Yesterday Jason became a man.
It wasn’t his bar mitzvah. Or some weird pagan ritual or anything like that.
Yesterday, Jason learned how to weld.
Now I don’t mean to suggest that a man is not a man unless he can weld. Actually, I guess I am saying that.
Welding is elemental, the molecular joining of two pieces of metal into one, using 50 amps of 220 V power via the Miller 251 into a very, very small spot, melting 1/4″ thick steel and injecting molten steel at the same time.
If you can weld, you can make anything. True, carpenters can make houses. But metal fabricators can make the tools that make houses. Trying nailing a 16d nail into a stud using a 2×4. You need a hammer? We can make you one.
So Jason and I needed to build some racks to hold hitch-mounted bike racks, so we bought the steel a long time ago, Larry helped us cut it up in his shop (bigger saw than mine) and after a year of “aging” the steel to acquire the rusty patina, we finally got the sucker welded up.
Jason has a touch for welding that I only wish I had. He was welding better than me in 15 minutes, so when we start building bike frames, I’m calling Jason.
Respectfully submitted,
Canoelover