Tehachapi, CA - At the age of only 14, "custom fabrication" was already practically Sean Mahaney's middle name. By the time he graduated from high school he had too much business to continue working out of his home garage and had to open his own shop.
From those early entrepreneurial days to now, Sean has worked in a number of shops on a variety of projects - from reality shows (Remember Discovery Channel's "Street Customs?") to mini trucks (the original Master Image Customs) - and has made a name for himself as a chief master fabricator.
Through it all though, one thing has remained constant - his passion for hands on work through custom fabrication. Now, that passion has put Sean to work in an unlikely direction - his newest business venture - building custom wheelchairs.
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Topics:
Welder,
welding,
ESAB,
ESAB blog,
TIG,
TIG welding,
SeanCo,
fabrication,
metal fabrication,
custom wheelchairs,
welding fabrication
Last year, I was working in Juarez, Mexico on a training job for ESAB with a great group of TIG welders. I made some good friends, had some great food...But the thing that really left an impression on me was how well we all understood each other.
None of the trainees spoke English, and I don’t speak Spanish. Yet, despite the language barrier, for the whole week, we just went on with it - welding together, learning, and figuring out procedure.
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Topics:
Welder,
welding,
ESAB,
ESAB blog,
education,
welding basics,
TIG,
welding tips,
TIG welding,
tungsten
Lately, I've been following the websites and social sites you guys share your work on, like Instagram, and the TIG welds are incredible. I see all the pretty colors - straw, rose, green and blue.
ESAB Photo
There's a good contest going between all of you to see how many colors you can get in one weld. I have to say it's pretty impressive...
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Topics:
Welder,
welding,
ESAB blog,
education,
metal,
welding basics,
TIG,
welding tips,
TIG welding,
color chart,
aluminum,
stainless
Florence-Darlington Technical College 6th Annual Metal Sculpture Competition
FLORENCE, S.C. - It’s 7 a.m. and ten teams of welders are digging through large piles of scrap metal, their eyes darting around as they search for the perfect pieces to complete their vision.
They know this is their chance to show the local community another side to their trade – the side that is craft and art and creativity.
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Topics:
welding,
ESAB,
ESAB blog,
education,
jobs,
metal,
welding rodeo,
metal sculpture,
art
I have long had a passion for TIG welding and a love for tungsten. It’s a craft that takes your mind off everything else.
And let's face it, tungsten is the Chuck Norris of the metal world. It even has a hardcore element name - WOLFRAM. Tungsten has the highest melting point at 6,191 °F (3,422 °C), the lowest thermal expansion coefficient, and the highest tensile strength of all pure metals.
Add a little thorium or zirconium and you have a tungsten electrode.
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Topics:
Welder,
welding,
ESAB,
ESAB blog,
education,
metal,
welding basics,
STICK,
TIG,
welding tips,
TIG welding,
tungsten
I have to admit that when I first started working for ESAB I knew very little about welding and even less about welders themselves. Over the last year I have been pleasantly surprised to find that welders, as a community, are friendly, intelligent and fun. But above all else – welders are passionate about their craft.
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Topics:
welding,
ESAB blog,
education,
social media
Is it just us, or is welding in the news a lot lately?
When it comes to jobs, we're hearing phrases like: Skills gap. Aging workforce. Increased enrollment at technical schools. Breaking gender stereotypes. Skilled trades. STEM. Increased manufacturing.
It turns out that welding certificate or diploma may be worth... well, a lot.
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Topics:
welding,
cutting,
ESAB blog,
education,
jobs