Third Wire Welding

Behind the Name

The three (3), or third wire, is the target wire for landing a jet safely aboard an aircraft carrier. An “OK” is the best pass a pilot can make. So, the best result for a landing is an “OK 3”. With my background in Naval Aviation, I thought of the name of my welding business based upon the first welding project I designed – my Tailhook coffee table (shown below).

My first welding class took place in 1985 while going through the flight navigation school in Pensacola, Florida. As an avid cyclist, going through the welding class, I began to form a plan on making custom bicycles. Thirty-plus years later, I took my second formal welding class in Seattle Washington, and I am now applying my welding education to work. The process I’m using now is shielded metal arc welding (or MIG, which stands for Metal Inert Gas). But I am also learning TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas). And I have a basis in “stick” welding.