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South East Asia
Professor Colton recieved a great letter from a brother welder who traveled far from home during Christmas 2008 but took with him a good heart and willingness to share his knowledge and skills with others. His letter becomes our South East Asia update.
Posted 2/13/09 He writes:
Sam,
Here is my article.
Dave
As welders without borders we find ourselves in situations where we can impart to others what we possess. As a welder from a industrial nation I sometimes take for granted the opportunities most of us had to attend great welding schools. During a recent trip in southeast Asia I was fortunate to assist in introducing four men to the Shielded Metal Arc Welding process. My wife and I went to spend Christmas with one of in sons,and a daughter,son-in-law, and twin grandsons. Our son-in-law is involved in starting a water filtering factory. Good sources of clean drinking water are scare and the idea for the factory seemed a natural fit. The filter is actually a clay pot. Water can pass through the clay to provide clean filtered water for drinking. This is also an affordable option. The plans for the factory required steel drying racks be fabricated so the pots may cure/dry before being fired in a kiln. The factory needs some employees who will not only work at the factory but will be involved with fabrication of the drying racks and possible welding required setting the factory up. These four men were given an invitation to participate in a welding workshop with the possibility of procuring employment in this fledging company. We bought a welder, some welding cables and .125" E-6013 which was one of two welding rods they had. Cast Iron welding rods were the only other choice. I created a custom made class to provide a four hour session that would provide an overview and opportunity to have hands on training. Safety was the first topic to be covered. I had seen 'welding' kits in town that included only sunglasses for eye protection. The workshop provided a welding helmet for each participant. With the help of an excellent interpreter I lectured on the S.M.A.W. process and then demonstrated some welds so the students could see the striking of arcs, lead angle,rod angle,arc gap, etc. Each person then took a turn since we had only the one welder. It was amazing to watch and listen to them talk to each other once they understood what was the desired outcome. I knew a few key words to give them while they applied a weld to the material but they soon knew 'what' to do but still had to go through the learning curve (the 'how') to execute a proper weld. A few days later we offered them an opportunity to come back for another session and three out of four came back. I was very satisfied with their progress as they learned by putting time under the hood. Once we were home we received some photos of the progress they are making welding together frame for the racks. They are already reaping the benefits of their training by receiving pay for work. I feel like I made friends with the men I trained and now we share a common thread in life. Welding transcends language. Who knows maybe they may 'impart' to others what they now 'posses'. The racks they produce will play a part in indirectly giving clean water to their countrymen. In retrospect this is why we as welders without borders go where we go and do what we do. I firmly believe we all need to give back as we have been given to. I encourage anyone who is considering joining a passionate group of welders, welding educators, welding industry suppliers etc. to become involved in passing on the talents you've been given.
I want to express to Pro. Colton my extreme thanks in providing this avenue to communicate my story. - David J. Smith
David conducting one of two special training sessions. Leadership through service to others.
