Two co-workers and I are heading off for some welding training next week, which will allow us to beef up our welding knowledge and generally embarrass ourselves in front of skilled professionals. So as I was having an e-mail conversation earlier this week with Gerald Davis, the author of The FABRICATOR’s Precision Matters column, I let him know of the plans for next week. In his reply, he shared a tale involving his early foray into GMAW.

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Are you finding it difficult to procure the steel you need at prices you can afford? Are you banking on the government to improve availability and affordability? You’d better hope that the latest idea under government consideration doesn’t worsen your problem.

The Associated Press reported today that Congress is looking at steel pennies and nickels to replace the current coins, which cost more to make than they are worth. How much more?

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It’s not often a reporter for the metal fabrication industry gets to quote a speech by Tom Brokaw, but this week isn’t usual. I’m down in Orlando, Fla., attending SAPPHIRE, an information technology conference hosted by German software giant SAP, short for Systems Applications and Protocols in Data Processing.

“You are the masters of the most transformational technology,” the iconic newsman said during the conference keynote address. “It is changing the world at warp speed.”

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Have you seen the Dunkin' Donuts (DD) commercial that features men wielding oxyfuel torches to toast food? When this commercial aired as my husband/resident welding expert and I watched TV the other night, he immediately began to point out all the things that were wrong from a technical standpoint.

Most viewers would think the commercial is creative and memorable, particularly since it features culinary expert and Dunkin' Donuts spokesperson Rachel Ray. (Somehow the culinary expert and Dunkin' Donuts spokesperson combination seems oxymoronic.) But according to my expert, it's rife with mistakes.

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When you make a fast-food cashier roll her eyes, you know it’s been a long day.

Unfamiliar surroundings can make me about as smooth as when I accidentally stabbed my date with the corsage pin before junior prom (yes, that did happen). I’m on the road this week, and today I drove a certain rental car for which, I’m sure, designers had to be playing some sort of cruel joke.

Picture this: I pull up to the drive-through speaker and get ready to roll down the window when, to my surprise, I see no window crank or controller. I look on the wheel, by the air and heat knobs, by the clock—nothing. A curb is to my left and right, so I can’t simply pull out of the drive-through lane. And of course, as I frantically look for the window control, a car pulls up behind me. I can’t even back out. So, with all the dignity I can muster (which isn’t much at this point), I open the door, stand by the speaker, and give my order. I get back in the car, drive up to the window, get out of the car again and stand there, meekly. The cashier looks at me like I’m some sort of nut.

“It’s a rental,” I say, even more meekly. “I can’t find the hand crank for the window. Just unfamiliar surroundings.”

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This week I attended an open house event at ESAB Welding & Cutting Products, Florence, S.C.. I got to see some wonderful welding innovations—many of which you will see in upcoming issues of The FABRICATOR and Practical Welding Today—and had the opportunity to chat with the company’s leading technical experts. I learned that most of the technical advancements taking place in the welding field are aimed at helping shops get more efficiency out of the less-experienced welders who will be replacing the retiring baby boomers.

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Editor's Note: I'm running late with my blog because I've been out of town. Here's a quick plea from STAMPING Journal Editor Kate Bachman that should tide you over. C'mon, let's make those phones ring. DDD.

On the same day, I received a plea from the coach of a youth football team desperately trying to piece together the equipment needed to outfit three youth teams and a press release regarding the booming private-jet industry.

“I am a head coach of a Virginia National Youth Football program, the Warrenton Wolfpack. We started this program in our rural area three years ago in order to provide an outlet for children in our community who have exceptional athletic talent but no competitive program.

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Various media have reported that a Whirlpool Corp. factory in Evansville, Ind., has suspended 39 workers who signed insurance paperwork claiming they don't use tobacco and then were seen smoking or chewing tobacco on company property. Tobacco users at Whirlpool pay an extra $500 in insurance premiums annually.

A company spokesperson said that the workers were seen by others smoking in designated areas outside the plant and could be fired for lying, pending fact-finding meetings with each worker. The Evansville courierpress.com reported that Whirlpool denied the use of surveillance cameras.

Reportedly, most of those suspended were production employees, but more suspensions could come, possibly including some administrative staff.

Why lie? And if you're going to lie, why run the risk of getting caught red-handed?

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I don’t know much, but I do know this: If metal fabricators had my plumber’s customer service record, they wouldn’t be in business for long.

Forgive my venting, but I’m sure many can relate. We had an oh-so-delightful problem with our plumbing—1946 vintage. The trouble really began when we bought the house. We had what I like to call “Old Home Delusional Disorder.” (I’m stealing the term from humorist—and my hero, in a way—Dave Barry.) The house was, and is, absolutely charming: crown moldings, original kitchen fixtures, and, as it turned out, very original clay drain pipes that, as of January, had evolved into half dirt, half tree roots, and no substantial clay to speak of.

To make a long story short, we signed the plumbing contract, which specified a date when they would start and finish. Of course, I failed to read the small print: These times are estimates and may change “due to circumstances out of our control.”

You can guess what happened.

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When I sat down to write this post it was with the conviction to write about something positive on this day of sad remembrance, but quite honestly, I’m not sure I have it in me. Today is the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings, a tragedy that hit close to home. My husband and his brother are VT graduates, and our neighbor's daughter was attending the school when the shootings took place.

I remember the day in 2006 when my husband and I took a side trip and toured the VT campus on our way to visit his family. It was my first time there. The sprawling grounds, the duck pond, and stately buildings were the epitome of peace and tranquility on that calm, December afternoon. It's difficult to reconcile that image with the senseless tragedy that shook the school and the nation a year ago. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were injured or lost their lives in the shootings.

They say, that something good always comes from something bad.

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