Jenny's Homefront Strategy....Yes Women Can Weld Too.....

http://www.rocafc.com/

Yesterday I took a long awaited class… a welding class.

 Surprised?
 

Beautiful Artwork made and
displayed by artists onsite.

In Girl Scouts we had a badge called the “Dabbler”. I never knew what that was when I was a scout, but as I have grown older, I think it is a very good description of my crafting/home improvement personality. Some people love to quilt. Some people do embroidery. Some people like to do stained glass. For me, myself and I? I like doing them all.

I like the idea of knowing how to do a bit of everything. You may not be a particular master in all subjects, but just having the ability to know how to do something helps to gain an understanding and an appreciation for those who excel in it. Knowing a bit about a useful subject like welding, gives me the opportunity to use it on small projects that may pop up around the house. Ultimately learning useful skills helps to enrich my families’ lives and helps us to better utilize all our resources when necessary. Skills’ building is definitely a big portion of Jenny’s Homefront Strategy.








Blacksmithing Class is SO MUCH FUN!

So yesterday morning, I carted my fuzzy butt out of bed and took a drive down to Rochester Arc and Flame. If you’ve never been there, it is a wonderful place for learning skills that are difficult to find lessons for elsewhere. Rochester Arc and Flame teaches a wonderful blacksmithing class (taught by a woman) that my husband and I took together (they have “date night” classes for couples). I had never had a desire to do blacksmithing but as we couldn’t get into the welding class at that time, this was a class we could take. I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to anyone. 


 

 

Welding class was really interesting as well. The class makeup included people from all backgrounds and age ranges. We had people as young as fourteen to people in their sixties. Men and women. The instructors were very thorough and the class was very hands on.

 My welding leaves a lot to be desired (my welds were never really the size they should be as I have a tendency to rush) but I found the whole process really interesting. They taught us how to do the welds, the stance, the different wires and the different machines. We learned how to differentiate by the sound of the machine whether our amperage and voltage was set correctly or whether via the sound and the resultant weld, we had one too fast/high or too slow.

The hazards of welding were discussed as well and I'm going to tell you, after hearing those, I developed a healthy respect for welders everywhere.

Ultimately, I'll never be a welder, it just wasn't my forte, but I have gained a wealth of experience that may come into use in a future date. Also, I have gained a new respect for those who do this work either as a vocation or hobby. Try something new today. Resume building isn't just for a job, it's important to add to your Life Resume. Even if you discover it wasn't for you, you will walk away with a new found reverence for the skills you learned and a sense of pride that you attempted something that was outside of your comfort range.