Collision Repair Students Spark Creativity and Safety with MIG Welding Sculpture Project

Our first-year Collision Repair students launched the semester by combining essential MIG welding skills with creative problem-solving. The unit began with a strong emphasis on safety, including proper use of PPE, equipment setup and inspection, ventilation, and fire prevention. Students learned consistent routines for operating welding equipment and progressed through guided practice focused on gun angle, travel speed, and electrode extension while producing quality welds on common joint types. Instruction also addressed troubleshooting issues such as porosity and spatter, as well as weld inspection and basic finishing techniques.

The unit concluded with a sculpture project that allowed students to apply technical skills in a creative context. After sketching designs and planning materials and structure, students fabricated original metal sculptures that required careful measurement, sequencing, and finishing. The completed pieces, now displayed in the shop hallway, reflect students’ growing confidence, technical competence, and appreciation for the connection between craftsmanship and creativity. These skills will serve as a foundation as students move into more advanced collision repair topics later in the semester.