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Welding Basics Michele Beschen takes the mystery out of welding. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-152

Get a good look at the artistic side of welding.

You can hammer a nail in straight and get a screw into a piece of wood. Using a glue gun feels as natural as using a pencil. But can you weld?

Even the most adventurous crafters are likely to balk at the idea of welding—using extremely high heat to literally make two pieces of metal into one. But, as Michele Beschen learned on a recent visit with metal artist John Brommel, it’s a great way to B. Original with metal.

Scroll down for a brief "Welding 101" from Michele Beschen and John Brommel, plus some examples of artistic welding work.

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	Figure A
	Figure B

Welding may hold cars together and keep buildings standing, but it’s also a powerful art tool. Here are some of the basics:

• Soldering and braising are adhesive ways to join metals: Two metals are stuck to each other with. Welding, however, is cohesive: Two pieces actually become one. With a perfect weld, you can’t tell where one piece ends and the next begins (figure A).

• Most people are familiar with oxyacetylene welding, in which the welder uses a high-temperature torch to heat and melt the metal.

• Tig welding, which uses an electric version of an oxyacetylene torch, produces a vastly superior weld. Also superior is the mig welder (figure B), which has a wire that comes out of the torch. This wire creates an electric arc when it touches the material, creating a weld.

• Metal artist John Brommel recommends taking a metalworking class if you’re interested in welding: It will give you a good grounding in the basic skills, with the safety that comes from having a professional instructor.

John Brommel’s work spans everything from heavy, realistic pieces...

to softer, more stylized imagery.

GUESTS :

John B. Brommel
E-mail: jbrommel3@mchsi.com