The Metal Fabricator / Welder

The Metal Fabricator / Welder

3/2013

This person is a tradesman, is a craftsman, and is the person that will transform concepts from idea to reality.

The tools and equipment of this occupation are ones of which a lot of respect for knowledge of the proper and safe operation, must be paid.

The work is often times very physically demanding. The environment of which these workers perform can be hostile, and uncomfortable. The processes of the actual work can add to this discomfort.

The successful fabricator is a very organized and critical thinker. On paper a project can appear to be quite abstract. The fabricator has to have the ability to untangle the spider web of information displayed on 2 dimensional documents. Will the production of the project build into an inappropriate, unachievable corner? What is the best way to proceed to successfully accomplish a project? Will you build from the ground up, from the top down, from the inside out, or any other imaginable position in 3 dimensional spaces?

The processes of metals fabrication are numerous, and varied. The materials will need to be cut, drilled, machined, formed, joined, treated, polished, or finished, depending on the project.

Of all these processes however, it seems that the process of joining metals is the one that commands the most interest.

The bright white arc of light at the end of the welder stick or gun, with sparks shooting out from it is wondrous sight. A word of warning is in order here. Do not look at this light for any length of time with the naked eye. It is capable of causing damage or at least very uncomfortable pain to your eyes, even at a good distance.

The welder doesn’t pay too much attention to the sparks or even the bright light under his gun, unless of course a spark dances up onto an unprotected part of his clothing or his skin. These sparks can leave a small burn on the skin that all welders are fairly familiar with.  Most of the time the welder can shake it off. Stopping will be detrimental to the weld being layed down. The thing that the welder is really looking at through his dark lens and the helmet that protects his eyes and his head is below that bright light in the weld zone. The welder will see the pocket his wire makes as it is fed forward and as it weaves back the pool of molten steel that fills the void. The welder will listen to the rhythmic smooth crackle the process makes. This is the sound that tells that the process is proceeding as it should. The weave in the weld is the welder’s signature.

There is a lot of pride to be taken in the work that is accomplished in this field. Seeing a pile of raw materials become an object of somebodies imagination is naturally satisfying.