Another thing for people in Southern CA to remember (not necessarily the Original Poster)-- any wood structures which touch the ground are going to rot out. And it will only take a few years. About the time the rose is really mature, the arbor will be trash. Really beautiful, high-dollar wooden arbors that LAST usually have massive uprights. Something like 4 x 4's -- AND they are treated. But for Heaven's sake, don't buy those cheap wooden arbors ready-made from every nursery and big-box store. I DO like the metal arbors we've gotten from various sources, including one with a neat gate, for $99., from Harbor Freight. I'm sure those have problems somewhere, but they do well here in SoCal. We've also gotten some good ones from Big Lots. Jeri

I started welding around the age of 10 or so...on a machine an older brother had borrowed...being the youngest male of 4, I of course not only didn't get much encouragement, but did get a good deal of ridicule and sibling abuse... THEY had mini-bikes...and I wanted one too...not much finese, but I WAS motivated. well...I welded up a nasty frame (crooked) and got dumped on pretty good by the elder siblings who were enjoying my learning curve...and then bro #2's future father-in-law (who's welder it was) said something to me that made it alright...he said to me: "it may not look like much, but I'll bet it's hell for holdin'" you'ld be surprised how that insignificant phrase fixed me. the 4 of us went in on a new ($100 at the time) 175A Lincoln buzz box ($25 was a fortune to me at 10-12...and was demanded under some nondescript threat) I welded lots of projects...got fairly good to the point all the other brothers would come to me for their welds...the evolution from sibling joke to sought after was a healthy right of passage and a good self image re-enforcer...I went thru the steamfitter's apprenticeship and their welding school...and got not only viable, but marketable. when we brothers all went our separate ways, I got the welder without any complaint ...and have had one ever since in the garage. welding as far as "popular"?...I don't know. I can say it's been a foundational block for me (hard won) and I couldn't imagine that means of expression and ability not in my reportoir. to the guys who ask "what should I get"...these are the steps I took. my opinion is a 225A Lincoln buzz box (strick) for a tad over $200 will get you firmly in the door...decent machine at a reasonable (cheap) price. this is assuming someone just wants an all around welder and doesn't intend to marry it. smaller stock can be handled with 3/32 rod...to a point. second choice would be a 110V Lincoln mig for under $400. this will give you lightweight ability...anything over 1/4" is a problem, but the benefit is you can run it off any household 15A outlet or portable generator...weld in the bathroom if you have to... IF...I say IF...you want to spend your money once, and want a wide range of ability...then the 220v mig is a good choice for a "one all around" machine. ...but for a bit more money, between the smaller mig and the buzz box, you'll have more diverse ability...the 220v mig will sit in the spot near the 220v outlet (as does the 220v buzz box) and tie you to all fabrication/repair right there...for most folks, this probably isn't an issue...but you won't have the luxury of welding the chimney cap on the roof, or art/fences mid-yard ect...I do like the luxury of throwing the generator and small mig in the jeep and having remote "on the spot" ability when it's ocassionally called for. ...but I imagine most beginner folks can get by well with the $200 buzz box (stick)+ hood/rod/gloves ect...as I did. the benefit is cheapest to "get in the door", and wide range of ability (short of tin foil and gum wrapper welds). the only hurdle is you'll need to install a dedicated 50A 220v outlet to safely run it. ...and I personally would stick with name brands...that machine will sit there giving good service for decades...upfront "savings" with some off-brand machine could come back to haunt you. some investments shouldn't be on price alone.

Believe me, nothing worth taking a pic of. First I just worked on making a smooth bead on flat metal. Then I welded an angle iron to that flat piece. And finally to test that I could accomplish what I want to do, we clamped two pieces of threaded rod together and I made a good strong weld between them that we couldn't break. My desire is to weld rebar for statuary armatures. The problem with doing Riana's method is that bigger pieces will need to be reinforced when the chance that kids could crawl over them.

The teachers at my school (myself included) were so excited to share the eclipse with our students and then this week, we received strict orders to keep all students indoors with the blinds drawn all afternoon. I'm all for safety, but this just seems overkill to me. They sent us links, so we can watch it live onscreen. Sheesh. When I was young, we had a full eclipse here and my mom pulled us out of school and took us cross country skiing so we could experience it out of the city. Even thought it's only partial here, I'm hoping some parents take this route.