly in just a few months. He has sold several pieces and won CCC&TI’s Spring Fling Recycled Art Contest with a mask he created out of scrap metal.

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Welding grant helps Wallace College expand training

By JIM COOK
Published: September 15, 2009

A new state grant will help Wallace Community College continue to train workers in welding, a career field that appears to be almost recession proof, according to school officials.

State Sen. Harri Anne Smith, R-Slocomb, presented a check for $90,000 to the college on Tuesday. The money will be used to purchase more equipment for the program, which has rapidly grown in enrollment since the onset of the recession. Smith secured the grant from a workforce development program.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, welding, soldering and brazing jobs employed 462,000 people in 2006, with the vast majority of those jobs being in manufacturing. Demand for employees is expected to grow about 5 percent nationally through 2016.

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At the Infrastructurist.com, there is a list of the five hottest jobs in infrastructure right now.  Guess what’s number one.  No, really – guess.  Stop looking down!  No cheating!

Alright, fine.  You saw – it’s a Robotic Arc Welding Technician, and not only are they in high demand, but they make a decent amount of money, considering that it only takes a mere two years to get certified!

1. CERTIFIED ROBOTIC ARC WELDING TECHNICIAN – $40,000 TO $50,000

What they do: Arc welding is a common technique of fusing metals, and robotic arc welding–as the name suggests–is this process as preformed by robots.

Automation ensures a higher quality of the weld –up to 50% better – and increases productivity by up to 3 times.

Who maintains these armies of welding robots? A robotic arc welding technician, of course. As Jeff Noruk, president of industry firm Servo Robot puts it, “Robots are like babies. They need care every single day.”

Why it’s hot: As a recent New York Times article points out (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/business/24jobs.html), welders are much in demand these days. That demand is especially acute for certified robotic arc welding technicians:

Noruk estimates that while there are several hundred thousand arc welding robots, there are only 30 certified arc welding technicians in the country, with most welding robots presently being supervised by general electricians or engineers.

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Sponsors of the upcoming Fabtech International & AWS Welding Show (including Metalform) in Chicago were polled about their plans for future business growth in light of the recession.  The results were surprising — in a very good way.

Poll: Manufacturers detail recession survival strategies, report better conditions

Opportunities for manufacturers abound as economy improves suggests a poll by sponsors of the Fabtech International & AWS Welding Show, including Metalform, in Chicago. Sponsors are American Welding Society (AWS), Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Int’l (FMA), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and Precision Metalforming Association (PMA).

– Manufacturing Business Technology, 9/8/2009 8:02:43 PM MDT

To survive what many view as the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, 69 percent of manufacturers indicated they reduced their workforce, followed by delaying capital expenditures (66 percent), negotiating with suppliers for better deals (48 percent) and cutting promotional activities (37 percent.) The survey asked 1,046 past or prospective registrants of Fabtech International & AWS Welding Show, including Metalform. The poll was conducted in late July.

However, with signs that the economy is currently improving, those surveyed plan to reverse downsizing — nearly one-third of those surveyed said they expect to add to their workforce in the next 12 months. Manufacturers reported an increase in demand in product as the leading factor that would prompt an increase to the workforce (78 percent) followed by the opportunity to upgrade workforce (7 percent) and the need for new skill sets (6 percent).

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Look what I found as I was browsing through the wonderful world of the Miller discussion boards!  If you haven’t read these already, you’re in for a treat, and if they’re not already up in your shop, well then… I don’t know what to tell you.

So, without further ado,

The 10 Welding Commandments

1. Thou shalt not weld on an unpurged tank, for the noise will be very loud when the tank explodes and thy friends will console thy widow in ways generally unacceptable to thee.

2. Thou shalt secure thy tanks, lest one fall on thy foot and transform thee into less than a graceful dancer when called upon by thy wife or other female friend.

3. Thou shalt clean thy work carefully, lest thy gaze upon thy work falling apart as it passeth out of thy sight.

4. Thou shalt place thy work in jigs, or other holding fixtures, for the eye is a poor instrument for the measurement of angles and great will be the wrath of thy leader as thou art doing thy task a second time.

5. Thou shalt not weld near batteries, compressed gasses, or flammable materials lest a spark from thy labors would cause thee to continue thy chosen profession in an open field or other such drafty place.

6. Thou shalt take great care of thy tools and equipment, lest thy friend who is in charge of such things smites thee about thy head and shoulders for being a wastrel and a knave.

7. Thou shalt not perform thy art without proper ventilation, for the smell of toxic gasses produced by the heating of primers, and plated or painted sufaces is worse than a bad cigar and will remain with thee until the end of thy days.

8. Thou shalt not weld without goggles, nor shalt thou allow others to gaze upon thy labors, lest thy employment, or the employment of others be changed to sitting on cold and rainy streets while selling pencils.

9. Thou shalt wear sturdy gloves, for burns upon thy hands are a source of great pain when thou art attempting to raise thy bowling average.

10. Thou shalt ground thy work, when thou weldeth with a machine of arcs, for thou art a poor conductor of electricity and the shock which thou shalt receive shall ruin thy plans for thy weekend.

Toby Gewertz wants to make metalwork that will stand the test of time and so makes sure that he and his company, Metalformz, only use the best of materials.

Napa sculptor makes works meant to last

By MAUREEN MCCABE Register Correspondent
Posted: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 12:00 am

In this plastic, throw-away culture, where obsolescence is built into almost every mass-produced item, Toby Gewertz who sticks with material that will last.

Using stainless steel, bronze, copper, aluminum and titanium, Gewertz designs and constructs signs, sculptures, railings and doors, among other items, for commercial and residential clients.

Local restaurants call on his company, Metalformz, for signage and decorative pieces.

Gewertz crafted the carrot fence at First Squeeze, as well as the medieval Gothic art at the former Belle Arti on the creek in Napa, now the Little Gourmet.

Although the restaurant has been through several owners, all have kept Gewertz’s candleholders and partitions for the breezeway and counter top.

He’s also done Celadon’s signs, the door handles and liquor display racks at Fumé, the sign and interior metalwork at the old Piatti restaurant in Yountville, and the old Brix restaurant’s sign plus indoor railings and coffee tables.

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The importance of a good weld goes far deeper than just good looks; on Navy vessels, a good weld can throughly impact a ship’s overall lifespan.

Some ships built on Coast flawed, Navy says
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS • JANUARY 25, 2010

NEW ORLEANS — The Navy says numerous welds may be bad on warships built in the past two years by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding at Gulf Coast shipyards.

(File photo/The Associated Press)

Since last summer, engineers have been inspecting Northrop Grumman-built warships after engineers found that between 10 percent and 15 percent of pipe welds inside vessels built at the shipyards in Pascagoula and Avondale, La., were not thick enough and could shorten a vessel’s life-span, the Navy said.

“We’re talking about thousands and thousands of welds to inspect, and we’re probably talking about hundreds of welds that need to be fixed on each ship,” said Jay Stefany, the Navy’s program manager for the LPD 17 amphibious assault ships.

The Navy said faulty pipe welds were found on destroyers, LPD assault ships and on one LHD big-deck amphibious assault ship. All were built at Northrop Grumman’s Avondale and Pascagoula shipyards.

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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!

Find a chapter of AWS near you and get involved!

But by and large, the spirit of DIY is actually dwindling amongst Americans nowadays. We don’t often build, we don’t do repairs, and I think, really, we just don’t want to work at it much anymore.

Do you still tinker?

If you build it, you’re unusual; survey finds more in U.S. avoid hands-on projects or repairs

By Rick Barrett
December 17, 2009
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE — The United States has become a nation of “non-tinkerers,” a new survey shows, and it has harmed the way we live and work.

In a poll of 1,000 U.S. adults, nearly six in 10 said they had never made or built a toy.

Twenty-seven percent had not made or built even one item from a list of eight common projects, including furniture and a flower box.

Sixty percent avoided doing major household repairs themselves, noted the survey from The Foundation of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, based in Rockford, Ill.

It’s worrisome because the “hands off” policy around the house has kept people from learning valuable skills — including ones associated with productive careers, according to the association, which has more than 2,300 members in the metal fabrication industry.

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Want some free Miller welding equipment???

This month, Miller Electric is giving away over $2,000 worth of welding supplies to one lucky grand prize winner!

To enter for a chance to win, just sign up for one of Miller’s eNewsletters to keep in touch with industry news and the latest how-to advice!

Complete Grand Prize Package:

• Choice of Millermatic® 211 Auto-Set™ MIG welder, Diversion™ 165 TIG welder, OR Spectrum® 375 X-TREME plasma cutter
• ArcStation™ welding workbench
• Performance Series™ auto-darkening welding helmet
• Arc Armor combo welding jacket
• Pair of MIG, TIG, and Metalworker gloves
• iPod touch