The Guild · skilled trades & applied crafts
Welding & Metalwork
Joining metal for keeps — arc physics, steady hands, and welds you can stand behind.
Strike an arc, read the puddle, run a bead — stick and wire welding from first spark to test plate.
Views, dimensions, and weld symbols — taking a fabrication drawing from paper to part.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~12 hours
Unit I — Reading Views
Orthographic projection: three views of one part · Line types: object, hidden, center, dimension · Scales and tolerances
Unit II — Weld Symbols
The reference line and the arrow · Fillet, groove, and plug symbols · Arrow side and other side · Finish and contour marks
Unit III — From Print to Part
The bill of materials · Planning cut, fit, and weld order · Checking finished work against the print
Torch in one hand, filler in the other — the slowest, cleanest process, on steel, stainless, and aluminum.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~30 hours
Unit I — The GTAW System
Tungsten selection and grinding · Shielding gas and flow rates · Foot pedal and amperage control
Unit II — Steel and Stainless
Torch angle and filler timing · Beads on carbon steel · Stainless: reading heat color and controlling it
Unit III — Aluminum
AC balance and the cleaning action · The puddle on aluminum · Common aluminum defects and their causes
Cutting, bending, and fitting — turning flat stock into square, true assemblies.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~24 hours
Unit I — Stock and Cutting
Gauge sizes and material selection · Shears, saws, and the plasma cutter · Deburring and edge safety
Unit II — Forming
Bend allowance and the brake · Rolling and punching · Layout for bent parts
Unit III — Assembly
Fixturing and clamping · Tack sequences and distortion · Checking square and flat
Open-root pipe joints in fixed positions — the certification welds that set the trade's high bar.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~30 hours
Unit I — Pipe Joint Preparation
Beveling and the land · Fit-up and alignment tools · Purging, and when it matters
Unit II — The Root Pass
Open-root technique with E6010 · Keyhole control · Grinding and inspecting the root
Unit III — Fill and Cap
Hot pass, fill, and cap sequence · Position work: 2G, 5G, 6G · Preparing for a certification test
Forging hot steel by hand — tapers, bends, and scrolls from the first fire to a finished hook.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~20 hours
Unit I — The Fire
Forge types: coal, charcoal, propane · Reading heat by color · Anvil, hammer, and tongs
Unit II — Basic Operations
Drawing out a taper · Bending and twisting · Upsetting and punching
Unit III — First Projects
A simple hook, start to finish · A fire poker with a twist · Finishing: wire brush, wax, and rust prevention