There are plenty of artists out there who use welding as a part of their creative process, but none that I can think of actually make the welds their artworks.

That’s what makes Scott Raabe so special. The Texas-based industrial welder is so good at what he does that his welding works are pieces of art in their own right. I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure pipe welding isn’t supposed to be this visually appealing. However, there’s something about the seemingly perfect way Scott weaves the welding beads between two pieces of metal that makes you want to stare at his works for hours on end.

After graduating from Texas State Technical College with a degree in – you guessed it – welding, Scott Raabe started working in industrial welding, and has been at it for the last seven years. He started as a small parts/custom welder for a production company, but later moved on to pipe welding. Although he also does commission artistic jobs on the side, the welds you see in these photos are actually from his day job. They are not just aesthetically pleasing, but also expertly executed to bind the steel pipes perfectly.

If you’re wondering about the beautiful rainbow coloring of the welds – I known I was – Reddit users explain that it’s just the surface oxide layers of the metal changing color depending on how hot they get, and that a nice even transition between colors is a pretty good indication of weld quality.

Now, I’ll just leave you to stare at these amazing steel rainbows for a while. Oh, and be sure to scroll down for a video of Scott exercising his welding skills with surgical precision.

Photos: Scott Raade/Imgur

via Reddit