Welding student fabricates Iron Throne replica from GOT

Louisville, Ky.-based welder Michael Hayes fabricated and welded a 200-lb, life-size replica of the Iron Throne from the famed Game of Thrones series. (Photo provided by the Knight School of Welding)

I don’t know about you, but I am all aboard the “Game of Thrones” bandwagon.

I know many of you who have read the books or watched the series since the beginning can relate. But I also realize that a small percentage of you haven’t seen one episode of the show and are sick of being smacked in the face by media references from a show you care nothing about.

To those of you that this applies to, I apologize. But with that said, hear me out. “Game of Thrones” is a captivating tale that follows the lives and deaths of those in relentless pursuit of the highly coveted Iron Throne. I could tell you more, but I don’t think I’d do it justice.

I’ll admit, I’m a relatively new fan, which was probably the best-case scenario. Having to wait almost two years in between the previous season and the current one would not have gone over well for someone with my extreme level of impatience. But now I’m hooked.

While I do enjoy the show, which wraps up the series on Sunday night after an 8-season run, one particularly dedicated fan generated a lot of buzz lately when he combined his love for the show (and his wife) with his welding talent. Michael Hayes, a 32-year-old welding student from Knight School of Welding in Louisville, Ky., fabricated and welded a 200-lb., life-size replica of the Iron Throne out of aluminum with the help of his instructors. According to CBS affiliate WLKY, the project took 110 hours to complete and has 400 swords welded together.

Constructing the GOT Replica

The school funded the $7,000 project, which Hayes gifted his now wife Kacie on their wedding day. They even dressed up as two of the show’s main characters, with his wife seated on the throne.

Now that’s dedication and fandom at its finest. To see more photos of the Iron Throne project, visit the Knight School of Welding's Instagram profile.

On a somewhat related note, The WELDER magazine has been fortunate over the years to have a loyal and engaged readership base. Maybe it doesn’t generate the same fervor as “Game of Thrones,” but we’ll take it.

Earlier this year we asked readers to provide feedback about the magazine by responding to our annual readership survey. Those who responded answered questions about how we’re doing, if the content in the magazine meets your needs, and whether or not the information you see here helps you make purchasing decisions. Your answers help to shape future issues and provide a small window into what life and business are like on your end.

We’d like to give a special shout out to everyone who took the time to share feedback, and our survey drawing winners: Steve Phillips, Brazil, Ind.; Bill Dolengewicz, Nipomo, Calif.; William Lindholm, Peoria, Ill.; and Dick Wright, Mesa, Ariz. If you missed your opportunity to respond this year, make sure to keep an eye out for the next survey in early 2020.