Welding for Artists! (hosted by yours truly)

I asked our local Miller representative Stan Henn, to come give a class on welding to "a handful of artist types" ... and he said YES! There have been a lot of people asking me to teach them how to weld in the last year or so, and while I could get them welding at my place, I thought it was important to pull in an expert if they were really going to weld on their own. Stan gave a four hour class, explaining everything from how electricity works to how welding units are sold, the differences between units, their capabilities & how to use them. He handed out textbooks, pamphlets, posters and offered some "Hands on" time, too - he got EVERYBODY welding. It's an impressive little portable trailer of welding equipment Stan has, too! Later this spring it will be at the Farm Show in Louisville. Apparently my request timing was good, that the trailer was in the area (stored nearby) and Matthew and I had the space to offer the class. Our new shop is just being finished, & with that trailer parked in it, I called it "Welding Nirvana"!

I do wish it hadn't been one of the coldest nights in the last several years and that Matt and I had finished a little more insulation on our new building before the class. It was a pretty chilly evening! We did however have the wood stove fired up and it was good for standing by for the occasional warm up. My hope is, that the class was able to help each individual feel they can make EDUCATED decisions on what they need to purchase for themselves, and expand the love of welding. The hands on experience was a real treat, as Stan says he can't actually get people welding at larger indoor conferences.

For my final pic, I've added an image of the boys "burning it up" after everyone else had left. Matt tried his hand on a few new welders & I'm pretty certain he'll be keeping an eye on the market for any sales.

I also got to talk to Stan (after class) about a portable welding helmet option with air filtration by Miller. Stay tuned as I continue my search! Until now I had been pretty determined the 3m helmet was everything I was looking for... but I'll get together with Stan soon and see if I can get my head into one of his models for a test run! :)