Welding Tips and Tricks

Just a little background. I've spent the last 15 days @ the hospital in Lima, Oh. where my son goes to school. He was going to clear his pistol and accidentally shot himself in the thigh. He did enough damage to his leg that they had to take his leg from above the knee down. I'd ask that we could please not make this about guns in any way, it's a non-issue to me now.

My son was learning to weld in school and has learned a little while growing up around the shop at home. He has an affinity for Tig welding. He will soon be getting a prostetic limb and will need to learn to get around with it. He would like to make a prostetic leg for himself.

I was wondering if anybody here has worked in this field and has any ideas, or even knows where we can get some ideas.

Len

Hey sorry to hear about your son! We'll keep him in our prayers. Is he at UNOH? I am an alum there and still keep in contact with a few of the instructors there and have a nephew and a couple family friends there now. I have no clue about prosthetics but I would think he may be able to come up with something. I don't know how fancy he would want it maybe find some pics to go by? Anyway hope he makes a speedy recovery.

Here's an article on how they work and are made. It seems like a pretty specialized field.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/prosthetic-limb3.htm

Good luck to your son , I wish him all the best.

Other Steve

Jesus...

My son did something similarly spectacular about 5 months ago, but did not lose a limb...

I've not worked in prosthetics at all, but I can understand his desire to "build it at home".

I've no solid advice to give now, but the idea is now on my radar, so to speak.

Steve S

One approach to this problem, is to see what is available on the market.
Then, either purchase the components or try to make them yourself.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/133238700/Ott ... rosthetics

Quite a lot of hospitals have (or use by contract) workshops and engineers who make these devices. By asking around it should be quite possible to find a workshop with staff who will mentor your son in his efforts. I have met a man who did this work (he made a hand brace for my mother), but I have had no contact with him for twenty years. All the best in your efforts to help your son, and best wishes to him, too.

@ Nickn372, Yes he's going to UNOH in their high performance motor sports course. He loved the welding classes and learned quite a bit. He had a least one of his instructors come to visit him here. It's a great school.

Thanks for all the well wishes and he seems determined to get back on to the long road to recovery. I thought he could keep his mind busy trying to build his own prosthetic ( he corrected my spelling when he read this, who said college was a waste of dad's money).

I've been checking out a lot of web sites in between all the chaos that comes with a long hospital stay. There seems to be a lot of great minds working in this field. The creativity of some of these folks is really amazing.

We plan on making the 5 hour trip home tomorrow and try to get back to kind of normalcy, if that's possible.
Thanks.
Len

one of the reality's of life is that it can change forever on a moment's notice. your son is in my prayer's.