WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Timothy S. Turnbach identifies as a “thinker” and “an idea guy.” The Pennsylvania College of Technology welding instructor validated that self-assessment by conceiving and executing an artistic idea to benefit the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
With the assistance of two students and a fellow instructor, Turnbach crafted the PSEA crest – an arrow intersecting the pi symbol – on 304 stainless steel. The crest is raised from a 36-by-32-inch triangular metal background to create a 3D effect.
“It came out way better than I could have anticipated,” Turnbach said.
Jeff Ney, PSEA vice president, recently visited campus to receive the work for eventual display at the organization’s headquarters in Harrisburg. PSEA is the state branch of the National Education Association, which advocates for public education and teachers’ rights.
“When I first saw a picture of it, I could not believe the material was stainless steel. I really thought it was copper,” Ney said. “Whatever Tim is teaching his students to produce images like that with stainless steel is a skill all in itself. Art comes in all types of forms, and this is absolutely fantastic.”
“The PSEA is like my family. They care about education. They care about people,” said Turnbach, who serves on the board of directors for PSEA’s central region. “I was at their main office in Harrisburg this summer and saw this beautiful marble wall in the reception area. There was nothing on it. I thought I could make something, and I kept rattling my brain.
Depicting the association’s crest on metal became the answer. Once PSEA officials approved the concept, Turnbach formed a small crew to make the idea a reality: Allan M. Meck, instructor of welding automation, and student volunteers Samuel W. Metz, of Ithaca, New York, and Noah T.D. Friel, of Grasonville, Maryland. Metz is majoring in welding & fabrication engineering technology, and Friel is studying manufacturing engineering technology.
“I was very excited. I had never done a project like this, a design for the public,” Metz said. “Mr. T is a great guy. He’s always helping me out. Whenever he comes to me with anything, I’m always happy to help him out.”
While working with the design in AutoCAD, Metz decided to remove the crest from the background to make it pop. He put the final design through processing software before using a plasma cutter – under Meck’s supervision – to produce the desired shapes.
Turnbach and Metz smoothed the edges and affixed the crest to the background. Friel then used a blow torch to “color” all the metal so it would resemble various shades of copper.
“You have to get the temperature between 305 and 360 degrees, and that’s when the colors come out of the stainless steel,” Turnbach said. “The colors are the result of oxidation from the stainless steel.”
After Turnbach applied six layers of clearcoat and Metz welded a hangar on the back, the art piece was ready to be unveiled to PSEA.
“It’s a good feeling to have something out in the world. It’s awesome,” Metz said. “I think it looks really good.”
Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies, echoed that sentiment.
“The work is striking and quite impressive,” he said. “Tim is apt to devise unique ideas, and the endeavor for PSEA is a great example of his ingenuity. I’m also pleased that he was able to involve two talented students who devoted time outside of class to assist with the project.”
Ney doesn’t know exactly where the crest will be displayed at PSEA’s headquarters but guaranteed that it will “get a lot of eyeball time.”
For information on welding degrees and other majors offered by Penn College’s School of Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520 or visit www.pct.edu/et.
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.