As summer came to an end, we were feeling good about our progress. With the help of Poly alumni and local machine shop owner, Mr. Matthiessen, we'd gotten our front assembly made and ready to weld onto the frame. Our next steps were figuring out how to attach the Suzuki Marauder swingarm to the frame with the motor mounted to it for the back wheel. In the last week of summer, Mr. Matthiessen invited Kai, Mr. Fletcher, and I to his workshop to learn how to weld. We started with Shielded Metal Arc Welding ("stick welding"). The sparks were certainly something to get used to! It took many tries to be able to weld in a slow, even, and straight line. The second type of welding we learned was Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG welding), the form we've been using on our car. Afterwards, we cut in half the welds we'd made to study the strength of the connection.
