Program Fund
Please consider contributing to the Iron and Steel Preservation Program Fund. This fund was established to support projects, research, conferences and scholarships related to the repair, rehabilitation, and restoration of metals. The Lansing Community College Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation.
Donate Here
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Oxygen Acetylene Equipment
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LCC instructor and students
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Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)
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Aaron Kavanagh demonstrates Lincoln Electric's 350 MP Power MIG Welder
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LCC lab tech uses the VRTEX Virtual Reality Arc Welding Trainer from Lincoln Electric
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Torchmate
CNC Plasma Cutter
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Greetings,
In 1959 I hired into a local steel fabrication shop in Lansing Michigan. One of my first jobs was rolling red lead paint on 36" wide flange beams, the final operation before the beams were shipped to a job site. These were bridge beams, part of the U.S. interstate highway system that began with the Eisenhower administration and extended for years. During that time I worked as a welder, fitter, and eventually the shop foreman of the Bridge Department at Douglas Steel Fabrication Corporation. Because of the steady stream of bridge work that went through that particular shop, it was always referred to as the Bridge Shop. Many craftsmen were employed in all phases of road building at that time, and the craftsman's paycheck contributed to the building of the middle class. Today we are hearing from many within federal and state agencies, engineering associations and the media that it is time to address our aging infrastructure.
"The U.S. interstate highway system, celebrating its 60th birthday this year, is showing its age. Many roads and bridges are in need of repair or expansion."writes David A. Lieb in a
recent article for the Associated Press.
Electric arc welding played a prominent role in the construction of the first U.S. interstate highway system and will be an important tool in the building of any new structures as well as in the rehabilitation, repair, and restoration of our current aging infrastructure. Lansing Community College offers customized arc welding courses in its state-of-the-art facility in Lansing, Michigan. Read further in this newsletter for more information.
As readers of this newsletter know, I occasionally feature postcards related to bridges. I've recently acquired a postcard postmarked 1925 that features the V-Bridges in Sharon, PA. I hope you enjoy reading about this interesting bridge and its environs.
Vern Mesler
Iron & Steel Preservation Coordinator
Lansing Community College
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Customized Arc Welding Courses
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Customized arc welding courses are being offered at Lansing Community College, West Campus, Lansing, Michigan. These courses can be designed for individuals or groups for either introductory or advanced training in the Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW), Metal Cored Arc Welding (MCAW), and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) processes.
Depending on the client's needs, customized courses can include lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on activities with instructions on the essential variables (voltage, amperage, and other operating parameters) of the arc welding processes.
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Your Custom Course Could Include
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- Safety procedures used in the Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW), Metal Cored Arc Welding (MCAW) and Shielded Metal Arc Welding processes.
- Equipment used in the FCAW, MCAW and SMAW processes, including power sources, flow meters, guns and wire feeders. The selection of gases and wire combinations for different metals.
- Electrode and wire AWS classification system for the FCAW, MCAW and SMAW processes.
- Proper set-up procedures for amperage (wire feed speed); effects of voltage and gas flow for FCAW and MCAW processes; effect of amperage for SMAW.
- Weld gauges for measuring fillet welds (in the flat and horizontal positions) and groove welds.
- Weld defects and discontinuities, their causes and repair procedures, and methods for reducing distortion.
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Rates depend on the number of hours of training. Sample rates are as follows:
- $2,500 for an eight hour course with one instructor and five participants.
- $3,600 for a sixteen hour course with one instructor and five participants.
- $4,650 for a twenty four hour course with one instructor and five participants.
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American Welding Society Certification Tests
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Lansing Community College has on staff American Welding Society certified welding inspectors (CWI) who can conduct Standard AWS certification tests for the FCAW, MCAW, and SMAW processes. The costs for certification testing are available upon inquiry, with arrangements made directly with the CWIs. Contact Vern Mesler.
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My search for bridge postcards has led to the discovery of many fascinating bridges, and I have discovered that the written messages on the postcards are just as interesting as the bridge photos themselves. The hand written messages on the back of the postcards provide a little window into the lives of ordinary people who considered the horse as their main mode of transportation. Postcards were the email of the early twentieth century, and they required no password.
My recent purchase was a Sharon, Pennsylvania, V-Bridges postcard, postmarked Jan 9, 1925, Sharon PA, addressed to Mrs. N. Berry, Saginaw W.S. Michigan. "Dear Sister, I'm getting in Ohio Saturday sometime. My Best Wishes to all. H.J.S."
These two bridges spanned the
Shenango River in
Sharon, Pennsylvania, and were fabricated in 1907. In 1913 a devastating flood hit Sharon, and the force of the
Shenango River
flood waters tore a section of the bridge from its pier. A replacement was fabricated sometime after 1913. In 1982 the V-Bridges were replaced with a single bridge at Silver Street.
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Exploring the area around the original bridge site with Google Street views, I could make out a single pier of the V-Bridges in the middle of
Shenango River. This pier could easily be seen if one were to have lunch on the outside patio at Donna's Diner.
If our travels were to find us in Pennsylvania near Sharon, we would plan a visit to Donna's Diner. It reminded me of a diner we discovered while attending the 2013 Society for Industrial Archeology Conference in Saint Paul, Minnesota: Mickey's Diner, a place with hearty food and a great history. Below I've included an excerpt from a previous newsletter about the 2013 SIA conference.
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A couple of blocks from the historic St Paul Hotel (where many SIA conventioneers stayed) was located Mickey's Diner. Their motto: "St Paul's 24 hour host since 1939." The diner is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Check out their website for history and pictures
Mickey's Diner 1939 . Can anyone identify the year and make of the car Bert Mattson is sitting in?
"Nightshift 1945-1947" (retrieved from mickeysdiningcar.com/history.html on June 15, 2013; photo used by permission.) "Malts so thick you could eat them with a fork, hamburgers so juicy you can use a spoon, and waitresses so ornery you better know exactly what you want by the time they reach you." (quotation on website < mickeysdiningcar.com > attributed to Neal Kaplan of the New York Times)
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| Past Iron & Steel Preservation Newsletters |
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