That dream is getting even closer to
reality. Like many, David started welding as a kid in the garage with his
family. He moved from stick, to MIG to TIG, and along the way he helped friends
with simple projects or repairs, and got paid for his time. The side business
took a big leap about seven years ago when his then roommates suggested he look
into the airport where they worked. The amount of welding work available allowed
him to make his side business, a regular source of income. He started with
small, personal and experimental aircraft, welding aluminum and stainless
steel. He enjoyed the work enough to invest in getting certified to weld FAA
planes. Being certified brought enough business for another full-time job.
David spent about six years working with airplanes until the company moved out
of town and hired their own welder.
Operating
a regular side business planted the seeds for what he’s working towards now.
David plans on building his own welding shop but for now his focus is on mobile
welding. To aid him in this, he is building a flatbed of his own design onto
his truck, with specialized toolboxes, racks, and compartments for necessities.
Welding on-site carries its own set of challenges. With the airport work, he
learned that getting a truck mounted welder close enough to the plane wasn’t
always feasible. That meant he might need long leads which can cause an
unstable arc. Additionally, most welding machines have higher electrical needs
than the 110v output of standard non-industrial buildings. These challenges
have led David in a couple directions, one being the mobile welding rig he’s
building, and the other to Fronius.
“I
first looked at Fronius welders at FABTECH 2016 in Vegas. When my buddy and I
walked into the booth, one of their team answered our questions, and showed us
what might fit our needs. I didn’t know it then, but that person was the
representative for my area in California. He treated me like I was no different
from a big shop even though I said welding was my side business.”
When David learned that Fronius had a
reliable welder that would fit his mobile business, he spent a lot of time
considering their product versus others on the market. Eventually, his
community persuaded him to purchase a different welder. It was a multi-process
machine that claimed to do everything he needed, including the ability to weld
6010 electrodes. After some test runs and a few hours work, he became
frustrated that the machine didn’t do half of what it promised, and it couldn’t
handle the 6010 electrodes he used. Recalling what he’d seen at FABTECH, he
called Fronius to schedule a demonstration at the local office.
“That’s when I really opened my eyes to
the TransPocket 180,” David said. “Because I already knew it would run the
6010, stick, and do all the things that I needed it to do.” He worked with both
Will and Fritz from the Riverside, CA office to test out the various welders
and decide on a package that would suit his needs. Making the switch to the
TransPocket allowed him to run any electrodes he needed, for whatever jobs he
accepted, and do all the work mobile. The machine “worked flawlessly” which
gave him the confidence to take on more jobs with new clients.
Fronius offers the TransPocket in two
versions, one that’s focused on stick welding with TIG capability, and the
other is a TIG welder with stick capability. The TIG version is the one David
chose. It offers pulse welding and comfort stop which gives a clean finish to
the weld. The TransPocket is portable, runs on 110v electricity, and can use a
300 foot mains with no loss of power to the torch, or tripping of circuit
breakers. This combination was a perfect fit for Blackburn Fabrication.
“With my experience with that other
welder, I had no confidence in it. Sometimes it would run a nice bead, other
times it wouldn’t. There wasn’t any consistency. That’s a big problem out in
the field. You can’t just grab something from the shop to support whatever went
wrong. So knowing the machine will work well, every time, helps me immensely.”
David also purchased a TransSteel 2500
for MIG work. This single-phase welder runs on 230v, and excels with steel and
stainless steel. He hasn’t spent as many hours welding with it yet, but the
versatility of the machine has impressed him. He uses the up/down torch that
allows him to change settings without returning to the machine. “I was welding
on my flatbed and one weld was quarter-inch, the next weld was 1/8 inch, but I
didn’t need to go to the machine, I just changed the parameters on the torch.
It makes life a little easier.”
Once
David opens the shop, he’ll have more need for MIG welding. He plans to offer
custom welding trailers, bumpers, and racks, among other large projects. As he
moves into more customized work, he’ll purchase more equipment to support
efficient turn around. What’s on his list? The new MagicWave 230i that’s
being released this year from Fronius. “It has some very advanced features for
AC welding and also I’m interested in the Bluetooth/Wireless Lan feature that
is controlled from your phone. Definitely something no one else is offering.”
The Fronius MagicWave is a
single-phase, AC/DC TIG welder with advanced waveforms, high frequency starts,
and current pulsing, allowing for welding virtually any material. It features
an easy to use interface, robust housing, and options for wireless
control. The newest MagicWave is an
interesting vision into the newest technology available in TIG welding.
David works on whatever projects come
to him, including a lot of ranch fencing and gates where a durable, small
machine comes in handy. Many machines test well in a pristine lab environment,
but David is putting his TransPocket to the test in the dirt of ranch life. His
reaction? “It’s just a great welder. For
how small it is, the quality is there.”
What else does the future hold? Besides
opening the shop and offering new services, Blackburn Fabrication has plans to
give back to community youth through education and workshops. Find him on
Instagram @blackburnfabrication for posts and videos that showcase different
projects, and techniques.
Contact him at: Blackburnfabrication@gmail.com
Written by Rhonda Zatezalo
Rhonda Zatezalo writes freelance articles for the welding industry / www.rhondazatezalo.com