National Welding Month 2020

​April is National Welding Month, created by the American Welding Society (AWS) in 1996.
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AWS was established by 20 members of the Wartime Welding Committee, as a non-profit organization after World War I, to globally advance the welding industry. To this day, AWS continues to move the industry forward.
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Being the year 2020, we are in the middle of history. Let us not forget the importance and crucial role that the welding industry plays in our lives locally and globally. Without welding, our world would crumble. There are many key people who discovered, invented, and patented welding technology as it evolved throughout welding history. Some are mentioned below!

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​Almost everything you touch and see has been welded. It’s almost like our world wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t discovered in the Bronze Age more than 5,000 years ago. Welding originated from heating Bronze until melted and then banging it with a hammer to form Gold boxes, as shown to the left.

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In the 1800’s, Edmund Davy and Sir Humphrey Davy (cousins) discovered key elements for Arc Welding. Edmund Davy discovered Acetylene in 1836. Sir Humphrey Davy produced the arc between two carbon electrodes using a battery.
 
Although Edmund and Sir Humphrey Davy did not invent welding, they laid the path to the processes we use and see today.

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​Auguste De Meritens was a French Electrical Engineer who used an electric arc to weld in 1880. This welding process achieved low temperatures and was not able to penetrate steel. He used a carbon electrode to weld lead plates to manufacture storage batteries.
​De Meritens was known for his magneto-electric generators used in lighthouses and arc lighting. In 1881 he achieved a French Patent for Electric Arc Welding.

No wonder he easily discovered the electric arc, right?

Charles L. Coffin achieved a French patent in 1890 for Arc Welding using a metal electrode. This was the first time that metal melted from the electrode across the arc to deposit filler metal into the joint to make a weld.

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In the 1900s, Oscar Kjellberg of Sweden invented the coated electrodes from 1907-1914 by dipping bare iron into thick mixtures of carbonates and silicates, then allowing the coating to dry. Kjellberg was able to achieve a Swedish Patent in 1907.

Fun Fact:
Do you know where the name ESAB came from? Elektriska Svetsnings-Aktiebolaget, which is Swedish for: “Electric Welding Company”
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The 1900’s was the era that included the development of spot welding, seam welding, projection welding, and flash butt welding.

Pictured are models of how the welding processes were used. Some may be familiar to you today.
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During WWI, there was a large demand for weapons and armament. Welders became highly prized tradesmen among the armed forces. During this time, welders were challenged with a gas shortage and used electric arc welding to make bombs, mines, and torpedoes! Welders were also able to accomplish an all-welded hull vessel, called the HMS Fullagar of Great Britain.

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​Welding is used high and low, under and above (and beyond). For example, you can weld under water and even in space! The possibilities are endless with welding; and our future is only getting brighter as each arc ignites. To everyone who is reading… Stay well, stay safe, and don’t forget to thank the welder in your life!

Let this article inspire you during this difficult time, to show you that no matter how hard things get, welding will always be in our world to produce, protect, and stimulate our economy.

Earlbeck Gases & Technologies has been around since 1919, leading the way in training tradespeople on emerging welding technologies. We help individuals get ahead in their career without the debt of a traditional 4-year education by introducing them to a critical piece of our economy; welding. 

Welders are needed and AWS projects a shortage of 400,000 welders by 2024. So, let’s get welding- we don’t have time to lose! Show us what you’ve been working on or have already accomplished as a welder. Whether you are just starting out or have been in the industry for decades, we want to see what you’ve been up to!
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Use the hashtag #letsgetwelding #earlbeckwelding #arcflex to show off your work!

Author

Julia Brown, Customer Service Specialist / Marketing Assistant