Letter from the Editor
A seasonal message celebrating the welding community and introducing the issue's educational and inspirational content.
Making Spirits Bright
In what seems like the blink of an eye, another year winds down at ARC Magazine and Lincoln Electric, and another holiday season gets into high gear. We hope 2017 has been a good year for you and whatever welding and fabricating ventures you’ve pursued, and we hope we’ve been able to help in some small way.
In the process of planning our winter issue, it seemed appropriate to feature a jolly fellow with a big beard and an infectious laugh – someone who builds fun things in his workshop, has traveled all around the world at least a few times and has a history of doing good things for kids. Santa wasn’t available – and he’s probably not the best match for our target audience anyway – so we found the next best thing in Lou Santiago.
Lou is a rare combination of virtues – incredibly knowledgeable and vastly experienced in custom building, and also one of the most easygoing, down-to-earth people in the business. The charismatic personality, combined with four decades of experience and an encyclopedic grasp of all things automotive, have translated well to TV, ever since he began hosting Spike TV’s MuscleCar in 2005, and later with Ultimate Car Build Off and Car Fix.
Casey Smith, who teaches automotive restoration with Lou at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, sums up his co-instructor very simply: “He’s someone who connects with you whether you’re 18 or 80.” Lou may not be Father Christmas, but his seemingly endless supply of good cheer and goodwill are perfect for this season or any other.
If there’s something about Lou and his story that inspires you to get some welding gear of your own and get busy, we can help with that. Our annual Buyers Guide in this issue includes equipment and accessories to get you started – or keep you going – in stick, TIG and MIG welding as well as plasma cutting. Some of the items may be too big to fit under your tree, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting whatever you need to start welding and embrace the maker experience as 2018 gets under way.
Thanks for being a member of the ARCcommunity this year and providing helpful feedback along the way. We wish you the best of the season and much success in 2018. As always, we’re here to listen, inform and inspire, so be sure to keep in touch.
Happy holidays!
The communication channel is always open at ARC Magazine, and we welcome your feedback about what you see or what you’d like to see on these pages. Contact us at publisher@arcmagazine.pub.