G S Welding

15/10/2026

How much welding actually goes into a cruise ship? 🚢👨‍🏭 PART 1

Earlier this summer, I went on a cruise and, as you can probably imagine, I couldn't help myself from looking at all the welding! 😂

When you think about the size of these ships, it's incredible how much welding goes into building them. And it's not just the main structure either.

From the railings and staircases to the sunbeds, fittings and all the little details you probably wouldn't even notice, there's welding everywhere you look.
And that's before you even think about all the maintenance and repairs needed to keep a ship like this running!

My wife was probably hoping I'd switch off from work for a week, but once you're a welder, you can't help noticing these things. 😂

Just goes to show how important skilled welders are, even in places you might not immediately think about.

And I've got plenty more to show you in Part 2! 👀

13/10/2026

This gate was hit by a skip lorry, leaving the top bracket damaged and the frame bent. Not exactly something you want to leave hanging around! 😬

As soon as I received the photos, I could see it was a safety risk. The gate could potentially fall at any time, so I rearranged my workload to make this a priority.

Now, I could have ordered a new top bracket, but by the time it arrived and was colour matched, the gate would have been left unsafe for much longer than necessary.

Instead, I was on site the very next day, welding the bracket back into place and straightening up the frame. All repaired, secure and looking as good as new. 👨‍🏭

Sometimes it's not just about getting the welding done. It's about finding the safest, quickest and most practical solution for the customer.

Another job sorted and one less thing for the customer to worry about! 👍

11/10/2026

Sometimes the job isn’t about repairing something that’s broken. It’s about making it work better for the people using it every day. 👍

I occasionally get asked to modify equipment at McDonald’s to make life a little easier for the staff, and this one was a fairly simple job.

They needed more usable worktop space around the sink, so had this fabricated, an extension and then welded it into place on site.

Simple idea, but it still needs to be done properly. It needs to be strong, neat and look like it was always part of the original equipment rather than something that’s just been added on.

Nice little modification and hopefully one that makes their working day that bit easier. 👨‍🏭

06/10/2026

Another early start with the ESAB 👨‍🏭

This one meant a 2:30am start. Over an hour’s drive to site, then a bigger job that needed to be finished before the store started getting busy for breakfast.

Thankfully, everything went to plan and I got it finished and ready in time. 👍

A big part of what I do isn’t just the welding. My customers rely on me to turn up on the day and time we’ve arranged, get the job done properly and work professionally around their business.

And the day definitely didn’t finish there 😂

Straight back in the van and onto the next one. This was only the first of 6 jobs that day.

The ESAB is certainly getting put through its paces!

04/10/2026

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/26601761.aerospace-welder-offers-free-courses-tackle-skills-shortage/

A Bournemouth aerospace welder is offering free one-to-one training for teenagers to help address a looming skills shortage and inspire the next generation of welders.

03/10/2026

Part 2 of my ESAB vs R Tech comparison. 👨‍🏭

Now we’re getting into the little things you only really notice once you start taking a machine out on site and actually working with it.

The R Tech has a quick release for the gas at the front of the machine, which I’ve always found really easy to use. With the ESAB, the gas connection screws in at the front which can be fiddly. but when I’m on site sometimes starting at 3 or 4 in the morning and taking everything apart again to pack away, quick connections make life easier.

I’ve also got a connection on my R Tech that operates the trigger on my torch which is metal housing which is easy to connect. On the ESAB, that same connection is a little more fiddly to get on, and it’s made out of plastic, which isn’t the easiest to connect carefully.

Then unfortunately on only the third job, I managed to snap the wires on the torch connections to the front of the machine. I thought it would be a simple soldering job, but it wasn’t quite that easy 😂 Luckily Wellington Welding Supplies in Poole got me sorted, a well knowledgeable John Herbert managed to fix it, but even he said it wasn’t that easy to do.

Warranty wise, the ESAB has 3 years compared with 5 years on the R Tech, with the R Tech having the option to extend that further to an other 2 more years.

These are all fairly minor points though. The ESAB is still a very good machine and I’m enjoying using it. I said I’d share the positives AND anything I find that could be better, so that’s exactly what I’m doing.

A quick release at the front for the gas and a better connection for the torch cable to the machine, and I think it would be a top machine. 👍

More to come once I’ve put it through a few more jobs!

02/10/2026

A throwback to making one of the most special commissions I’ve worked on. 🌻

This sunflower was made with a very personal purpose. The centre was designed to hold a loved one’s ashes, creating something that could be placed in a sunny spot in the garden and enjoyed for years to come.

Jobs like this are completely different to my usual site work, but that’s one of the things I love about welding and fabrication. Sometimes you’re repairing something at 4am, other times you’re creating something that means the world to someone.

A real privilege to be trusted with this one. ☀️🌻

01/10/2026

Calling all Bournemouth parents 👋

If your son or daughter is 16 to 18 and has ever shown an interest in welding, engineering or working with their hands, this could be a brilliant opportunity for them.

GS Welding is offering 6 completely FREE places on a four hour Introduction to Welding course here in the local area. They’ll learn about safety, PPE and equipment before getting the chance to actually have a go at welding themselves. 👨‍🏭🔥

There’s a lot of talk about getting more young people into skilled trades, but actions are louder than words. This is about giving them the chance to experience the trade for themselves and see where it could take them.

Know someone who might be interested? Tag their parent below or share this post with them.

For more information or to register interest, send GS Welding a DM.
📍 Bournemouth
🎓 Ages 16–18
🔥 6 free places
⏱️ 4 hour introduction course

26/09/2026

If you’re new to my page, I’m Gary 👋
I’ve been welding and fabricating for years, and I thought I’d start sharing a few more stories from some of the jobs I’ve done along the way.

This one takes us all the way back to 2005…

We took on a huge job at a landfill site installing a stainless steel irrigation system. It was just me and my apprentice Andy, who was only about 18 at the time. Fair play to him, he was a solid help from start to finish.

Looking back at these photos now though, the health and safety was shocking 😂

Scaffold boards that didn’t even fit the frame properly, tied up with rope at the top, and I was working over 6 metres high. The ladder was covered in mud and water too. Slippery, unstable… the lot.

I did raise it at the time, but nothing changed. Back then it often felt like you either got on with the job or risked losing it.

Thankfully things have changed a lot since then.

I’ve got plenty more stories like this from over the years, so if you’re new here, stick around. There’s a lot more to come 👨‍🏭

24/09/2026

I’ve been using the R Tech for about 4 years now, so I thought it was time to compare it properly with the new ESAB Rogue ET 200iP I’ve recently bought.

The R Tech has been a great machine. Easy to use, reliable and it’s done everything I’ve needed it to. The ESAB feels a lot more robust though, and being 200 amps gives me that extra 40 amps when I need it for some of the bigger jobs.

That said, I don’t always need the extra power. For most of the work I do, the R Tech has handled it perfectly well.

Price wise there isn’t a huge amount between them, although with the R Tech you’re getting the torch, earth clamp, regulator and electrode holder included too, which is worth considering.

So this isn’t me saying one is good and one is bad. I’ve worked with the R Tech for years and now I’m putting the ESAB through its paces on real jobs.

I’ll keep using both and let you know how they compare once the ESAB has had a proper beating on site 😂