Is this special interest too weird?

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One of my special interests is arc welding. It started when I was young. I would often watch videos of arc welding or look at photos of it, being fascinated by the sparks. I've had dreams involving watching someone else weld or even doing it myself. Whenever I saw or heard somebody weld, I would watch, sometimes with the arc in direct view. If it was in direct view, I would take a quick glance and then avert my gaze to avoid damaging my eyes.

This special interest was further intensified when a girl in my class did MIG welding for her 20% Project. She knew the basics of MIG welding, and so did I. She learned from her dad, and I got jealous and wanted to do it too, but my parents wouldn't let me. One day in class, I heard a faint electrical buzzing sound, and when I went over to see what was on the girl's school iPad, I saw that she was watching a video of herself practicing MIG welding. I gave her a thumbs-up to show my approval. She had made a big metal flower and vase with MIG welding. She encountered problems such as having to wear long-sleeved clothing in hot weather and getting burned by the sparks a little. She also had to use a smaller welding helmet.

Is this special interest too weird?

No way. If you follow through with training and make a career of welding, you should excel at it.
I have a passion for horticulture and I have never regretted a day of work, no matter how hard.
Not a bad way to live.

Too weird for what? Sounds great to me!

A very productive "special interest."

I'll add my voice to the chorus of folks saying "Not too weird! You go for it!"

No not too weird at all. This is what I did at school and went straight in to after leaving school.

Also be aware of the fumes from welding. Make sure you are in a well ventilated space and use face masks too if needed.

My special interest are weirder and less useful.

Granted that back in the old school days it was a tiny bit more socially acceptable for a guy to be drawn to arc welding than for a female to be, but even so its hardly "weird". And you can earn a living doing it. Or you can go into doing metal sculpture. So go for it. And it is something that has understandable appeal: the sparks look like fireworks, and you're exerting power over metal. Its not like you collect door knobs, or go into monologues about deep fry cookers ( like I hear that some aspies do). Folks would "get" why it interests you.

Being able to weld well is a highly respectable skill. It's a talent, an art and in some cases lives depend on it. I appreciate the solid weld work on an aluminum dolly at work (because I hear welding aluminum is harder to do).

It's not weird, it's awesome!

Sounds like you could make a career out of it.

I think it's great. If you're interested in it, you should definitely try it.