Winning Weybridge Welder

Taken from British Aerospace Insight newsletter

28th May 1980

Not many people win medals for welding - but Peter Clare has achieved this distinction. Twenty-three year old Peter, a welder in the Tinsmiths department at Weybridge, has just received a City & Guilds Institute silver medal. He was the top entrant in recent welding craft practice examinations and his performance also brought a £25 first prize from the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers. These honours came at the conclusion of a five-year course in advanced welding and craft practice at Kingston College of Further Education in which Peter gained distinctions in all nine subjects involved.

The equipment seen behind Peter is a vacuum chamber used mainly for welding titanium. The workpiece is positioned inside the chamber and the operator sees and works through the 'port-holes' along either side.

About Peter

Having spent my working life in engineering, I have accumulated a considerable amount of experience, knowledge and expertise in welding and fabrication throughout the industry. From starting out in a back street sheetmetal firm (New Era Sheet Metal Works) in New Malden, Surrey; where if you needed an unusual tool you were told to "make it"; to welding jumbo jet fuel lines at British Aerospace.

Taking over The Welding Shop in 1991 we have completed many varied tasks from mending frying pans and taxi parts to major rooftop chiller installations for the Prudential and erecting steel buildings.

We always do what we say we're going to do, when we say we're going to do it and we are proud to have the highest references to support us.

Automatic orbital welding machine. Used on the VC-10 prototype tanker modifications for in-flight refueling during my time at British Aerospace.

Abstract Creations by The Welding Shop

We have been known to diversify into abstract art forms. We created a copper petal shaped shell from old hot water tanks that we had flattened and shaped. This was part of a project completed by two fine art students from Reading University.

The Shell

Part of the Project, 'Take my Heart, but not my fiesta'

                                                                The Headless Man

                                                                     Perhaps he didn't really want to be in the photo?       

The Pink Bus

We worked extensively on the Pink Bus project, helping to create a spectacular cavern of recycled bric-a-brac. The bus travelled to the Edinburgh Festival this year (2009) providing a venue for musical and comedy acts.

The Bedroom

The Bar

 The inspiration and creators of the Pink Bus - Caroline and Victoria.