Art Welding Course

Lesson 1 • Tool and Equipment Handling

Introduces hand tools, angle grinders, and material-handling equipment used daily. Safe handling habits here prevent injuries across all core chapters.

Lesson 2 • Personal Protective Equipment

Covers selection and proper use of helmets, gloves, jackets, and respirators. Connects to all subsequent hands-on work by establishing non-negotiable safety baselines.

Lesson 3 • Shop Layout and Ventilation

Explains booth arrangement, airflow design, and emergency egress in a welding shop. Prepares learners to set up and evaluate any workspace they encounter.

Lesson 4 • Hazard Recognition and Control

Identifies fume, fire, electrical, and radiation hazards present in welding environments. Builds the risk-assessment mindset learners apply throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Common Base Metals in Art Welding

Surveys mild steel, stainless steel, cast iron, and aluminium properties relevant to artistic fabrication. Learners match metal characteristics to process and aesthetic requirements.

Lesson 2 • Filler Metals and Consumables

Covers electrode and wire classification systems, flux types, and shielding gas selection. Correct consumable choice directly affects weld quality and appearance.

Lesson 3 • Steel Metallurgy Basics

Explains carbon content, grain structure, and heat effects on mild and low-alloy steels. This knowledge underpins filler selection and preheat decisions in every welding process.

Lesson 4 • Weld Joint Types and Geometry

Defines butt, lap, T, corner, and edge joints along with groove and fillet weld profiles. Joint selection affects strength, appearance, and accessibility in sculptural work.

Lesson 1 • Common SMAW Defects and Correction

Identifies porosity, undercut, overlap, and incomplete fusion causes and remedies. Defect recognition skills transfer directly to quality control in all subsequent processes.

Lesson 2 • SMAW Equipment Setup

Covers transformer, rectifier, and inverter power sources, polarity, and amperage settings. Proper setup is the prerequisite for every electrode and position covered in this chapter.

Lesson 3 • Flat-Position Bead Techniques

Develops stringer and weave bead patterns in the flat position on mild steel coupons. Bead consistency here is the benchmark for advancing to other positions.

Lesson 4 • Electrode Selection and Preparation

Explains E6010, E6013, E7018, and specialty electrodes by coating type and application. Learners match electrode to base metal, position, and desired bead appearance.

Lesson 1 • Thin Material and Sheet Metal Welding

Addresses burn-through prevention, stitch welding, and backing bar use on thin gauge steel. Thin-material control is essential for the sheet-metal sculpture work in later chapters.

Lesson 2 • Voltage, Wire Feed Speed, and Inductance

Teaches the relationship between voltage, wire feed speed, and inductance for transfer mode control. Correct parameter balance produces the smooth arc needed for artistic welds.

Lesson 3 • Shielding Gas and Wire Selection

Covers C25, pure CO2, and tri-mix gases alongside ER70S-3 and ER70S-6 wire grades. Gas and wire pairing determines spatter level, bead profile, and surface finish.

Lesson 4 • Flat and Horizontal Weld Techniques

Develops push vs. pull technique, travel speed, and gun angle for flat and horizontal joints. These positions form the baseline for positional welding introduced later.

Lesson 1 • Tungsten Electrode Preparation

Explains tungsten types, grinding geometry, and contamination recovery for DCEN and AC welding. Proper tungsten prep directly controls arc focus and bead width.

Lesson 2 • Torch Manipulation and Filler Addition

Develops two-handed coordination: torch angle, arc length, and filler rod dip rhythm. Smooth filler addition is the defining skill that separates TIG from other processes aesthetically.

Lesson 3 • Shielding and Back Purging

Covers trailing shields, back purge dams, and flow rate optimisation for oxidation-sensitive metals. Back purging is mandatory for stainless steel and titanium art pieces.

Lesson 4 • Aesthetic Weld Bead Development

Focuses on stack-of-dimes appearance, consistent ripple spacing, and colour control on stainless. These visual qualities are central to the artistic identity of TIG-welded sculpture.

Lesson 1 • Artistic Cutting and Template Work

Applies cutting skills to freehand curves, stencil-guided shapes, and pierced decorative patterns. Template and guide use bridges cutting technique to finished art-welding projects.

Lesson 2 • Plasma Arc Cutting Fundamentals

Explains plasma arc physics, consumable selection, and power setting for clean, fast cuts. Plasma cutting expands the range of metals and thicknesses accessible for art projects.

Lesson 3 • Cut Quality Inspection and Troubleshooting

Identifies drag lines, dross, bevel angle, and surface roughness as cut quality indicators. Consistent cut quality reduces grinding time and improves fit-up in assembly work.

Lesson 4 • Oxyfuel Cutting Technique

Teaches preheat, pierce, and drag technique for straight and curved cuts on mild steel plate. Controlled drag speed and tip height produce clean kerf edges for artistic templates.

Lesson 1 • Multi-Process Welding on Sculpture

Integrates SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW on a single project based on joint access and aesthetic need. Process selection by joint location is a key professional competency in art welding.

Lesson 2 • Design Principles for Metal Sculpture

Covers form, balance, negative space, and structural integrity as applied to welded art. Design decisions made here determine joint selection and process choices throughout fabrication.

Lesson 3 • Fixturing and Positioning Strategies

Covers welding tables, angle plates, V-blocks, and custom jigs for holding complex assemblies. Proper fixturing maintains geometry and reduces distortion during multi-pass welding.

Lesson 4 • Layout, Marking, and Fit-Up

Teaches scribing, centre punching, and template transfer for accurate part layout before cutting. Precise fit-up reduces gap variation and ensures consistent weld quality in assembly.

Lesson 1 • Patina on Stainless and Copper Alloys

Covers heat tint control, forced oxidation, and chemical patina on stainless steel and bronze. Multi-metal sculptures require process-specific finishing to achieve visual harmony.

Lesson 2 • Chemical Patina on Steel

Applies ferric nitrate, liver of sulfur, and acid-based patinas to create colour and texture on mild steel. Chemical patina is a primary aesthetic tool in art welding and sculpture.

Lesson 3 • Grinding and Blending Welds

Covers flap disc, grinding wheel, and die grinder selection for weld flush and blend work. Proper grinding technique preserves base metal thickness and avoids stress risers.

Lesson 4 • Mechanical Polishing Progressions

Teaches abrasive belt, orbital sander, and buffing wheel sequences for mirror and satin finishes. Consistent grit progression is the key to scratch-free, uniform surface quality.