The first Women Building California (and the nation ) Conference will be happening April 29-30 in Oakland, Calif.

Marriott Oakland City Center
1001 Broadway
Oakland, CA

Here’s the Schedule:
Friday April 29th, Informal pre conference gathering, Lunch, Dinner, Cocktails, laughter, bullshitting, making friends, and having fun.
…
Saturday April 30 at 8:00am – Conference
Sunday May 1 at 2:00pm – Conference

For More info: http://www.sbctc.org/

To register, download the Registration Form (.pdf) and fill out!  Then gas up your car (or take public transportation) and Go!

Consider requesting to be sponsored to go, from your Local, regional, employer, labor center, and other orgs and agency’s supporting women in the blue collar industry.

The First “Women Building The Nation Conference, at the 10th Annual Women Build California, with support of the National Building Trades Council

The goal:   1,000 women

So help get the word out!

If you need to improve your TIG welding skills, take a look at the newest of the Ron Covell’s videos, Advanced TIG Welding with Ron Covell.

Jim Watson (my boss) over at Arc-Zone tells me that he learned a trick or two from Ron Covell, and Jim himself is a master fabricator!

And for women welders, it’s even more important to stay on top of your game.  The advice I’ve gotten most often from women on how to fit in or get along on a job site or in a weld shop is to make sure you’re always improving your skill set. (actually that’s true in any career!)  And make sure you know what you’re doing.

Go ahead and take a look at the list of Tips for Women in the Welding Industry, and be sure to let me know what YOU think…

What advice would you give a woman starting out?

How do you work on improving your welding and metal fabrication skills?

Women are different than men, especially when it comes to personal
protective equipment for welding. Check out the newest additions to Revco’s line of AngelFire™ welding wear for women–  practical, sized right and stylish!

The new stick welding glove is designed exclusively for women and provides a great answer to a basic problem. Until recently, the common make-do glove solution for most women welders was to purchase men’s gloves in size small. Not only were they difficult to find, but they were typically of low quality and still failed to fit properly.

Just as practical, the new Hybrid™ welding jacket is tailored for a woman’s body so she no longer has to wear bulky men’s jackets or go without welding protection at all, neither of which are safe options.

Revco’s new LS50 women’s stick glove leverages the company’s extensive glove-making experience along with cutting-edge features from their performance BSX® line, which has become a favorite
among professional welders and hobbyists. The women’s design is embellished with a swirl decoration and includes features such as high quality genuine leathers, strategic reinforcements, Revco’s exclusive DragPatch®, and a pre-curved ergonomic construction that maximizes dexterity while helping to reduce fatigue.

The BW9C/PS Hybrid™ women’s welding jacket incorporates grain pigskin sleeves into the already popular AngelFire™ flame resistant jacket. It features adjustable waist straps to provide maximum fit, a stand-up welder’s collar, slant-opening scribe pockets, and a zippered inner pocket. Most
significantly, the grain pigskin sleeves add durability and protection where they count most. The warm chocolate brown of the FR cotton complemented by the strong black sleeves appeals to women welders everywhere.

The AngelFire™ line of women’s welding gear is available now through Arc-Zone.com. Details and information about AngelFire™ products can be found at www.angelfiregear.com.

About Revco Industries
Revco Industries, Inc., based in Santa Fe Springs, California, is a leading glove and protective apparel company with over 30 years of
service to the welding and industrial sectors. The company designs, develops, and distributes a full range of innovative protective wear
nationwide through welding supply distributors, tool and hardware retailers, and equipment rental dealers. Revco Industries markets its
products under the umbrella trade name Black Stallion®, which encompasses associated brands such as Tool Handz™, MightyMIG™,
Tigster™ and Hybrid™. More information about Revco Industries and its products can be found at www.revcoindustries.com.

Looks like the safety experts at Miller got right with this line: WeldX, high performance flame resistant, spatter resistant welding safety apparel.

WeldX fabric offers the protection of leather, but it won’t weigh you down.

Now if only they had a women’s line!

Of course the apron, sleeves and bib are One Size fits all…

but it may be a bit more challenging to find the right fit on the Jacket and the Cape Sleeves…  but here’s a couple of sizing charts to help you out.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the AWS New Mexico chapter meeting, which was held at the Central New Mexico Community College (CNM).

In addition to the hamburgers and hot dogs cooked up by the college’s student chapter of AWS, another big draw of the evening was the Blacksmithing demo by Robert Ulibarri (pictured, right) from CNM’s welding technology program.  He  also serves as the faculty advisor for the CNM Student chapter of the AWS and I’ll be doing a profile and tour of their welding program soon.  On video.

I had big plans to video tape the demo, but alas my batteries failed.  And I had neglected to bring extras.  So instead of a demo of red hot glowing iron, Robert hammering out some horse shoes, sparks flying …  all I got was 13 seconds of intro and this screen capture.

I met several of the AWS members, representing Los Alamos National Labs, Sandia National Labs and Matheson Gas to name a few.

I also learned about the scholarship opportunities that the American Welding Society offers–  on many levels– from local district  scholarships to international  scholarships. It’s clear the AWS is committed to offering opportunities to students worldwide!

New this year is the opportunity to apply scholarship funds to two-year programs.   NOTE:  Applications are due March 1 for district scholarships.  In addition to filling out the application, you’ll need to get together your transcripts, a financial aid statement, and write a Personal Statement outlining your educational and career objectives. Other AWS sponsored scholarships may have additional requirements such as letters of recommendations, so plan ahead!

Also new this year for the Albuquerque section is a scholarship funded by Matheson!

So if you’re interested in a career in welding, you may want to check out the opportunities offered through your own local American Welding Society Chapter, and maybe even score a scholarship.

Have you heard of the Make it in America Plan?  How do you think this will affect you?

From the Huffington Post:

For the Strength of Rosie the Riveter: Make It in America
by Leo W. GerardInternational President, United Steelworkers

Rosie the Riveter defiantly rolls up her blue work shirt to show off a brawny bicep. She’s a symbol of American strength.

She worked in a manufacturing job, one of millions that constructed the defense machine that won World War II for the Allies. She said, “We can do it.” And America did.

Now, however, shuttered U.S. factories and off-shored manufacturing are sapping American strength. The nation has lost more than 40,000 manufacturing plants and one-third of its manufacturing jobs, nearly six million, over the past dozen years. China is on the verge of overtaking the U.S. in manufacturing output. And Americans know it. Late in April, 58 percent of 1,000 likely voters told pollsters they believed America’s economy no longer led the world.

They also told pollsters they supported enacting a national manufacturing policy to promote resurgence of domestic production — a return to the days of a robust Rosie the Riveter and a country that could secure its independence with dynamic manufacturing capability.

Democrats in Congress heard that message. They’ve created a program called “Make It in America.” They plan to pass a series of bills to create an environment in which both Americans and American manufacturers make it.
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I don’t usually post racing stuff here, but check this out from Miller… and note that the driver is Elaine Larsen:

Elaine Larsen has over a decade of drag racing experience and is the driver of Miller’s Jet Dragster and the Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster. She has always had a love of racing and a need for speed. Twenty years after seeing her first Jet Funny Car, she was in the driver’s seat on the track…..CHECK OUT HER  BIO–>

AND check out the BUILD of this super slick dragster–>

Excited for the new Iron Man 2 movie coming out this summer?  Well, while you’re waiting, why don’t you check out this new IronMan 230 All-in-One MIG Welder from Hobart Welders?  It has everything you could want in a MIG machine — we only wish it had a bit more in common with its namesake (flying while welding anyone??)

Hobart Introduces IronMan 230 All-in-One MIG Welder with Superior Arc Quality and Greater Precision
Jon Crowley | Jan 14, 2010

Hobart Ironman 230

The IronMan™ 230 is a total redesign of the full-size MIG platform, outperforming the competition on arc quality, voltage control, duty cycle and value. It delivers 30-250 amps of pure power in a heavy duty cabinet. The arc of the new IronMan™ 230 is optimized to deliver a flawless weld, making spatter and post-weld cleanup almost non-existent. The IronMan™ 230 easily runs aluminum – just add the optional Hobart DP-3545-20 spool gun and you’re ready to weld aluminum from 18 gauge to 1/2″.

For improved feedability with aluminum wires or for extended reach with other wires add the Hobart 3545-20 spool gun with its 20 ft. cable length.

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Crazy Germans and their sausage.  And I fully mean that as a compliment, because we here at Arc-Zone.com were all amazed and highly entertained by what happened next.

German welders + sausage + welding machine = Electric grill for men??

Adventurous Germans Grill Sausages with an Industrial Welder

“Eventually, the tube was so hot that the arc had to be shut down because the fat was on the verge of spontaneous combustion.”

By Vin Marshall  Posted 03.22.2010

Barbecue grills don’t typically require eye protection, but then, they’re typically not made from a giant TIG welder and an industrial sausage positioner either.

That’s something these Germans set out to change with the “Electric Grill For Men.”

What would you do if you needed to endurance-test a large industrial welding power supply?

You’d probably rig up something like the apparatus pictured here, in which a TIG welding torch draws a continuous arc along a slowly rotating piece of aluminum tubing mounted in a work positioner normally used for pipe welding.

As the long weld bead is laid down, the power supply is tested to verify that it can maintain its rated output and duty cycle without melting down. In the process, a great deal of heat is generated.

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A new program on the Lummi Reservation is offering the equivalent of full scholarships to ten aspiring Native American welders for an intense 16 week welding course.  They qualify as second-year union apprentices at the end of it!

New program teaches welding to Native Americans
JOHN STARK – THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

LUMMI RESERVATION – Ten Native American men are getting an intensive course in welding that they hope will enable them to get better jobs, even in a sluggish economy.

The students train 10 hours a day, six days a week for 16 weeks, under a program through a new partnership among the U.S. Department of Interior, Lummi Indian Business Council, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, and Native American Fabricators Welding School, a private welding school that operates on Lummi Reservation.

Art George, a welder and former chairman of Nooksack Tribe, started the school in 2008 with his wife, Rebecca.

He said the demand for trained welders remains brisk at refineries, boat builders, construction sites and shipyards as the older generation of welders retires.

Students who complete the intensive program qualify for hiring as second-year union apprentices, with pay starting at about $20 an hour.

After four years, they could qualify for journeyman welder status and make more than twice that, George said.

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