Our newest Rosie is Judy Enz of Olympia, Washington where she is a welder and welding instructor with over 30 years of experience, and now proud owner of Arc Masters School of Welding.

While on the surface starting a business in a not-so-welcoming economy may not seem like a good idea, Judy says, “Right now education is at a record high. The schools are packed and there are two-year waiting lists to get into the welding programs.” And so Judy’s school will be there to pick up the slack. “I want everybody who wants to learn to have the opportunity even if it is just enough to build your own BBQ!” she adds.

I conducted the interview over several emails– Judy keeps pretty busy with her new business, including participating on a radio program. The panel discussion, on Women in Non Traditional Jobs, was originally broadcast on July 28, 2010 for the Voices of Diversity on Community Radio KBCS 91.3 FM in Seattle. http://www.kbcs.fm

Decades ago, women were confined to very specific gender roles and occupations. Today, women are seen working in a variety of careers that in the past were completely occupied by men. So, on today’s Voices of Diversity, a status check on gender equality in the workplace. Do women still face barriers to certain professions and challenges when they decide to enter a career field that in the past has shut them out?
Host: Kevin Henry.  [Listen Online]

Here’s what she had to say in response to my questions:

What got you interested in welding?
A private welding school opened in town and friends said I should check it out since I was looking for a career. I put on a welding helmet and never looked back!

(more…)

I recently ran across this awesome summer day camp for girls (too bad there isn’t one for adult women!) ROSIE’S GIRLS is a three week day camp for girls (6th-8th grade).  It a place to learn skills (carpentry, welding, etc) that build confidence.  PLUS they get to use power tools!  This is an awesome way to introduce girls to career options that even today don’t seem accessible to women (did you know that as of 2006 the Department of Labor counts only 6% of professional welders as women?! ***)

FACT: women can weld just as good (and sometimes better) than men. Brains, not brawn makes for an excellent welder… and check out these girls WELDING!

***HOLY SH&%$# ***  I just looked up more recent statistics (from 2008) and the percent of women employed in the welding/ metal industries has GONE DOWN!  WTF?  check it out:

Welding, soldering and brazing…  4.7% women (5.9% in 2006)

Sheet metal workers….  4.8% women (3.1% in 2006)

Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters….  1.5%  (1.9% in 2006)

Tool and die….  1%

Structural Iron / Steel…  0.9%

You can check out these reports and many others about women in nontraditional occupations from the Department of Labor online.

And lets brainstorm!  what can WE do to make these “nontraditional” occupations “traditional?”

One of the things I enjoy most about this series of the New Rosies is seeing exactly what kind of women weld…  and Jennifer Hayes is no exception.  She tells me she models part time for fun.

And even though she  supported herself as a housekeeper for a few years while going to school to become a welder…   it looks like this Canadian doesn’t mind getting dirty!

Here’s what she has  to say about her welding career so far:

What is your job?

Our favorite quote from Shauna’s introduction to her life as a welder would have to be: “I think at the end of the day, if your face and hands are covered in dirt, it’s been a great and productive day.”

We quite agree with you on that!  Read on to find out more about this welder chic!

My name is Shauna Rae Hall and I am currently living in Calgary, Alberta Canada.  I work at a company called NGC Compression Solutions.  I am one of the four certified Journeyman red seal welders working in the fabrication shop at the moment.

My hobbies include camping, dirt biking, exploring nature, photography and of course welding.

I have been welding for about five years now, since I was seventeen.  Back when I was still in high school I had never even imagined that I would be welding for a career.  All throughout school I was taking cosmetology, cutting hair, doing facials… When it came time to graduate and start planning for my future I started looking at industries that had the most demand at the time, which turned out to be welding and construction.

I pretty much talked to my dad about it and got some more information about what welding was like and what it took to become certified in the industry.  I knew right away that I wasn’t interested in an office job.  I wanted to prove myself in the world, and to my father.  So I guess a big part of why I became a welder was for my dad and to make him proud of me.  I decided to take a pre-employment welding course to gain more knowledge in the trade and basically learn how to weld and what was really going on once you strike that arc.

After taking the program it took me quite some time to get a job in a shop  – probably about eight months or so.  I noticed a lot of companies that I applied at weren’t interested in hiring individuals with no experience.  I finally got a break when a family friend found out about a position opening up at the company she was working for.  She gave me a good reference upon arriving with my resume.  That afternoon I received a phone call with a job offer and started work the following Monday.  After a few months I signed up with the Alberta apprenticeship board — this was in late 2005.

For my apprenticeship training I attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in their Polytechnics program.  At work right now, I mostly use Gas Metal Arc welding (GMAW).  We run metal cored 0.45 wire.  We also do some Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) when needed.  I feel more comfortable welding stick and mig obviously.

I love working in a fabrication shop.  I always put my best effort into every project and I really enjoy saying “I built that”.  I think at the end of the day, if your face and hands are covered in dirt, it’s been a great and productive day.  I really enjoy welding Gas Tungsten arc welding (TIG) as well.  I like how clean the weld is and how much hand eye coordination you need to be able to have a good looking product.

For my whole apprenticeship I’ve only worked at two shops — both fabrication shops, just different kinds of production.  For my first job, I built average sized skids for an industrial air conditioning company, mostly using c-shaped channel.  At that shop I was able to weld a lot of different types of metal.  I learned how to weld structural aluminum as well as lighter gauged material.  I also spent a fair amount of time welding stainless steel and aluminum using tig.

At the shop I work at now, we’re building custom natural gas compression units using a lot of heavy W shape beam for the base of the skid.  I really enjoy it because you have to fabricate projects using a lot of personal experience and knowledge.  I am also interested in doing some artistic welding once I can purchase my own welding unit to use at my house.  When I first started out in the industry I did experience a fair amount of discrimination.  I was having quite a hard time finding a job.

I’ve heard a lot of different excuses going from not having proper facilities for women to employers thinking I wouldn’t be able to lift enough weight.  You also grow a pretty tough skin in welding.  A lot of things that guys say can be mistaken; you have to learn how to take criticism as well as eventually give it.  I’ve realized now that companies are looking for knowledgable individuals who know what they’re doing and are great at what they do.

I always enjoyed technical training.  Shop class was my most favourite time in school.  I remember in my second year I had received the highest mark for our practical in flux cored GMAW.  That’s definitely one of my greatest memories…

If I were to give any advice for girls or women looking to get into the trade, I’d have to say first of all that you don’t necessarily have to fall into any stereotype that women have to work in an office or be a nurse…  You can do anything you want — whatever interests you the most, whether it be mechanics, plumbing, construction or welding.  Just remember you can achieve anything you put your mind to.

If you’re interested in working in the industry, no matter what type of industry it is, when you’re applying for a job, come in prepared to work, as if you already got a position in the company. More than likely the employer will think pretty highly of you… I’ve learned this from experience and seeing some people attempting to succeed that unfortunately don’t make it.

Work hard and know your theory.  You should definitely know how to set up your machine properly, replace a spool of wire, and know how to troubleshoot almost any problem that occurs with your drive rolls and wire feed system.  Knowing how to properly fix problems without asking for help shows a lot about your skills, and in the end it’s a lot easier and quicker so that you can get back to your work faster.

Meet Naomi Buechman

Naomi is a new Facebook Friend (you can never have too many Facebook Friends!), and when we put out a call for women welders, she was one of the first to answer. Here’s what she has to say about welding, working as a woman welder, and life:

My name is Naomi Buechman. I am 24 years old and live in Ontario, Canada. I currently weld part time, looking for full time work, but am also a photographer.

For fun I enjoy concerts, drive ins, carnivals, reading, writing, photographing, and driving my truck on road trips… And of course, welding!

I have been welding for a little over a year now, and am C.W.B. Certified (in the GTAW and GMAW processes).

I was always interested in welding growing up even though I hated fire, because I used to watch TV shows of shipbuilders and auto-body guys slugging away on cars… I also thought the helmets looked very astronaut-like, which I loved!

I trained at a local college and took their “welding techniques” program, which actually focused around a lot of the ‘other’ stuff involved with welding- fitting, autocad, blueprint reading, technical math, welding theory and metallurgy, to name a few. It was my first year of ever stepping foot into a shop and it was definitely intimidating at first, but I quickly moved past that and went into ‘the zone’.

Currently I am using the SMAW and GTAW processes the most, but am proficient at using all forms, as we were taught all of them in the shop. I thoroughly enjoy TIG welding the most, even though I like laying a fast bead with say, GMAW, but I like that you can control your heat and bead with your foot …providing you use a foot petal

I have done some production welding, and am currently doing some projects for a military base for a local shop. I have never worked in a fab shop, but spend a lot of time in one alongside some of the greatest people in my life… amongst making some funky art pieces in the shop. I have done a few art pieces, nothing major- but have sold both that I made. It keeps my skills sharp when there’s a lull in the economy, which is a bonus!

I have done welding jobs from local little shops, to working plant shutdowns, 60 feet up crawling through 14 inch spaces to weld in a confined space. Burning rod with four inches of concrete all around- your face completely brown, hair like straw and concrete dust falling out of your pants. (Clarifying shampoo will be your friend ladies!)

Non-welding related I have done everything from slinging drinks, to pouring coffee, photographer to selling pantyhose to truckers. (Don’t ask!)

My biggest career challenge to date has been the economy, because when I graduated is when the recession hit its worst.

Being a woman in some towns is still a challenge too, but I always go prepared with helmet over shoulder to prove that I can weld just as good, or better than any guy on their shop floor. It pays to let employers know that you are not there to pave the road for women’s rights, but you genuinely love what you do, which is what I always let them know.

I have come across several situations where employers have said “oh sorry, we don’t have a woman’s washroom”, or “it’s a dirty job”, and I handled it by saying “there are always ways around that” or “It’s a job that needs to be done!” (After coming out of a chute, eight hours later covered with inches of concrete dust, I think proving tenacity and determination is key)

I would tell any young women that are interested in welding as a career to be strong, don’t undermine yourself and work hard. It’s very easy to get intimidated and discouraged because the reality is, the welding world can and will be tough, but so can a lot of other sectors in life, but you can’t let that get you down. If it’s something you really love at the end of the day, you will know.

If it’s not meant to be, then that’s okay too. Life is about finding your passion, which mine happens to be welding. I love the smell of burning rod, the smell of the leathers, and the accomplishment at the end of the day. It’s as simple as welding patches inside concrete chutes and making it fun, thinking of it as leaving your imprint.

I also want to encourage women to discover welding related careers that stem from welding, such as fitting, iron worker, welding inspector, or even an instructor. There are many opportunities to advance, and I believe that being smart is also an asset (but not necessarily a necessity) with being a welder too. Knowing distortion control, grain structure of metals used in tools and why, or different currents used and why really helped me progress as a good welder. Knowing how to weld is cool, but knowing how to take apart your nozzle and put it back together is where it’s at for me. I believe you should know how and why your machine works, not just that it works.

Right now because of the recession, there are a lot of qualified men/women without work, which does suck, but you just have to keep with it and get out there and pound the pavement when an opportunity arises. I think the best path for success in the industry is listen to those who know, those who have been there. Try it out.

I foresee green projects popping up like crazy, so the demand will be there and always for maintenance of plants and structural jobs from across the country.

If art is your forte, get out to every local craft shop and get your name out there, don’t be afraid!

My ultimate goal as a welder is to end up working for an auto-body shop, customizing rods, or to start mingling with some cool alloys, such as TIG welding titanium or TIG welding parts for the aerospace industry.

As Tomater from Cars would say, eat my rust!

Thanks Naomi! You know we all want to know, however, WHY were you selling pantyhose to truckers?

Through the wonderful social medium that is Facebook, we have been fortunate enough to meet a variety of dedicated and uniquely talented women welders who are working their way through life with a torch in hand. Here’s what Karine Maynard says about welding, and life:

My name is Karine Maynard, and I live in central Kentucky. I work as a blacksmith who helps to make ornamental & architectural ironwork, mostly custom jobs, like railings and balconies; sometimes we get smaller commissions for tables, fire screens, etc.

Growing up on a tree farm in Wisconsin, my father also had an auto parts store and I’d probably still be there and running the place now, except that when it came time for him to retire he said it was “no business for a girl,” so I went to college and one of the things I studied was art.

I got my introductions to working in metal in jewelry-making classes, and I studied everything including political science, foreign languages and history – but really my early years in the country surrounded by auto shops & farming gave me the taste for things “hands on”. I also traveled a lot internationally in college and that really expanded my ideas as well as introduced me to other cultures and interesting people.

(more…)

by Jennifer Simpson

I first ran into Christina Sporrong online while searching for “women welders.”  Her business website for Spitfire Forge in Taos, New Mexico came up.  I bookmarked the page, and even exchanged a few emails with Christina.  One of the things that intrigued me about her was that she teaches welding workshops for women, so a few months later when I found myself in New Mexico I had the opportunity to meet her face to face.

Christina moved to Taos in a VW Van with four hundred dollars in her pocket and a toolbox.  Even though she had some skill as a welder, she started waitressing to earn money.  A lot of the girls she worked with thought it would be cool to learn to weld, so Christina started teaching them.  Back then she only charged $50 per person and used that money to buy more tools.

She’s now been in New Mexico for over twelve years and lives on Taos’ west mesa on 15 acres of land.  She built her house herself, putting to use her skills in construction and fabrication and her artistic aesthetic.  When she sent me directions and a description of the property via email I was sure I would get lost and I knew, in my low riding Volkswagen beetle, it would be slow when she told me to turn onto a gravel road and go for seven miles.  I was supposed to look for the tall ranch gate with an anvil and a dark house with gear teeth and lots of sculptural stuff in the yard.

“It should be obvious,” she wrote.

We were both right.  The seven miles took me about 20 minutes, skirting the western edge of the Rio Grande.  Christina’s description, however, didn’t do the property or the landscape justice.  The house itself is a rustic brown concrete looking structure, its shape reminiscent of a Quonset hut with the roof shaped like the wheel of a gear. Although it is industrial, it somehow feels organic, mimicking the shape of the Sangre de Cristo mountains rising above Taos to the east across the gorge. (more…)

We first “met” Marcia Sommer when she called in to Arc-Zone.com looking for some equipment for a laser welding application. A welder for 25 years, Marcia is a technical consultant and teaches at two local colleges.

“Crowder College and Missouri Southern State University has an Alliance that does consulting and instruction in industry. They needed a combination welder who could teach and consult. It snowballed from there,” she says.

She wasn’t sure about the teaching part of the job at first. Marcia learned a lot about tools and troubleshooting from her father, a skilled craftsman, but got on the job training as a welder’s helper for a pipe crew where she worked for two years and took night classes at the local trade school. She learned by being a good hand for the “old welders.” Marcia says you just have to “be still and listen. So that is how I teach now that I am the old welder,” she jokes.

That way of teaching seems to work for Marcia– on a lot of levels. “After I finished [teaching] my first class I knew this was something where I could get all the best things you look for in a job. Great people, important work, paying back, and feeling blessed.”

Her favorite projects are making something for the Agricultural Department’s large, working farm at Crowder College. “My students enjoy doing real world projects,” she says.

Though GTAW with stainless or titanium is what she loves best, Marcia says that in the last few years she has enjoyed GMAW as well. “I put together a large deer made of ¼” round stock. The GMAW let me move as fast as the ideas.

(more…)

I hate to admit it but I don’t know how to weld. Sure, I know a lot about welding, the various processes, the equipment you need–  especially the high performance TIG welding accessories at Arc-Zone.com.  I even know a bit about plasma arc welding and cutting. But ’til now it’s all been book learnin’ and talking to a lot of knowledgeable people.

Finally I got a short one-on-one lesson in TIG Welding from Arc-Zone’s own Joe Welder (aka my boss, Jim Watson).  Wow. What an eye opener that was! 

 And fun.

First off, let me assure you, that contrary to popular belief, Welding is NOT for dummies.  You have to keep a lot of things in mind. And if you want to be any good, you’ll have to understand about electricity, metallurgy, a little geometry, joint fit up, and then there’s the hand-eye coordination that takes practice. And more practice.

Safety First.

Even though with TIG welding you don’t see sparks flying, you still need eye protection. We did not have one of the super slick fancy electronic welding helmets in stock so I had to go old skool and flip my lid up and down.  

At least the helmet looked good– the orange flames matched my long-sleeved  cotton t-shirt perfectly.

And check out these gloves. They’re the Firefly TIG Gloves made for women who weld, which means the sizing is smaller.  I was suprised at how well I could maneuver the TIG Torch and the filler rod.

Here’s Jim showing me the proper way to hold the TIG torch.  It’s heavier than it looks,  and this was a WP-20 water cooled TIG torch.  Though the torch body  itself only weighs 3 oz. you’ve got to take into consideration the weight of the cables and hoses which makes it a little awkward and it feels heavier than it really is.  Because this is delicate work, you’re using all those tiny muscles in your hand, wrist and forearm.  Of course I’m a bit of a wimp, I’ll admit it.

I let Jim set up the machine.  This is a basic Miller Machine upgraded with a Cool Kit so we can use the water cooled TIG Torch.  

First he opened up the Argon bottle-  slowly so as not to “shock” the flow meter.  

Next he plugged in the water cooler. It was a little noisy, but not too bad.  Kinda comforting to hear the hum and gurgle since the welding machine itself was so quiet.

Then he checked that the work cable was grounded to the work bench…  

Jim got me a coupon to practice on, 308L Stainless Steel, and some 1/16″ diameter  308L Stainless steel rod.  We cleaned the material with EZ Wipes to make sure there was nothing to contaminate the weld and mess it up (I figured I could do that all by myself without any help from dirt).  

Jim turned the machine to Electrode negative 150 amps, and I was ready to roll!

NEXT POST:  See the results…..

Growing up in the Black Hills with a mechanical engineer for a father, it’s no surprise that Jessi Combs became a metal fabricator.

“I was surrounded by the Sturgis Rally, Cruise Night, and a lot of 4-wheeling…. if I broke it I had to fix it, and if I wanted it I usually had to make it, and making it usually meant welding was involved,” says Jessi.

Jessi has been welding for as long as she can remember even though she wasn’t always great at it. “But that’s what school and practice is for,” she says.  And it wasn’t just welding that interested her.

WyoTech offers a degree in Custom Automotive Fabrication, a natural fit for Jessi’s interests and skills.  “To weld is to join pieces together to the point of melting the surfaces together. As a metal fabricator, there is a lot more planning, shaping, fitting and building than simply welding it together.”

Jessi’s career path started like many young people’s from working retail to waitressing and “one lame desk job that lasted only six months.”  However, things changed by the time she graduated.  She was hired as a Fabrication Specialist building a 1969 Mercury Cyclone as the WyoTech SEMA Show car, and right after that she became the host of Xtreme 4×4, the off-road, how-to show on Spike TV.

“For over three years we built all kinds of off-road trucks, trailers, tow rigs, and even some street trucks for millions of viewers. Since then I have been doing side jobs fabricating for others in the middle of doing a slew of freelance TV gigs,” she says.

Jessi is also a spokesperson for the American Welding Society and says that the average age of today’s craftsmen is 58 years old– soon they will be retired.

“As spokesperson it is my job to excite our youth about all the possibilities of becoming a welder. There is a high demand for welders and there is a lot of money to be made as a welder.”

Many women are under the misconception that women who weld are not particularly feminine. Jessi seems to balance this very well.  “No matter how dirty I get or how many guys I work with, I still love doing girlie things. And at the end of the day I know that I am still the beautiful, nurturing creature God created me to be.”

According to Jessi there are many lucrative opportunities in the welding world for women and that women are created with patience and great attention to detail. These jobs bring a sense of courage and independence. “Not all of them are dirty jobs either,” she says. “Look at the medical and jewelry fields or even art and furniture.  If you’re looking for a fun career, change of pace or something to challenge you a bit more there is a plethora of opportunities.”

And, in case you’re wondering, Jessi is TIG-er.  “It’s a very calming process and when you’re done its quite clean and actually beautiful.”

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Our interview was delayed for a couple of days when Jessi went to the Baja 1000, something she’d wanted to do since she was young.  She reports via email:  “Pistol Pete and his trophy truck team let me tag along for the pre-run and the race. I got some seat time in the pre-run, but unfortunately we blew a head gasket at mile 8 and the trio was cut short.”
Hopefully they’ll do better next time around!

As a side note, if you’re not familiar with the Baja 1000, in 2006 my friend James Spring reported on this “toughest 24 hours in motor sports,” for public radio.