Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
Back in the 80s I was a pretty fair welder.
Mostly was a stick man. Probably burned a ton or two of 7018.
I remember thinking then how welding was a lot like a long, drawn out isometric exercise. You brace yourself as best you can and once you strike that arc you hold it just so... till the rod is burned away. No matter what happens in that minute or two while its burning, an itch, a cramp, a hot spark down your glove, your focus is on that arc and you hold it just so in an isometric exercise. Kinda like Tai Chi in a way.
So right now I'm finally putting some paint in our new bedroom. Up on a scaffold
with a sash brush, cutting in where the walls meet the ceiling. And it's like an isometric exercise in that you hold that line whether you get an itch or a cramp or a fly lands on your ear like just happened.
I think you gotta like to weld, or paint, to do it well. To hold your arms just so and control your breathing and forget the itches and the sparks and flies. And focus your entire self on that bead or paint line that you're cutting. Make it as perfect as you possibly can. Plus some. You cannot paint a line into a corner with masking tape or an edging tool and have it turn out nice. You gotta do it like it means a lot to you. And the only way is free hand.
Just like laying in a nice bead of weld. There's no tool or gimmick that will do as well as your own free hand and liking it and understanding it's an isometric exercise.
Mostly was a stick man. Probably burned a ton or two of 7018.
I remember thinking then how welding was a lot like a long, drawn out isometric exercise. You brace yourself as best you can and once you strike that arc you hold it just so... till the rod is burned away. No matter what happens in that minute or two while its burning, an itch, a cramp, a hot spark down your glove, your focus is on that arc and you hold it just so in an isometric exercise. Kinda like Tai Chi in a way.
So right now I'm finally putting some paint in our new bedroom. Up on a scaffold
with a sash brush, cutting in where the walls meet the ceiling. And it's like an isometric exercise in that you hold that line whether you get an itch or a cramp or a fly lands on your ear like just happened.
I think you gotta like to weld, or paint, to do it well. To hold your arms just so and control your breathing and forget the itches and the sparks and flies. And focus your entire self on that bead or paint line that you're cutting. Make it as perfect as you possibly can. Plus some. You cannot paint a line into a corner with masking tape or an edging tool and have it turn out nice. You gotta do it like it means a lot to you. And the only way is free hand.
Just like laying in a nice bead of weld. There's no tool or gimmick that will do as well as your own free hand and liking it and understanding it's an isometric exercise.