Welding is addictive but hard work

Welding is addictive!

 This dirty, hard work people call welding is addictive! Ever since I started learning to weld using a gasless MIG machine, there has been numerous projects and repairs that has taken place. Welding projects is actually hard and dirty work. Do I have the skills? Probably not but that's not stopping me from learning and finishing up new projects!

One of the few WIP BBQ stoves I have complete

Why is welding addictive...to me

If you are one of the sorts that likes to make things, welding is like that one undiscovered tool...or unexplored skill that really adds to the satisfaction of making things. It is like discovering a whole new world of possibilities...opening up opportunities to delve into other more interesting and perhaps more sophisticated projects. The more I use the welding machine, the more I wanna work with metal projects. Metal projects in the past was very much confined as joining them together seems impossible. Well, until now! I now have a reason to keep that excess piece of steel or set aside that aircon gas cylinder from friend's workshop.

Fascinated with BBQ pits!

I have made at least 3 BBQ pits

Yes, I have made at least 3 BBQ pits of different variations. The concepts for each of them is the same, just some variations to see which works the best. All 3 were made using aircon gas cylinder canister I got from a friend when he used to work at a car accessories shop. They are fairly easy to work with but the major setbacks about them is the size. In a way, they are pretty small. 

Small & compact BBQ pit....welding made this possible!

Welding work is hard work

Welding is hard work

Metal work in general is hard work. When I work on a metal project, I wear clothes that I am ready to bin and I have my breathing filter on most of the time. With metal, cutting, grinding and sometimes sanding to get rid of the rust, it is just a lot of hard and dirty work. My leather gloves, face shield, welding mask and now an apron as well. All these I must have when I am working with metal. Even with all these equipment, I still need to be very careful. With metal, things are either very hot, very dusty or very fast. So, one has to be alert and protected at all time. 

Probably time to change the mask filters

Although, it is all hard work, I really do still enjoy it. The one thing that I really hate s when I don't have enough time to complete a project. Typically I would like to finish the project over a weekend. But sometimes it just cannot happen. So, a few weekends dedicated to it is necessary. Slow and steady wins the race they say. Despite the slow pace and the hard work, I am still very happy to have picked up this new hobby. Welding IS addictive!