We at Standardized Steel – Consultation would like to congratulate Mr. Elmer Swank [HIWT Technical Instructor] on his achievement of obtaining the new coveted CWS [AWS – Certified Welding Supervisor].  Our instructor was fortunate and honored to have been instructed at the Hobart Institute (the industry leader) and we are happy to see that Mr. Swank recognizes the need for self-improvement, thus maintaining Hobart’s Outstanding Reputation.               

~ Dean P. Applegreen, www.standardizedsteel.com

I wanted to thank you and your staff for the splendid experience I recently had during training at your facility.  As an AF [Air Force] point of contact for welding and joining, I needed to “brush up” on Gas Tungsten Arc Welding.  After evaluating several options for training, I decided to try Hobart.  It was the right choice.

Your facility and equipment is outstanding.  Your staff could not be more helpful and the educational materials are thorough and clear for the skill level being taught.  I wanted to take a moment to detail the interaction with a couple of your staff.  My instructor for the two-week course was Mr. Kevin Scott.  Mr. Scott was very professional and extremely knowledgeable in the area of study.  His demonstrations were outstanding and he was willing to help with whatever problem I experienced.  But more than that, he seems to really care about the students and their progress.  Also, I wanted to mention Ms. Jennifer Hall, who was my interface with your organization.  She was very helpful and made the registration process painless. 

In conclusion, based on my experience I would recommend Hobart to anyone seeking expert training in welding and joining technologies. 

Sincerely,

                            ~ Larry P. Perkins, Senior Technical Advisor
Metals, Ceramics and NDE Division,
Air Force Research Laboratory,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

I received your latest, spring, World of Welding…Passed it on for my students to take a look at...and they brought up an interesting safety issue.

Now don't get me wrong, I too am a Veteran, and have the utmost respect for our soldiers in the "big sandbox".  But the fact still remains that Cpl. Loftin [“Welder Making a Difference,” page 4, spring 2006] is "Out of Uniform" for his job classification!  He doesn't have the proper clothing protection on for welding.   At first I thought it may just be "for the camera” but then I noticed the white skin under the t-shirt, in one of the pictures.   

My students picked up on this immediately… and sometimes it is tough to get them to "gear up" for welding during the warm weather, but even Marines will burn....

~ John R Penaz, Dunwoody College of Technology

I would like to respond to Ted Alberts’ Letter to the Editor in the summer 2006 edition of The World of Welding.  I, too, noticed the picture of Lance Cpl. Anthony S. Loftin welding in a t-shirt while in Iraq.  I thought of the danger that is happening to him and any who weld without the proper protection.  My first thought was that the Taliban insurgents won’t have to get to him because the arc rays will!  My concern is that this is, or could be, a common practice among many U.S. soldiers.  With all the talk about U.S. soldiers not getting the proper armament they need to go into combat, it is my hope that those in charge and “in the know” would take the proper steps to implement the proper safety protocols so that those who take on the task of welding for our country and the world are as properly protected as those who are fighting on the front lines.  The Marine Corps and the military at large should be well aware that severe skin burn and skin cancer, which are easily caused by welding without proper protection, can side-line and eventually kill a soldier, just like a bullet. 

As a welding instructor at the Columbus, Indiana campus of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, I teach every student in every class the safety requirements of welding and the dangers of not complying with those safety rules.  Yet it is still amazing to me, even after explaining in great detail the dangers, what some people will or won’t do in order to make their job of welding a little bit easier…from not wearing gloves or proper foot wear to not wearing the properly colored welding jacket that properly covers the essential parts on a welder that need to be covered during the operation of welding.  Safety glasses need to be worn at all times in the work area, not to mention while welding, even if they aren’t the most stylish part of your already super-styling welding outfit!

And to my fellow welding instructors and to all of the welding engineers, supervisors, and managers out there, it is up to us to not only lead by example, but to set and maintain the standard.  We are the ones responsible for teaching and passing on safety standards that protect and could and will one day save one, if not many, lives.

 ~ Randall M. Rueff, Columbus, Indiana

EDITORIAL NOTE:  Safety is extremely important here at Hobart Institute as well.  We can never place too much emphasis on safety and I value your comments.  As for Lance Cpl. Anthony S. Loftin, we realize that in the “real world” of war-torn Iraq, he may not have had the choice of having all the welding gear available to him at his location, and we hope he comes back the U.S.A. safely.        

The following comment is based on “Ironworkers Encounter Danger,” summer 2006, page 17:

What Martin Rice stated in his article is true regarding drinking plenty of water when working in hot, humid climates.  However, it is also very important for those working in hot conditions to also keep their potassium levels up by eating foods or taking supplements that are high in potassium.

~ Michael Martin, Owner – Westside Welding, Inc., Vero Beach, FL

The article on the U.S. Marines and Navy Seabee’s bridge rebuilding was very nice to read during these times of world trouble.  It was nice to see how welding has played a critical part in helping a small community in the Middle East.  [The World of Welding, Summer 2006, page 4.}

 ~ Neil Mansfield,
Retired Navy Seabee Chief and current
welding and metal fabrication teacher

I enjoy The World of Welding.  There are scrubber installations going on at the power plants here now. There are a lot of trade people in the area and a lot of welders in various trades are working.  I’ve been talking to some of the welders from all parts of the country. I worked on construction on one of the power plants here, and I also worked in a paper mill, that further increased my interest in the trades.

             ~ Mike Dever, Manchester, Ohio