Finally Done

I feel that I have gained many 21 century skills from senior project. Thinking and Reasoning logically were most definitely one of them, because I had to be absolutely precise about every dimension and measurement of each panel. Incorporating authentic learning skills has been something that I have gotten better at from this entire process because it has taught me to be better at creating, and building obstacles from not only my own but other designs as well.

Welding is always going to be a learning job because I will be learning every day on the job site. Welding isn’t something that you just master in a couple years of training, because even the most experienced welders learn new things each day, and that is why I feel I’ve learned Being a lifelong learner who is curious and able to take risks. I learned to think creatively, by overcoming tough situations with my own ideas. I have learned to make my own decisions and solve problems.

Anticipating and responding to unexpected outcomes is another 21st-century skill that I have acquired from this project because I have multiple unexpected errors that I made while creating panels. I learned how to present information in front of others a lot better as wells as supporting my evidence. Senior project is going to really help me in the long run with all of these skills.

MIG Welding Research Paper

 

MIG Welding

Welding is a very important skill. Welding is used almost always on anything that involves metal. Welded objects are used every day. If it weren’t for welding, this world would not be the same; because, we wouldn’t be able to conjoin pieces of metal together to create structures. Welding is a very precise skill and is highly useful.

Not a lot of people know this, but welding goes way back in history to the Middle Ages. According to “The History Of Welding” from Miller Electric Manufacturing Company, welding started advancing in the 1800s. Edmund Davy of England is credited with the discovery of acetylene in 1836. This was a huge discovery because acetylene is a perfect welding gas that is highly explosive and can create a temperature as high as 6,330 degrees Fahrenheit. During the late 1800s, gas welding and cutting were invented. When the 1900s came around, automatic welding was introduced and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW).

Welding had a huge effect on the United States. Welding has helped build and mold the U.S. country into the way it is. Welding has created jobs for American workers and more educational technical schools.”Welding is an increasingly high tech skill. Welders are trained to operate robots and other systems that use powerful lasers, electron beams, and sometimes explosives to bond metals, according to the article from Careers In Welding “7 Incredible Facts About A Career In Welding”

All the way from the late 1800’s till this day Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding has developed and changed drastically. MIG welding machines started out very dangerous but have had many advances in safety.  There are a lot of safety hazards and dangers when it comes to welding.  Welders must take a lot of safety precautions, like checking work areas for flammable substances or objects that could get in the way. Welders always need to clean their work areas after they are done for the day. Welding can cause fires by burning through clothing or anything around that is flammable or explosive. The reason why welders keep their work areas clean is that molten metal can spit a few feet out if the metal gets too hot. Welders can get injured by not wearing the right clothing while working and not keeping their work areas reasonably clean. When welding around other people, welders should always yell when about to start and let everyone know to protect their cornea from being burnt.  While welding, the operator needs to be sure of wearing a leather welding jacket in order to keep their arms safe from the UV light. The light can cause the skin to severe sunburn and irritation will start to occur soon after. Every welder needs their equipment in order to get the job done. In order to be safe and manage to make the best welds,  welders must have a  welding mask, long leather/cotton gloves, leather/cotton jacket, jeans and boots (“10 Safety Tips for MIG Welding”). Welders should not want to wear any loose clothing, tennis shoes, and always should keep their jeans over their boots, then it won’t be possible that a hot metal spit could drop inside the boot. If clothes are too loose, then clothes could get caught up on something and cause an injury (“10 Safety Tips for MIG Welding”).

MIG welding is a very simple, but yet complex,  machine. All MIG welding machines use a shielding gas in order to protect the weld area from oxygen and water vapor. The four main types of gases used in MIG welding are Argon (Ar), Helium (1s2), Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Oxygen (O). The most frequently used gas in MIG welding is CO2 because it is the cheapest and it can be used in its pure form without an inert gas. Helium can be added to increase penetration and fluidity of the weld pool. Argon and Helium mixtures can be used for welding all grades of metal (“Advantage Fabricated Metals”).

MIG welding is most commonly used on carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum, but when welding aluminum it requires a special setup. When welding certain metals like iron or steel,  it can be hard on lungs.  Some people wear breathing masks while welding. Welding masks prevents  welding fumes from damaging lungs, however, not everyone wears a mask (“MIG Welding Equipment and Accessories-Wire Wheel Feeders, Push-Pull Guns, Spool Feed

Guns, Gas Regulators and Hoses”).

Welders use different wire sizes for thicker metals. The wire is a feeder inside the machine and it shoots out of the gun onto the metal. Welding wire rolls can range from $10.00 all the way to $125.00 depending on what brand, a thickness of wire, and the length. Welders typically want the best wire to feed into their machines (“MIG Welding Equipment and Accessories-Wire Wheel Feeders, Push-Pull Guns, Spool Feed Guns, Gas Regulators and Hoses”).

Welding guns are where the wire shoots out of and what the welder has to keep ahold of very steadily. There are a big variety of welding guns that companies make. They can shape the guns to, however, the welders feel the most comforting holding and being the most steady with. MIG guns can range from about $80.00 to about $400.00 depending on how good the gun is and the company where it is made (“ Accessories-Work Easier, Faster”).

MIG welders use electricity in order to create its arc. It all depends on how thick the metal is and the type of metal the welder is working with. In MIG welding, the operator has to set the voltage and the wire speed, meaning how fast it is going to shoot the wire out and how much electricity it’s going to put off for its arc. MIG machines take a decent amount of electricity, and it takes a special plug in the outlet that has a six-gauge copper cable with copper conductors. It’s basically the plug for 220 volts wiring (“MIG Welding Equipment and Accessories-Wire Wheel Feeders, Push-Pull Guns, Spool Feed Guns, Gas Regulators, and Hoses”).

If a person is interested in the welding field, he or she will find out that the more training/schooling they take will reflect upon the paychecks. A person without any degree of any sort will not make very much, but with just a welding certificate he or she could start out making around $13.00 an hour, but depending on the company or where the work is and the welder’s capabilities. In an interview with T. J. Ballinger, he said that when he started welding he made $8.00 an hour, currently, he’s making over $40.00 an hour and more when he travels to jobs. He charges the customer for material costs. A Welder’s Certification is basically a hands-on welding test to test welds. A certified welding inspector will determine if the person can make a quality weld up to the welding qualifications needed for a company or job site. A Welder’s Certificate indicates that a person has the knowledge of an entry-level welder (“Welding Engineer Salary”).

Next would be an associate’s degree, and that would be an Associate of Applied Science in Welding Technology. Anyone that takes this course and succeeds with the degree, will be offered more pay starting; because they have more hands-on training as well as more knowledge. The average pay for a welder with an associates degree in welding is typically around $18.00 an hour.  Welders could go even higher in their training throughout college. Next, he/she will get their Bachelor of Science Welding Engineering Degree, which is a four-year program preparing students for advanced welding careers, or positions as welding instructors. The four-year program will make sure that the student will know everything that they could possibly need to know for their jobs and most likely will have the most knowledge on the job site. After the welder has accomplished that, they are titled as a welding engineer, which the average pay is $74,365, according to “Study and Career Information for Master Welders,”  The minimum pay for a Welding Engineer is around $59,000 and the maximum was found to be around $110,000 annually, which can be from $27 to $51 an hour. That is all without bonuses (“Welding Technology Degree, Certification, and Training”).

There is also another type of welding called underwater welding. Underwater welding is very difficult and they have to be highly trained with precision and capable of staying underwater while working for hours. On average these welders make around $30 per hour. Underwater welding is a very risky job. There are various dangers that could occur while working. For instance, the possibility for electric shock and even an explosion could occur through an arc that mixes with hydrogen and oxygen packets. In order to become an underwater welder, a person must do a lot of training. They have to able to swim, have a high school diploma, have mechanical aptitude, a commercial diving certification, and have American Welding Society (AWS) certification welding training. Also, this can take anywhere between two to five years of schooling (“Underwater Welder”).

There are all types of welding. MIG welding takes gas and electricity along with copper wire in order to create its arc. MIG is an automatic welding process called Metal Insert Gas which infuses metal together; thus, creating a weld bonding the metal. Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is the same thing as stick welding and it involves the process that uses a consumable electrode covered with a flux to lay the weld. Also, there’s TIG welding or Tungsten Inert Gas. In  TIG the process uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce a weld. It is a very difficult operation. Welders have to maintain a short steady arc length while preventing contact between the electrode and the metal. The process of TIG welding can include: get the right electrode(stick), grind the electrode, insert the electrode into its collet(gun), choose the right settings, turn on the shielding gas, prepare the metal and welding table by clamping your ground, get dressed, and then start welding (“Gases and Equipment”).

Everyone can learn a thing or two from welding because it is a great career field to go into, and those that have this skill will never have to worry about finding a job. There are jobs all around the world and welders are in high demand. On a MIG welding survey given to the Ag Mechanics class at Doniphan West High School, only twenty-eight percent said they would be interested in a career in welding, with sixty-four percent saying that they wouldn’t consider a welding as a career.  However, T. J. Ballinger’s advice to welders is to never work too fast on a project, always take the time to complete good welds, and always choose quality materials like Miller or Lincoln Electric. Welding is the perfect opportunity to make a lot of money if an individual enjoys working with metals. There are multiple job types when it comes to welding as well. Welding has changed the world and always will continue to create opportunities for this country.

 

Works Cited

 

“10 Safety Tips for MIG Welding.” Professional Safety, vol. 59, no.8, Aug. 2014, p. 24,

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.

 

“Accessories-Work Easier, Faster.” Accessories, Miller Electric Mfg., Co, http://www.millerweld.com.

 

“Advantage Fabricated Metals.”MIG Welding, MIG Welding Process, 6 Nov. 2017,

www.advantagefabricatemetals.com/mig-welding.html

Ballinger, T. J.Personal Interview. 27  Nov. 2017.

“Gases and Equipment.”Gas Type Guide, Advanced Welding Supply Company Inc.

http://www.awswi.com.

“MIG Welding Equipment and Accessories-Wire Wheel Feeders, Push-Pull Guns, Spool Feed

Guns, Gas Regulators and Hoses.” GoWelding.Org, The GoWelding Network, www.

gowelding.org/welding/mig-gmaw/equipment-accessories.

“MIG Welding:  The Basics for Mild Steel.”MIG Welding, Miller Electric Mfg. Co,

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/article-library

“Miller-Welding Equipment-MIG/TIG/Stick Welders & Plasma Cutting. “Miller Electric, Miller

Electric Mfg. Co., www.millerwelds.com/resosurces/article-library/mig-welding-the- basics-for-mild-steel.

“Underwater Welder.”Commercial Diving Program, Commercial Diving Academy,

http://www.commercialdivingacademy.com.

“Welding Engineer Salary.”Pay Scale-Salary Comparison, Salary Survey, Search Wages, Pay

Scale Human Capital, www.payscale.com.

“Welding Technology Degree, Certification and Training.” Welding Technology,Study.com,

study.com/articles/Welding_Technology_Degree_Certificationa_Training_Program.

 

Blog post #5: for additional research

For additional research, I have thought about Underwater Welding. I think that this topic is interesting, because Underwater Welding can be a very dangerous job. These highly trained welders make a lot of money traveling around the world from job to job. They go through intense training and schooling, so they are well prepared for any difficult circumstances throughout their jobs. There are some Underwater welders out there that don’t even work all year round, because they make enough money to take a break for the winters, but the others that decide to work all year round can do metal work in topside construction or welding in a shop. Underwater welders can get paid in two ways, which is either by contract or by the hour, and they can get insane overtime. I feel that this topic would be very interesting to research, because everything they do is absolutely astonishing, and I enjoy reading about how they operate through their projects. That is why I would like to use this subject for my additional research.

Blog Post 4, Ideas for DOK-12/1/17

Senior Project is coming along pretty swell I’d say. I have multiple ideas for my demonstration of knowledge, It’s all just a matter of choosing which project will be the most effective for me. All of the projects that I have in mind are pretty costly, but they should all benefit me pretty well. I have been thinking about designing and making my own fuel transfer tank, which could possibly cost around $500 if I were to use the top quality equipment. I also thought of making a John Deere BBQ grill which would cost me just a couple hundred dollars.

I rebuilt a wood wagon last year and I have been thinking about adding more stuff on to it, or using an older one and fixing it up. My dad has been saying that we need more corral panels lately, and he wanted me to make them. Dad told me that he would pay for everything if I chose the corral panels.

Blog post #3: Ideas for DOK

For my demonstration of knowledge, I am planning on showing off a project that I have been working on to a group of people. I plan on showing the difficulties I had making the project, and how I made it. Showing the assortment of various tools I have used on it as well. Show how and which directions I went while welding the pieces together, as well as telling about what kind of metal I used. Telling why I Made this project and as well as explaining how much money you can save.

Blog post #2 Looking Foward

I feel as if that school is going to be one of the hardest challenges that I will have to overcome. I can and will overcome this challenge in my life by not only trying harder in school but I will actually try to make sure that all my work is done on time. Facing this challenge won’t be easy. I will have to practice on my speeches as well as doing homework every night and having to worry about work and football all at the same time.

Blog Post #1: Choosing a Topic

I am debating on which subject I should choose for my senior project. Here are the two ideas that I have come up with, either welding or cooking. Now I don’t think that I’m gonna do the cooking because that is boring. Welding is fun and I think that I will benefit a lot from choosing that topic and by learning more about it. Welding is something that I enjoy and you should choose something that you enjoy.