Luke Hummer (@hummerluke)
Welcome to this week's #benchmarkspotlight (formerly the #weldershowcase) - we had the opportunity to sit down with Luke from @hummerluke from Erie County Community College and talk a little shop.
If you would like to be featured in our weekly spotlight (100% FREE) and have a chance at winning one of our Grinder Hoods please send us an email to leo.benchmarkabrasives@gmail.com to get you scheduled in an upcoming week. And for those of you that take the time to share your story with us, we'd be happy to provide a free BA banner. These spotlights are intended to highlight your skill, your business, and your tips and tricks. Most of all it's to have a little fun!
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Name: Luke Hummer Business Name: CWI/CWE/Welding Instructor @ Erie County Community College Location: Erie, PA Socials: IG: @hummerluke IG: @ec3pa |
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Tell us about yourself - what inspired you to get into your trade? And how long? I am a 6-generation farmer and have been around welding since I was a kid, at first, I majored in forestry at one of the colleges in PA. Not too long into that I found myself welding, so I pursued professional training in the welding field. Obtaining as many certifications as I could I worked my way through the years welding everything in maintenance, farming, logging, locomotives, tanks, and travel welding. I even started my own welding business. I was asked to help teach part time in 2016 for a local tech school and fell in love with it. Through the years I worked at several Tech Colleges and Vo techs. In 2022 I accepted a job at Erie County Community College which was the newest college around. I had to set up the lab, lesson plans and everything else that goes along with teaching. I have around 20 years of professional welding experience, obtaining my CWI/CWE in 2020, sitting as 2nd Vice Chaiman of NWPA AWS District 10. For the past couple of years, I have also been a judge in our local welding art competition that we host. In 2023 I was nominated for AWS Instructors Institute, flying to Miami Florida and spending time with past and present presidents, meeting and learning from other instructors across the nation was the most rewarding point in my career.
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What keeps you motivated throughout the day? I think what keeps me motivated every day is knowing that my students will one day be better than me. I tell my students that I had an instructor that pushed me to my limits and saw something in me. He once told me that if I keep at it, I will be a CWI and an instructor one day. I want to give all my students what my instructor once gave me. I enjoy having students come in with little to no experience and struggle to weld, cut, grind worth a darn to leaving the college the as qualified/certified welders, obtaining jobs/offers before graduating. I have stayed in touch with many of my former students and the first thing all of them tell me is Thank you for pushing me and being such a great instructor. |
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What is your favorite shop tool and why? My favorite shop tool must be the welder. There is something very satisfying with being able to join to like or dislike materials together, the heat, sparks and fumes is like the wrapping paper on gifts at Christmas time. As every kid enjoys this, I too feel the same with a weld. You lay a bead say 7024 Jet rod and when you are done you chip the slag (wrapping paper) away to find something beautiful underneath. |
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What's your favorite piece that you've worked on? I have built many things for customers, but one of my favorites is a mailbox that I built for myself. I raised German Shorthaired Pointers and love my dogs, so I designed and built my mailbox. Using stainless steel for the box and mild steel for the post. Everything together weighs over 120 lbs. |
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If you could have any job as it relates to question 1 what would it be and what would you do with that? To have any job, that would be what I am currently doing until I absolutely need to retire. Teaching is very satisfying. |
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What BA product is your favorite and why?
My go to BA products is the finishing products. They do a great job at bringing such a polish or finish to the final product.
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What BA product surprised you in terms of quality - what about it set it apart from the competition?
BA’s burr kit is top notch, I have used many deburrs through the years and these are of great quality and cut very nice and quick.
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What tips and tricks do you have for us that might be different or eye opening for others to try with BA product?
Tips, unfortunately I can’t think of any new or unheard-of ones, this also goes for the next generation of fabricators, but the one I always say is take your time, there is no need to rush as this causes mistakes and give it time it will come. Whether you are learning to weld or finish material be patient with it.
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Do you have any advice for the next generation that you wish you had when you first started?
New welders don’t be afraid to get burnt it happens to everyone. If you are afraid of the heat or sparks, you will constantly tense up and not have a finished product that is to be proud of. Getting burnt is not fun and I remember my first time and it hurt like hell. Now I tend to keep going through the pain and look at them as battle scars. You can tell a story book with the scars I have.
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What are your future plans for your shop?
My future with the shop is to keep growing, more equipment and students to come along.
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A Note From Leo
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Luke! Keep up the great work training the next generation of welders!