Date of Event: 11/08/2025
Location: Camp Maubila in Grove Hill, AL
Number of Attendees: 200+
Presenter/Notable Guest(s): Tim DeVargas, AWS member & Welding Instructor at Faulkner Career Tech Center
Event Summary: AWS Mobile Section Helps Scouts Forge an “Avengers Quest”
The American Welding Society (AWS) Mobile Section (District 9) was honored to assist the
Scouts of America’s South Region at the Five Rivers Camporee 2025, held at Camp Maubila in
Grove Hill, Alabama. The camp’s theme, “Avengers Quest,” drew more than 200 enthusiastic
participants for a day of creativity, learning, and hands-on technical experiences.
Welding and Blacksmithing Station
Representing the Mobile Section, Tim DeVargas, a welding instructor at Faulkner Career
Technical Center in Mobile, helped lead the popular welding and blacksmithing portion of the
event. The extensive setup ensured that every Scout team had the opportunity to participate in
the metalworking activities.
Scouts, divided into small groups, rotated through a variety of superhero-themed challenges
throughout the day. These stations included:
Operating a drone through an obstacle course
Doctor Strange–themed puzzle solving
Virtual reality headset challenges
Agility courses
Hawkeye archery and rifle marksmanship
The culminating metalworking challenge: Fabricating Thor’s Hammer
Forging Mjolnir: Hands-On Learning
Under the direct guidance of Mr. DeVargas and Scout leaders Will Gates, Andrew Schellhase,
Maclain Rigdon, and Shaun Small, the Scouts learned basic welding safety and technique.
Blacksmithing: Scouts first worked with blacksmiths—playing the role of the dwarf
brothers Brokkr and Sindri—to forge the handle for their legendary hammer.
Welding: Outfitted with personal protective equipment (PPE), the Scouts applied their
new skills. They successfully fabricated their own Thor’s Hammer by welding the forged
handle to a precut block of solid bar metal.
The result was a substantial, Avengers-worthy creation that each team proudly completed.
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