Intermediate Welding: MIG Welding

This technical class is full of pro-tips with tons of hands-on welding and instruction to improve your MIG welds. We’ll review safety and equipment to be sure you’ve got the best information to make choices as you set up- helmet type and adjustments, various glove advantages, material props, workstations, light, and welder set-up. In addition, you’ll learn how to cut with a hand-held plasma torch and get a refresher on the chop saws, horizontal bandsaw, bench, and angle grinders to prepare steel to be welded.

We recommend bringing scraps of the kinds/shapes of steel you want to get better at working with, but we’ll also provide material to experiment with.

Prerequisite: Metalshop/MIG Welding Badge

What you’ll learn:

• Develop welding techniques for all basic weld joints (butt, corner, edge, T, and lap), filet welds
• Welding dissimilar thicknesses
• Vertical welds vs Horizontal welds w gravity
• How to dial in weld settings
• Cutting with a handheld plasma cutter
• Creating jigs and clamping parts for welding
• Metal shop tools refresher
• More safety

Please note:

• Metalshop/MIG Welding badge is required to participate.
• Proper attire is mandatory: closed-toed leather boots, long cotton or natural fiber shirt, and pants (NO SYNTHETIC FIBERS ALLOWED). Long hair must be tied back.
• Safety equipment, including protective glasses and hearing protection, are provided by MAKE Santa Fe, but bring yours if you have them.
• Students must be at least 16 years of age.  Minors must have parental permission and a signed waiver (ask us).

About the Instructor:

Christy Georg is an Artist / Adventurer.  She has worked as a deckhand aboard sailing schooners, thru-hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail and 500-mile Colorado trail, and cruised the Arctic.   Endurance and fortitude drive underlying themes in her work.  She has her BFA and MFA in sculpture and 30 years of welding experience!