Sparks fly...

                                                  

 A Welder’s Experience

 By: Elizabeth and Michael

Today a welder came on our boat.  He is very nice.  He had to train for a year before getting a license.  He is so good he never has sparks flying everywhere.  His hardest job was when he had to build a spiral staircase.  He likes welding and even creates paperweights and metal flower decorations.  

The welding tool he uses is called a ‘tig’.  Its fire gets hot enough to melt metal. He sometimes burns his hands, but they get tougher. After he uses the tig, he puts acid on the new weld, which takes of the brownish-blackish burnt metal.  

If acid gets on his hands, they turn yellow and start to burn.  The other tools that he uses are a grinder, a sander, and a polisher.  Each one of these is used for making the weld shiny and smooth.  He let us look at the sun through his welder’s helmet to see how much it shades your eyes.

If you look at the tig when it is welding, you could get blisters on your eyes, just like sunburn!  That's why welders have to wear the special masks.  He did a great job on our cracked steel arch, and it was fun watching him.