We’ve always thought it would be good to be able to do a little welding. You spend enough time on the road and something’s bound to break, and in planning for the next trip we’ve got a few things that will benefit from some welding. We may not do it ourselves, but we love the idea of know how. So, we signed up for a welding class. Two actually…

The first class was a “Weld a Critter” class over at the Stonybrook Fine Arts in Jamaica Plan MA, and it was excellent.

After a little instruction I laid down my first test bead and was psyched. Dachary put down a decent one, but mine went down extra well for a beginner I thought. Then we set to picking out our pieces and deciding what to make. I went with a Racing Snail.

And Dachary a Mondrian-esque dog.

And I quickly learned how fiddly MIG welding can be. Curves and tight edges require real skill, and my Snail is held together with some of the worst welds I’ve ever seen. I think a blind man with a soldering gun would have done a better job. Dachary’s welds on the other hand, were brilliant for a beginner. I’m totally proud of her.

So, tonight we learned to weld. Not well, but, in a pinch, we can pick up a MIG welder and make things stick.

Tonight was a great experience. We had a blast, and for a few hours we forgot about all our other responsibilities, and just enjoyed learning a new skill together.

Next time it’ll be TIG welding. :)