I concur: I know a chap who can oxy-acetelyne weld aluminium; basically because no-one told him you can't do that, he went ahead and learned anyway.
Ade, One of the guys I worked with regularly (1972-1994) is the guy (Denny Andersen) who welded (he retired in 1996) rocket nozzles for NASA. Rhenium to Waspalloy? Not a problem (for Denny). He would drive metallurgists out of what was left of their minds regularly. The chemistry said, "This can't be done." -- and Denny would not only do it, but the joint would pass a full micro-crystallographic analysis with flying colors leaving multiple-PhD's shaking their heads in wonder. This is
art, not science.
Denny's "secret" (which he tried to share with everyone) is
managing your heat. I understand that intellectually, but cannot duplicate even the more common welds myself -- or, as Denny always told me, "There's nothing wrong with your welding that 5000 hours of practice won't cure." This is why when people ask me if I can weld, my answer is, "I can melt metal, I can run a bead, but I am
not a welder!"
I know another six
magician class welders in western Washington State. I have run into another 80-100 in other places over the past four decades. Such people leave me in awe of their craft skills.
