Another great tip from Weldcraft®

Optimize shield gas coverage by using an appropriate size gas lens. Gas lenses help minimize rework and allow for greater tungsten extension for increased access to confined joints.

And check out the Large Gas Saver Nozzles available at Arc-Zone.com . Pretty slick.

We’re glad someone noticed. It’s about time!

As you know I’ve been on the lookout for women welders to interview (more coming later this week) but in the meantime, I found out about this new line of women’s welding wear. Isn’t it amazing how sometimes things just all fall in line?

Out here in California we’d say something like “Must be Mercury is no longer in retrograde…”

Introducing AngelFire™ by the experts at Revco®

Santa Fe Springs, CA – Women are different… Revco noticed. That’s why Revco Industries has launched AngelFire, an innovative series of premium welding protection designed exclusively for women. Finally, women can break free from male attire and work more safely in clothes tailored to fit a woman’s body. No more clumsy gloves. No more oversized jackets. No more sparks down the collar.

AngelFire, launching under the recently released BSX line, features a warm chocolate brown color and smaller sizes to appeal directly to women. Revco predicts this fashionable line of welding products will invigorate enthusiasm among woman welders who, up until now, have been limited to wearing bulky jackets made to fit men.

“Women had no other choice at all. Being a TIG welder, you don’t even bother wearing a jacket because you’d rather be comfortable at work and ruin your own clothing than deal with a bulky man’s welding jacket. It’s a nightmare,” says Pamela Lesemann, a 15 year welder and welding instructor. But now there is the new AngelFire jacket. Lesemann raves, “I love it; I think it’s great. It’s soft, comfortable and it fits. Finally, something different.”

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As any skilled professional can tell you, it’s important to constantly improve your knowledge if you’re to become an expert. Welding requires skill and knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, electrical, design, and more.

There are a lot of great resources out there, many of them I have referenced before on this blog:  The Fabricator Magazine, Lincoln Electric’s website, Miller’s website, ESAB’s website,   Hobart’s website, Arc-Zone.com’s Welding Library, The American Welding Society, and Edison Welding Institute to name a few.

Of course you can buy welding books (Arc-Zone.com carries a nice selection!)  You should also consider signing up for manufacturers’ newsletters. Although they are obviously plugging their own products, they offer a wealth of information that you can download or print out for your own welding library. Here’s a few to get you started:

• Miller’s Power Click e-News (Welding Newsletter via email)
  
• Lincoln’s iWeld Welding Newsletter via email
• Arc-Zone’s Weld Like A Pro(tm) E-Zine

I first “met” Debra on MySpace. Her MySpace handle is SteelWitch, which is a bit of a misnomer. She should be called Copper Witch. Not because she is a witch, but rather because she has an affinity for copper.

She and her husband have a custom fab shop up in the Sierras not too far from Sequoia National Park. The Metal Shoppe does some incredible work, specializing in custom copper range hoods, kitchen countertops. When I put out the call to interview women welders, Debra volunteered right away.

When did you start welding?

Started school in May 2000

What made you want to pick up a torch and start melting metal?

Started out learning a little bit from an ex-boyfriend who had a little Miller 110 welder he used for working on a hot rod he was building.

Was there someone in particular who introduced you to welding as a career option?

I started out going to auto body shop to learn more about body work and part of that class was basic welding. I started to entertain thoughts of a career change at that point -

How did you train? How long have you been welding?

Two years in Fresno City College welding program. [I’ve been welding] since starting school in May 2000. Was fortunate to pick up an entry level job in a fabrication shop by June 2000 and have migrated from shop to shop working my way up.

I see your specialty is in copper, can you tell me a little bit about what draws you to copper, and how you work with it? How is it different than other metals?

I started working in copper when my husband and I opened our own shop in 2004. It all started with one copper kitchen hood. That is how I found Archive Designs’ website and saw the repousse work they do there. Went to a class to learn it and have discovered other things to make with copper along the way.

I like copper because it is easy to work with. You can heat it, anneal it, hand form it, weld it and do all kinds of different colorations with patina processes and heat. Because it is a softer metal - it can be easier to work with in some ways than steel. It obviously depends on the application. And again, there are a variety of colors and textures you can apply that do not work the same way with steel - I guess you could say it is more versatile that way. For exterior use - it doesn’t rust like steel.

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