Never Stop Learning

I don’t own a welder, a welding helmet, or even a pair of welding gloves, so when a buddy mentioned that he was teaching an Intro to TIG Welding class my immediate reaction was, “Can I attend?” You might be asking the same question that my wife did:  “Why would you waste a full weekend to learn a skill that you have no interest in mastering?”

The answer is easy…

I enjoy learning skills that I ultimately have to job out to professionals. I don’t do this with the goal of replacing them as vendors; rather I do this to better understand the intricacies of their trade. Whether it is video editing, heavy equipment operation, or fabrication, I find it extremely valuable to understand the basics of each craft and continue to add new skills as frequently as possible.

Your next question might be, “So what did you learn at welding class?”

1 – Aluminum welding is no joke and takes a ton of practice.

2 – Just because a weld looks pretty from the top with all the dimes stacked (that’s welder speak), doesn’t mean that the weld is going to hold.

3 – Fabricating structures that need to withstand the stresses of mobile deployments require a professional who understands what it means to build a “Road Ready” product.

4 – Heat and aluminum aren’t friends.

5 – Fabricators deserve more respect.

Throughout the two-day course, I was amazed by how many variables a welder needs to contend with, such as metal thicknesses, amperage, AC vs DC, and back purging (that’s a fancy term that I will teach you in my blog about why I attended Welding 201). Mastering these variables are what separates good from great welders. It also proved to me that I need to stick to the skills that God gave me and leave the welding to a professional. I really enjoyed the class taught by Michael Furick (check him out on Insta @Mfurick) and the crew from Pit Weld U.

So, now it’s my turn to ask the question: What class should I attend next?

Cheers,

Michael