Customer Reviews

Sculpting with Welding with Hunter Herman, Vol. 1 [VHS]

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In Sculpting With Welding: Focus On SMAW (shielded metal arc welding), master sculptor and welder Hunter Herman draws upon his technical expertise and extensive sculpting experience to offer a complete metal working course showing the viewer the step-by-step process of welding proficiently and professional. Cutting procedures and finishing techniques are thoroughly discussed and shown. Of particular merit are the sections of instruction devoted to "Safety Parameters" and the "Fabrication and Assembly of a Sculpture". Sculpting With Welding: Focus On SMAW is an informative, practical, accessible, "viewer friendly" how-to welding and metal work sculpture video.

Hunter Herman has compiled an immeasurable resource for welders in his first video entitled "Sculpting with Welding with Hunter Herman. First off, one learns about all the equipment needed down to most minute detail. Concurrently, a welder is aprised of every possible safety measure which should be taken before, during and following the welding procedure. We are also instructed on the proper measures necessary in setting up a welding studio. Before long we are prepared to begin. Hunter Herman then guides us with exacting detail on various welds. Instruction on types of welds and techniques on the visibly perfect weld are demonstrated. The entire process prepares a beginner welder for their journey into and through the boundless art experience of welding via Hunter Herman's highly professional video presentation. And it is an invaluable resource for the experienced welder, as well, no matter what level they've achieved. In truth, no welder should be without this video which takes every welder step by step into the fascinating world of sculpting with welding. Hunter Herman's colorful cinematic welding course should be available in every art school, art library and on every welding studio reference shelf. It should be considered the ultimate welding sculptors visual tool embodying every element one needs to enter the world of sculpting with welding. I feel fortunate to have found Hunter Herman's "Sculpting with Welding Vol 1" on Amazon.com

I purchased this thinking it would have some information about "Sculpting with Welding" but it is basically a beginning welding tutorial. There is lots of info on How to weld, weld types, shop safety and cutting procedures but they left out the sculpting stuff save a couple of quick comments about texturing metal and a 5 min segment watching him make a sculpture. I am glad I did not purchase the 2nd of the series too!

The first ten to twenty minutes (*Part One*) is about everything from eye glass cleaner, sparks, spatter, and a way-too-in-depth discussion about the sensitivity of shade darkening helmets. Then Mr Herman goes on to ear plugs and how to insert them. Hello? Is this necessary? Fine, its important to know these concepts and tricks, but maybe put it on an introductory dvd leading up to the sculpting session. Mr Herman also is no actor, either, as you can see his eyes move across the cue cards; watching him exit from the frame is hilarious as you can sense his stiffness. Filters, pre-filters, respirators, owners manuals, MSDS - hey! I know all of this, can you please get on with the sculpting stuff? *Part Two* opens with him reading cue cards again, plugging 'Miller' units, along with a discussion of AC current, 230 single phase, buzz box, transformer rectifier, arc control, inverter types, ambient moisture, blah, blah, blah, zzzzz .... so where's the sculpting? Sorry, he's too busy reading the cue cards about the basics, showing photos of poor welds and explaining travel speeds, heat to metal build up, weld seams. When he finally gets a photo of a good weld in there, he's noticeably silent. There'a a few decent high speed photography scenes of welding 1F, 2F, 3F and 4F fillet welds, some talk about weld puddles, but they're just a few seconds each - still no sculpting. When it seemed that we were just getting somewhere he goes off on a tangent talking about carpel tunnel syndrome. By the way, you're still not seeing any sculpting and we're about halfway through the dvd. Wait, here's some more decent scenes of 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G groove welds, then a few more tips that are read off cue cards - he actually mentions the word 'artist' at this point, but still, no sculpting. Okay, here's a few tips on multiple passes, lap joints, T joints, and some decent shots of great welds, but then again he's been doing this 35 years. He finally explains that you'll need to practice over and over and over because stick welding takes years to perfect - ahah! that's why we're going though the basics. Part Three starts off talking about sculpting, but then goes back to safety, showing us how to strategically wear a velcro back belt and how to use a cylinder cart to move a cylinder. Then he goes over safety about oxy fuel cylinders, propane, MAPP, appropriate cutting tips, protective eyewear, respirators, correctly adjusting the flame and cutting. Finally - and very briefly - he touches on forging metal into shapes, hand hammering techniques and brazing and its use in sculpting. Before you know it we're off on another tangent talking about ionization and (powermaxx800) hypertherm plasma cutters. The guy knows his stuff, discussing plasma gases and electrodes, ionized gas, heat and velocity. But still, he still hasn't gotten to the meat of the dvd - sculpting! We're back talking about eye protection, safety gear, cut capacities of cutters, selection of machines, cutting sequences of plasma, nozzles, sqwirl rings, gouging shields, torch alignment, switching cutting shields and nozzles, grinders, pneumatic and electric abrasive cut off tools, orbital sanders, reciprocating saws and portable band saws for stock removal. The very last few minutes here have Mr. Herman making cuts to a jazzy muszak tune, but it jumps through scenes and the beginning to end sculpting product is never visualized. He finally admits that the next dvd in the series gives the insight into decisions on painting and finishing the sculpture. Looking for a sculpting dvd? Don't bother - disappointingly its lost here in teaching the basics.