#WhyWeWeld: Gabriel Castelon

Gabriel Castelon is a Brazil-based welder who specializes in TIG welding. After a few years in the trade, Gabriel became a welding instructor at the same school where he took welding courses as a beginner. We interviewed Gabriel to learn more about his work and his stunning welds.

Here's our conversation:

We’d love it if you could tell us about your experience as a welder. How long have you been welding for?

I had my first contact with welding as a child -- my grandfather had a small workshop and had a machine that only welded coated electrodes, but at the time I had no interest. 

In 2015, I took my first welding course, and in 2016 I started welding professionally, so I've been working for approximately 5 years.

What inspired you to start working as a welder?

Actually, I didn't have an inspiration -- I was looking for a profession that was within my reach at that time. I went to the best vocational school in town, and I chose welding!

How did you to learn to weld and long did it take you to learn the basics of welding?

I learned through welding courses. I first completed the GMAW process, then SMAW and finally my passion GTAW! In all, I completed approximately one and a half years of courses.

Can you describe your first job as a welder and the work you do at the moment? 

I got a job at a great company in the city, started as an assistant and soon became a welder. I worked for 5 years at this company, until I received the invitation to be a welding instructor at the same school where I learned to weld, and this is my profession today.

Many of your welds look picture perfect! We'd love to know how you mastered the trade. What tips do you have for someone who wants to improve their welding skills?

Thanks for the compliment! I believe that every professional in the welding industry should know the theoretical part, and not just go deeper into practice. 

A good adjustment of the machine, a little knowledge of the material to be welded, the consumable and especially cleaning helps a lot in welding. And of course, a lot of training!

Finally, do you have any advice you’d like to share with a young person who is interested in working as a welder?

The advice I would give to someone is to be patient. One step at a time -- welding requires a lot of training.

You will not become a good professional over night. Study hard, be humble enough to ask the most experienced, train hard, and believe in your potential. If you really want something, you get it!