Monica Reynolds

Every welder has heard the classic advice: "A good MIG weld should sound like sizzling bacon." But if you ask a true professional, they’ll tell you that relying solely on old adages won't get you a passing weld inspector's stamp or a dross-free, spatter-free finish. A seasoned welder can literally hear bad settings from across the shop floor. Whether your machine is producing an aggressive hiss, an erratic pop, or sounding like a machine gun going off, your arc is constantly telling you what...

Upgrading your shop's cutting capabilities is a massive milestone, but switching from a traditional CNC plasma table to a multi-function fiber laser machine comes with a steep learning curve. We sat down to break down the entire process—from logistics, moving headaches, and gas setups to real-world performance comparisons on cut speed, heat input, and consumable costs. If you are on the fence about whether a fiber laser is worth the investment over plasma, here is the honest, numbers-first...

If you ask most people what kind of weld test an ironworker takes, they’ll usually guess a standard D1.1 structural plate test. For the most part, they’re right. But if you think that’s all these folks are taking, you're missing a big part of where the trade is heading. In our latest video, Austin headed up to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the 42nd Annual Ironworker Instructor Training Program—a massive, week-long event supported by ESAB where instructors from over 150 training centers gather to...