WELDED ART FOLLOWS HOLIDAY THEME

 The spring issue of The World of Welding presented an opportunity for high school students to use their creativity and submit entries, with a postmark no later than April 30, 2004, to the Hobart Institute’s Christmas welded art competition.    The fall issue of The World of Welding featured the first place award for Geared Up For Christmas by John Ellis, a student of welding instructor Mr. William Grimpe at Tecumseh High School in New Carlisle, Ohio.  John was awarded a Hobart Handler® along with a $200 cash prize. 

Students in Mr. Garry Wilfong’s welding class at Tulia High School in Texas submitted several entries and Nicole Garza’s Candy Cane won second place and a check for $100.  This was also described in the fall issue.  This time, we will take a closer look at Lanesia Johnson’s Shooting Star that was awarded third place and a check for $50.00.  We’ll also describe the Christmas Train by Chad Miller that received honorable mention.  All cash prizes were donated by the Dayton Section of the American Welding Society and the Handler® was donated by Miller Electric Manufacturing Company.

SHOOTING STAR

Lanesia Johnson began with five pieces of 3/8-inch rebar, each five feet long.  She describes, step-by-step, the procedure she followed:

• I marked the pieces at 30-inches.  Wearing safety glasses and gloves, I took them to the metal break, set them at their marks, and bent them to a 108-degree angle. 
• After bending the pieces, I set them in place on the floor and tacked them.  Rebar is high in carbon, so I used a 1/8 – 70/8 low hydrogen electrode, setting the welder at 90 amps.  After tacking them, I welded them using shielded metal arc welding. 
• I then cut three pieces of rebar to make the streamers for the star.  The first one I measured ten feet and cut it with the chop saw. 
• I then took the other two to the chop saw and, making sure the front was flush, I clamped them with a vice grip, measured eight feet, and cut them.  I then bent them to form an arch.
• Taking these pieces to the star, I set the first rebar halfway down the beginning of the star.  The second one was foot rebar and I set it at the tip of the second 108-degree angle. 
• The last one was an 8-foot piece of rebar that I set under the second angle.  After tacking them in place, I welded the rebar.
• My next step was building the support platform.  Using 1-inch square tubing, I cut two, 3-foot pieces on the chop saw.  I then cut two, 30-inch pieces.  I took these to the location of the star.
• I put one of the three-foot pieces of square tubing at the bottom on the back of the 4-foot square tubing and tacked it in place and repeated the process for the other side.  I then welded them.
• I then set the star up and placed the 30-inch piece of square tubing in the middle of the two 3-foot pieces, six inches away from the start.  I repeated this for the bottom, tacked and then welded them. 
• Returning to the chop saw, I measured a 6-foot piece of rebar and cut it.  I did the same with another piece of rebar.
• I set the rebar up on the 1-inch square tubing in a slanted position and tacked both ends and repeated this on the other side.  I welded them in place.

CHRISTMAS TRAIN

Chad Miller began his project with five-inch rebar, ¼-inch rod, and 1-inch square tubing. 

• I began by making a chalk outline on the shop floor and took measurements.
• I measured the rebar and cut three pieces 61-inches long, two pieces 32-inches long, two pieces 12-inches long, one piece 13-inches long, one piece 67-inches long, one piece 21-inches long, and one piece 129-inches long for the outline of the train.
• I laid the pieces on the floor, coordinating their positions in the outline.  I tacked the corners together. 
• My next step was to create the wheels of the train using ¼-inch steel rod.  Taking a three-foot piece of rod, I clamped it to the end of a 50-gallon barrel.  I tightly wound the rod around the barrel and clamped the end.  I repeated this process for the second wheel.  I then tacked the wheels on the bottom of the train.
• I then put build-up welds on each side of every tack to secure them. 
• Now it was time to create a stand and brace to control the swaying of the rebar. 
• To make the stand, I cut two pieces of 68-inch rebar; one piece 48-inches; two pieces 33-inches; and one piece 30-inches. 
• With the 1-inch square tubing, I cut two 36-inch pieces, one 33-inch piece, and two 1-inch pieces.
• I laid the two 36-inch pieces parallel to each other, thirty-inches apart.  I lade the 30-inch piece between them, connected and then tacked them. 
• Next I placed the 33-inch pieces under the front and tacked them in place. 
• Then I took the two 68-inch pieces and stood them up at the opposite end of the base and connected them diagonally to the train.  I tacked all the corners and welded them.
• Toward the center of the diagonal 68-inch pieces, I tacked the 48-inch and the 33-inch pieces.  I tacked the other end to the back of the train. 
• I next took the 1-inch long pieces of square tubing and placed them toward the middle of the base, vertically, for spikes to go through to help hold it in the ground. 
• I then inspected all of the welds to make sure they were all secure.

Chad chose to string lights on the train for festive, nighttime visibility. 

Hobart Institute thanks all the students and their instructors for their participation and excellent reports of their work.