Warwick Valley High School students learn welding

As the second marking period came to an end this week, Warwick Valley High School students in Ms. Baker's Landscape Equipment Repair class took on the challenge of Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW).

After learning about welding safety, the importance of personal protective equipment, types of welding, types of joints and different electrodes, students set up their stations and the sparks started flying.  The class learned how to strike the metal and create a bead, with the goal being straight lines that have an even width and thickness the entire length of their metal piece.

“Starting the arc proved to be more challenging to students than they expected, but they persevered and kept trying in order to learn new skills,” Ms. Baker said. “The goal of the Agriculture Department is to expose students to a wide variety of career opportunities and for this particular class, agriculture power and technical systems. It has been a great first semester and I’m looking forward to seeing the next round of students to come through this program!”

SMAW is a great technique for welding in landscape repair because it can easily weld rusted and dirty material. Equipment that is often left outside or is being used in landscaping is typically not clean enough to use other welding types such as MIG or TIG. Learning SMAW is a great place to start and gives foundational skills that can be used in the other types of welding. 

Students wear proper PPE while welding such as auto-darkening, OSHA grade helmets. These helmets protect students from the UV light and radiation while welding. They immediately go dark when welding begins. The benefits of these helmets are that they are best for when welding types and environments change quickly. Students had to inspect each helmet before going into the welding booth to ensure safe practices.

The class learned about small gas engine repair before moving on to welding.