For welders, passion is the tie that binds

Welding technology has evolved exponentially during the last decade. The machines are lighter, stronger, smarter, and much more accessible. Information about all facets of the trade is available almost immediately on the supercomputer you hold in your hand. In the Information Age, welding is as vital to our everyday lives as ever before, and it is giving life to a new breed of welders and a unique genre of art. Even though entire factories of robots exist that can (mostly) do what humans used to, what they lack, at least currently, is our adaptability and our soul.

We used to weld purely out of necessity: to fix stuff on our farm implements, to keep the manufacturing plant up and running, or to collect a paycheck every Friday after MIGing random weldments that came down the production line. Other than an oxyacetylene setup, machines were heavy, expensive, and took gobs of power to run. If you or your father didn’t have a job as a skilled tradesman or a production welder, then you probably didn’t do much more than stick pieces of metal together, add some heat, and pray they would stay together. You had to figure out the process yourself, and it was either gas with the bottles or a buzz box lighting electrodes.

While formal training through an apprenticeship or classes at your local community college or vocational school is still the best bet for becoming a proficient welder, both physically and mentally, there is a wealth of knowledge you can find online. A paradigm shift that coincided with the advent of forums and message boards exploded when social media, particularly Facebook and then Instagram, became as much a part of our life as eating and breathing. Early reality TV shows didn’t hurt either, as programs like Jesse James’ “Monster Garage” became surprise hits. Welding suddenly wasn’t just a dirty utilitarian job, it was a way of life to those who sought to master it and the ticket to creative freedom held even by the novice who just knew how to pull a trigger.

Who Are We?

Preparing for this inaugural column, I jumped online and asked welders “who” they are. The gist of it was the final paragraph:

“What is it that draws you to welding? What was it that pushed or pulled you in? If you’ve been around awhile, what changes have you seen in the last five to 10 years, both positive and negative? Who do you look up to, or have looked up to? Who inspires you? Where do you want to be? Are you already there?

“Who are you?”

Literally hundreds of replies rolled in, many of which will more than likely provide fodder for future columns. Replies came from high school kids freshly exposed to shop classes, 40-somethings going back to school to learn the trade, and women who got into welding to support their family and succeeded in doing that and then some. Responses poured in from Australia, Sweden, Russia, the U.K., and, of course, the U.S. So many second-, third-, and fourth-generation pipefitters, millwrights, and boilermakers spoke up. Two chefs traded in white aprons for fire-resistant jackets, and one young man said he found a way to TIG weld even though he is a quadriplegic!

Welding breeds some incredibly passionate people. There aren’t too many “yeah, it’s OK” folks—you either love it or hate it. And if you dig it you live it, breathe it, and want to do it 24/7. We close our eyes and see the puddle. Our garage isn’t for cars anymore; it’s our fab shop.

You can’t fake passion. It’s not created on a computer or developed in a lab. It’s impossible to PowerPoint it into existence, and no amount of money can buy it. Passion is the tie that binds, brings together our individual hearts and minds, and pulls us into a collective consciousness. Whether you design cars, forge knives, rock a guitar on stage, TIG weld sculptures in a garage, edit a magazine, build hot rods, shape surfboards, or airbrush bike helmets, your passion recognizes others’ passion. There’s a respect that transcends boundaries, and our trade has found it in spades.

The Social Media Effect

The welding and fabrication community has benefited from social media as much as any nontechnical group. I jokingly wonder, “If it happened before Instagram, did it really happen?” People used to give me a hard time about posting photos of my welds, but now if you don’t take a picture of the bead, was it really any good? Nowhere is the proverb “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” more apt. Not only do we strive to lay a bead better than the last every time we drop the hood, now we want to measure it against beads made by welders from around the world.

Tricks and techniques for every process that once were isolated within a trade have now spread like wildfire. Questions are asked and answered as quickly as you can type. We are part of an extremely intelligent and experienced fraternity. As my friend and industry veteran Jody Collier put it: “The welding information feedback loop has been set to warp speed.”

With the ability to network and sell ourselves online, every one of us has the opportunity to create and establish a personal brand. This adds value to our name, our business, and ultimately our work. Perhaps more than the industry would like to recognize, I believe this shift has had an effect on today’s tradespeople. The “skills gap” is measured by antiquated standards. Where once you had a boilermaker, you now have a motorcycle builder. There may be fewer millwrights, but there are more small-business owners specializing in architectural fabrication, mobile repairs, or both.

Back in the day having multiple jobs was an indication of ineptitude, a bad attitude, or poor work ethic. Now it’s a badge of honor. Employees are less likely to settle for lower pay or shoddy benefits when they can branch out and do similar work for more money on their own. We know what we’re worth, and if big business wants to outsource and continue paying its executives big bonuses instead of properly paying its talent, we can walk. If they want to pony up, watch that “gap” disappear.

Social media has widened our audience and made the world a little bit smaller, and I’ve experienced this firsthand. As a sculptor, I’ve reached an international market that was unattainable 10 years ago. From small-scale depictions of everyday objects to large abstract pieces to just the welds themselves, the only restrictions are your skill and imagination. The quality of work only increases, and more artists emerge seemingly every day.

I’ve been doing this long enough that welders with five or six years’ experience under their belt approach me to say they first “saw the light” when exposed to my work. Now they’re a lead fabricator, a pipeline welder, or even a teacher at a trade school. Nothing feels better than bringing more hearts and minds into the fold.

Who are we? We are men and women, young and old. We can build something from nothing or fix anything this side of a broken heart. We respect our tradition without being a slave to it. We are intelligent, innovative, and driven. We are passionate about the evolution of our craft. We are blue-collar tradesmen, creators, artists, and rock stars.

We are welders.

Josh Welton is the owner of Brown Dog Welding, 586-258-8255, www.browndogwelding.com.