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River Goodgion

Petre

English IV H

9 March 2017

Welding Talents

A welder can equal or even outearn what the average doctor or lawyer makes (The 3

Highest Paying Welding Careers). This makes welding a very appealing job for some. Welding

is when one joins metal together using different techniques like electric or gas welding. It is a

good skill to know whether someone wants to make it a career of it or not. While the basics have

remained the same, the jobs and training have significantly changed with the types.

The basics of welding have changed slowly over time but many have occurred recently.

Welding is when one joins metal pieces together by melting the metal. When the metal dries on

the new piece they will be stuck together (Electric Welding Basics for Beginners). There is

differant ways and techniques to weld but electric, gas, and resistance welding are most common

(Third Wave Digital). Most use a electrode, called a cathode in different forms, which passes

ions to the positive anode which it the work piece and back. This exchange of electrons makes an

arc or string of electricity and melts the metal (How Does Underwater Welding Work). Most

welding also uses shielding gas which protects the weld from atmospheric air (Electric Welding

Basics for Beginners). This gas can come from a tank or a coating on the electrode called flux.

Flux is a coating on the electrode that produces shielding gas when burnt (Electric Welding

Basics for Beginners). Welding is an important skill and is necessary in today's world.
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When welding people must take safety precautions because it can be dangerous (see

illustration page 7). All that heat will burn one if thick gloves are not worn. That heat will also

blind people's eyes so a mask must be worn (Galvery). Welders should also be in a well

ventilated area because the fumes can be dangerous if too much is inhaled and it could lead to

parkinsonism (Liss). Safety precautions must be taken while welding to avoid injuries.

It has taken lots of little discoveries and inventions to get welding to where it is today. All

these things combined has created a complicated but efficient process out of a simple idea. There

is evidence of welding all the way back to 1000 BC where they used hammers to beat metal

together into one piece (Browne). Gold boxes have also been found made by early Egyptian

blacksmiths (The History of Welding). Also, early Columbians used copper acetate powder to

hold metal pieces together (Voynick). Sadly, welding did not advance beyond these crude

techniques till the 1800s. In the early 1800s the electric generator was made allowing people

more access to power along with Humphrey Davys discovery of the arc, this started a revival of

welding and a starting place for electric welding (The History of Welding). Then in 1881,

Auguste De Meritens use the arc to weld two lead plates together. This was the start of Carbon

arc welding which became very popular (The History of Welding). Elihu Thomson became

another pioneer of welding in 1885 when he discovered resistance welding. This shared

characteristics and led to many other types like spot welding, flash welding, and seam welding

(The History of Welding). C L. Coffin made a huge discovery when he used a melting

electrode as filler metal in 1890 (The History of Welding). This started a shielding revolution

as people like Oscar and Strohmenger started adding flux to the new melting electrode (The

History of Welding). Early flux was lime based but soon a debate between heavy and a light
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coating broke out. Eventually both found a place where they were well suited (The History of

Welding). Gas shielding was also used and improved during this time. Argon and Helium

gained popularity as they became more available and where used greatly improve

shielding.(Voynick). Gas welding was also improving during this time. It was first used by

mixing Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Coal dust but in 1900 the torch was invented and greatly

improved it by allowing a pressured, regulated flame (The History of Welding). Acetylene gas

also became more common and made it easier to gas weld (Voynick ). WWI ushered huge

strides in welding as a lot had to be built. The American Welding Society was founded by Avery

Adams to help in all these advancements (The History of Welding). Co2 welding was the

favorite at this time as it was economical and easy (The History of Welding). Although CO2

welding thrived other welding was still used like stud welding which was used in building ships

(The History of Welding). Also, Electron Beam welding was used to make planes (The

History of Welding). Now towards modern times, welding is used to make consumer goods and

in automobile manufacturing (Voynick). Mig, a commonly used style, was invented by H.E.

Kennedy at the Battelle Memorial Institute and was not popular for awhile due to high cost (The

History of Welding).Another popular type, Tig welding, was started by C.L Coffin but

improved by Merdith much later to use a non oxidizing gas atmosphere due to shielding (The

History of Welding). Welding has taken a long time to get where it is and is sure to keep

improving.

There are many different types of welding and while some are more popular all are

important and have a specialty. Electric welding and all its specific types of welding is the most

popular and widely used today. It uses an arc to melt the metal and most use a filler material to
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fill the gaps (Electric Welding Basics For Beginners). One type of electric welding is spot

welding, which is used in manufacturing in factories a lot. It uses electrodes on opposite sides of

a joint to melt the metal without a arc or filler material. While this is very effective it can only be

used in specific conditions in factories (Electric Welding Basics For Beginners). A new type of

welding is laser welding which is also used in factories or assembly lines. It melts the metal very

deep but not wide at a 10 to 1 ratio which is very impressive (Voynick). One of the most popular

welding types overall is Mig welding. Mig welders automatically feed the electrode from the gun

(see illustration on page 7) as a wire while welding. The wire melts while arcing becoming filler

wire also (Electric Welding Basics For Beginners). Some electrod wire has flux on it which

acts as shielding gas while others use a external tank pumping argon out the gun for shielding

(Electric Welding Basics For Beginners). Mig welding is also the easiest to learn to do so, it's

popular with new welders and people learning to weld (Strong). The problem with Mig welding

is it can only weld thin metals of steel, stainless, and aluminum (Electric Welding Basics For

Beginners). Another very popular type of welding is Tig welding. Tig welding uses a tungsten

electrode to arc on the metal with a external tank of argon for shielding gas. It is a good choice

for thicker metal parts becouse it burns hotter and makes a very clean weld on most metals

(Electric Welding Basics For Beginners). It is however hard to master because it requires a

torch in one hand filler rod in the other and a foot pedal to control the heat (Strong). A older but

still useful type of welding is gas welding which uses a torch and gases in a tank to make a very

hot flame. This flame melts the metal with pure heat and you can add filler rod by just sticking it

in the flame (Fournier). This is also a difficult technique as the torch must be in the perfect
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position to get a strong weld. All the different welding types have something there best at and

they are used in that field.

There are many different jobs that use welding but the good thing is if one can weld they

can do any of them. Welding as a career is expected to grow 15% in the next 10 years according

to The Bureau of Labor (Browne). Also, more jobs are expected to open up as people retire

(Wilson). This makes it a very promising career with good job outlook. Welding can be a hard

job though, sometimes it is necessary to weld in tight places or in odd positions. Welders also

have to work long hours sometimes when a job has to be done (Jacobs). The average pay for

welders is $34,770 but if one gets a more specialized job the pay goes up (Brown). Jobs in the oil

and gas industry pay around $60,000 a year where enployies would weld piping together and fix

machines (Highest Paying Welding Jobs). Jobs in manufacturing can pay from $44,000 to

$47,000 making all kind of consumer goods including cars (Highest Paying Welding Jobs).

Another job in that pay range is a industrial pipe welder who can make $50,000 a year traveling

and welding pipe together (The 3 Highest paying Welding Careers). Welders for the army can

make up to $160,000 if they are well trained and skilled, but it is a dangerous job (The 3

Highest paying Welding Careers). Underwater welders can make the most money and have a

unique job. They make up to $200,000 for diving down and welding in the water (The 3

Highest paying Welding Careers). There are two types of underwater welding, wet welding and

dry welding. Wet welding uses a twice insulated electric cables and a waterproof electrode to arc

on the object. It also uses a knife switch to keep the power turned off till it's needed (How Does

Underwater Welding Work). Dry welding uses a habitat with air pumped into it to make it just
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like surface welding (How Does Underwater Welding Work). There are many jobs that

involve welding and once trained many can be done.

Employers complain that there is not enough skilled workers and they have trouble hiring

enough (Third Wave Digital). States even give money to schools to help develop and improve

welding programs (Straszheim). This is a huge sign that if one's going into welding they should

get certified and trained for more pay and job security. When going to school technical and

vocational schools are available. Its best to learn a variety of skills when at school so it is

possible to do multiple jobs and be more skilled overall (Wilson). It is necessary to have a strong

technical education though along with a understanding of metallurgy, blue print reading, math,

physics, and mechanical drawing (Welding Education Requirements and Career Information).

People can also get on the job training as apprentices if they do not want to go to school and still

be plenty skilled. While education isn't always necessary for welding it is a good idea to make

more money.

As one can see welding is a complicated and difficult skill to master. If it is mastered

though it will be a useful and lucrative skill for life. The basics have not changed much but the

technology and uses have a lot over time. With benefits as a job and just a good skill welding is a

talent people should try and appreciate.

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Illustration 1 (MIg Basics)

Illustration 2 (Safety)
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Works Cited

Browne, Clayton. "What Is the Job Outlook for Welders?" What Is the Job Outlook for Welders?

Chron.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

"Electric Welding Basics For Beginners | Tractor Supply Co." Tractor Supply Company. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Fournier, Ron, and Sue Fournier. Metal Fabricator's Handbook. Los Angeles, CA: Price Stern

Sloan, 1990. Print.

Galvery, William L., and Ryan Friedlinghaus. The Art of Welding. South Norwalk, CT:

Industrial, 2014. Print.

"Highest Paying Welding Jobs." Welding Career Now. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

"How Does Underwater Welding Work? A Shocking Process Few Know." Water Welders. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 17.

Jacobs. "Welding." Personal interview. 21 Feb. 17.

Liss, Samantha. "Washington University study raises questions about current welding safety

standards." St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) 29 Dec. 2016: Newspaper Source Plus. Web.

15 Feb. 2017.

"Mig Basics." Weldguru. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2017.

"Safety." Miller Electric. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

Straszheim, Deborah. "State funding welding, metal fabrication classes for adults at Grasso."

Day, The (New London, CT) 28 Sept. 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.

Strong, Garrett. "Mig Welding Basics." Makemoneywelding.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.
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"The History of Welding." GoWelding.Org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2017.

"The History of Welding." The History of Welding - MillerWelds. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2017

"The 3 Highest Paying Welding Careers." Welding Schools Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Third Wave Digital -. "Career Outlook." Career Outlook - Welding

Technology - Southern Union State Community College. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Voynick S. Holding things together. World & I 13.9 (1998): 178. MAS Complete. Web. 14

Feb. 2017.

"Welding Education Requirements and Career Information." Study.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb.

2017.

Wilson, Landice. "Welding a Red Hot Career." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.