Welders? Anybody make their living burning metal? I've got some questions.

[Revlis]

Havnig been laid off for awhile now and getting no where with a BFA I've decided I'll be heading back to school this fall and pursuing my M.E... Or perhaps Materials Engineer.

Anyway, in the meantime, I've been thinking that I'd like to take some welding classes and get certified. Give myself a real trade, a real skill I can earn money with while taking classes.

I know nothing about required certifications, Union hassles, etc.

I'd like to pick the brains of some certified welders and see if it's really something I'd be up for.

I spent four years in metal smithing/Jewelery but it's all fine Art technique and method. I can braze/weld with an Oxy Acetlyn and coat hanger, but thats for from professional.

I do know though, that I love metal and I love fire. SO burning metal and building/repairing stuff is something that's in my blood. I grew up around a lot of Stick welding, my dad was always fabricating something...

Anyhoo, anyone have any resources, input, possible focus I should aim for?

I'm not really comfortable working way up high but otherwise, I'm GTG.

 

[rubbersidedown]

Dont do it.Breathing all that shid all day.Getting sent down into holes(ship bildges etc) dont do it.You'll come home everyday dirty...dirty an' fuggin' tired. Grinding shid,cutting metal,welding....

yuk. Dont do it. I am no pro welder,and dont wanna be,but at yer age...and with yer physique.......

"blue collar" is NOT the way to go brutha.

RsD.

 

[rolandag2]

Being a mechanic for the Port of Houston and working on wharf cranes to lawn mowers to fleet vehicles I have great knowledge in welding. I currently weld stick mig tig and i can weld precious metals as well. I love my job and as for the fumes if u r in a well ventilated area its no problem. I have a BAS from U of H but my gift is working with my hands and Im good at it, its a god given talent that im currently making a good living with. We all have a purpose in life and if you want to weld and make good money or pursue a career in which u use your hands there is absolutely nothing wrong with that its kind of nobel if you ask me. people working with their hands built this country so I say go for it. Go to ur local community college and get a pipe certification take some classes maybe a couple and i gaurantee u will find a job within a couple of months most comm colleges offer classes and certs for pipe welding and they make good money doing that then you can use that to pay ur way through school and let me tell you the few welders i know that work along side me all made over 120k last yr and we r on track to hit 100k this yr economy is little slow.

 

[rolandag2]

oh btw Im have been in the union for almost ten yrs and let me tell you that there is nothing wrong with blue collar we built this country and i dont know to many people that make the money that union empoyees make for the amount of work we do. the certifications in my state I just went down and took a test at a location my employer paid for the test and it was easy but i have experience i had to do and verticle pass horizontal pass and pipe pass and they had to ultra sound and xrayed for imperfections if u pass that they then do a stretch to break yield test but for the most part its just learning good technique and applying it then getting practice alot of pratice and u can pass the test its that easy.

 

[Revlis]

Dont do it.Breathing all that shid all day.Getting sent down into holes(ship bildges etc) dont do it.You'll come home everyday dirty...dirty an' fuggin' tired. Grinding shid,cutting metal,welding....

yuk. Dont do it. I am no pro welder,and dont wanna be,but at yer age...and with yer physique.......

"blue collar" is NOT the way to go brutha.

RsD.

So you're saying I'm built like an office drone... Gotcha... But I'm willing to bet that 8 hours in a freaking suit in a hole burning metal will trim me right down.

 

[slatroni]

Ya! What he said! I am a 20 year cannerie mech. I do alot of welding. Mostly TIG on purged Stainless Steel. The truth is, after a long day welding SS I have inhailed Argon gas or Tri mix gas along with the heavy metals released from the SS. At night I lay in bed and cant get a deep breath. But, I love it! And it pays very well. It is hard on your eyes and body. Stick welding, I could live without! After 8 hours of burning stick, I look like I have had my face in a exhaust pipe. The grinding wheels have fiberglass in them and the dust ALWAYS ends up under you blue coller. Good Luck with what ever you do!
Steve

 

[rubbersidedown]

So you're saying I'm built like an office drone... Gotcha... But I'm willing to bet that 8 hours in a freaking suit in a hole burning metal will trim me right down.

That would be one way to go....

RSD.

 

[rubbersidedown]

After 8 hours of burning stick, I look like I have had my face in a exhaust pipe. The grinding wheels have fiberglass in them and the dust ALWAYS ends up under you blue coller. Good Luck with what ever you do!
Steve[/QUOTE]

AAAaaaahhhh....the voice of reason.

RSD.

 

[SnowBeltChamp]

I was under the assumption "we built this county on rock and roll"

ok sorry about that lol... but asrolandag2 there is def a lot of money in this trade and if you take classes they should teach you everything you need to get started... best of luck !

 

[Revlis]

oh btw Im have been in the union for almost ten yrs and let me tell you that there is nothing wrong with blue collar we built this country and i dont know to many people that make the money that union empoyees make for the amount of work we do. the certifications in my state I just went down and took a test at a location my employer paid for the test and it was easy but i have experience i had to do and verticle pass horizontal pass and pipe pass and they had to ultra sound and xrayed for imperfections if u pass that they then do a stretch to break yield test but for the most part its just learning good technique and applying it then getting practice alot of pratice and u can pass the test its that easy.

Thanks for input. I know there's nothing wrong with the Blue collar side of things. I watch them coming in ordering new Bikes and parts all day that cost plenty of money, not to mention their new 2500 diesel in the parking lot and the 3500 square feet to park it in.

No Blue collar isn't a joke and I understand that. I've always been good with my hands, and I'm excellent with metal I just have an understanding. Well, I have an understanding with steel in the forge and with silver, copper, gold in jewelry/sculpture anyway. But not in a structural/load bearing sense, and I really want to learn how to actually build/fabricate.

Andy has a pretty good point though and I know what he's driving at "I do not look like a welder/working man" but I would really enjoy doing something productive and actually building stuff. I imagine I'd toughen up soon enough.

I want to learn MIG, TIG, etc, technical welding. Maybe find me a position where I won't end up in the bilge of a rusty boat covered in crud and breathing fumes.

If nothing else, I want to be able to build my own stuff, fix my own stuff, and damnit have a marketable skill, a real craft that I can take pride in. Besides, having skills and being able to weld just about anything is a good bartering skill.

 

[Revlis]

I was under the assumption "we built this county on rock and roll"

ok sorry about that lol... but asrolandag2 there is def a lot of money in this trade and if you take classes they should teach you everything you need to get started... best of luck !

Good enough, that's all I'm really after and Everett CC is supposed to have a pretty good program.


DO any of you know a particular certification/ a particular type of welding that's always in demand?

I really would prefer to focus on MIG/TIG (I want to be able to weld Stainless, Aluminum, and Titanium) but if there's no market out there then there wouldn't be much point...

 

[Ken02busa]

I bought a mig, tig, plasma, lathe, turret punch, 10' 125 ton break and a cnc mill, built a 40 x 50 ' shop and opened a fabricating business.

Just get someone to show you how, or take the courses, and take the plunge. You wont regret it (depending on your location, of course)

 

[rolandag2]

most of our work is fab work in the shop and the stuff that we have to weld outside is on cranes and other equipment and it pays we have built a ton of bbq pits and just bout anything else that you can think of but the downside is the grinding thats the worst part part for me the fiberglass in the disc will eat u up and thats the scarier thing for me inhalation of all that fine particles i will post pic of stuff we work on

 

[Revlis]

I bought a mig, tig, plasma, lathe, turret punch, 10' 125 ton break and a cnc mill, built a 40 x 50 ' shop and opened a fabricating business.

Just get someone to show you how, or take the courses, and take the plunge. You wont regret it (depending on your location, of course)

See that would be awesome. Being able to actually "fabricate" useful stuff instead of just pretty stuff.

 

[rubbersidedown]

Thanks for input. I know there's nothing wrong with the Blue collar side of things. I watch them coming in ordering new Bikes and parts all day that cost plenty of money, not to mention their new 2500 diesel in the parking lot and the 3500 square feet to park it in.

No Blue collar isn't a joke and I understand that. I've always been good with my hands, and I'm excellent with metal I just have an understanding. Well, I have an understanding with steel in the forge and with silver, copper, gold in jewelry/sculpture anyway. But not in a structural/load bearing sense, and I really want to learn how to actually build/fabricate.

Andy has a pretty good point though and I know what he's driving at "I do not look like a welder/working man" but I would really enjoy doing something productive and actually building stuff. I imagine I'd toughen up soon enough.

I want to learn MIG, TIG, etc, technical welding. Maybe find me a position where I won't end up in the bilge of a rusty boat covered in crud and breathing fumes.

If nothing else, I want to be able to build my own stuff, fix my own stuff, and damnit have a marketable skill, a real craft that I can take pride in. Besides, having skills and being able to weld just about anything is a good bartering skill.

Yer a smart guy Mr.W you can do anything you want. I'm not knockin anything about ya. Just trying to save you from yerself. hahaha ,Actually just trying to save you from endless hours of ugg at the Seattle ship yards,or some ugly factory setting. You wanna weld. Buy yerself a home kit...just a little wire feed set up with a bottle and you can instantly start welding.Then if you change the spool/bottle you'll be able mig/tig/wire feed etc. You can buy a little buzz box to introduce yer self to stick. Its dirty shid Keith,I dont think you'll like it. Butt,it would appear you can make huge dollars if you get the right hook-up. ^

RSD.

 

[Revlis]

most of our work is fab work in the shop and the stuff that we have to weld outside is on cranes and other equipment and it pays we have built a ton of bbq pits and just bout anything else that you can think of but the downside is the grinding thats the worst part part for me the fiberglass in the disc will eat u up and thats the scarier thing for me inhalation of all that fine particles i will post pic of stuff we work on

This sounds like what I had in mind, working in a shop building stuff, not in a dark hole.

The fiberglass has been mentioned twice... Sounds like the nastiest part.

 

[Revlis]

Yer a smart guy Mr.W you can do anything you want. I'm not knockin anything about ya. Just trying to save you from yerself. hahaha ,Actually just trying to save you from endless hours of ugg at the Seattle ship yards,or some ugly factory setting. You wanna weld. Buy yerself a home kit...just a little wire feed set up with a bottle and you can instantly start welding.Then if you change the spool/bottle you'll be able mig/tig/wire feed etc. You can buy a little buzz box to introduce yer self to stick. Its dirty shid Keith,I dont think you'll like it. Butt,it would appear you can make huge dollars if you get the right hook-up. ^

RSD.

You're on track Bro. If nothing else I take some classes, really learn and if I discover I hate the work at least I've got a MIG/TIG/and a plasma cutter in the garage and I would actually know how to use them.

So, I'm exploring it as a career backup, a fallback sorta and I really do want to learn a trade. I'm especially interested in GTAW/TIG because of the applications I would have for it in Artwork and some of the design stuff I have in mind as well potential work.

Besides, if I am a Mechanical Engineer, it would be nice to be able to also lay claim to at least one real world skill.

Classes will likely be paid for via my GI Bill so there shouldn't be too much of a financial pinch.

SO we'll see, I could likely get three classes into the program and decide "Nope, recreational welding only please" and simply focus on the Engineering Degree.

But a big part of me really wants to build something real for once in my life and not just something on paper or graphics on the computer.

 

[Projekt]

Go for it, it would look great on your "Man Card"..

 

[Revlis]

Go for it, it would look great on your "Man Card"..

Yeah there is a certain, "I'm a welder" cache that's appealing and given my penchant for "Pink Drinks" it sure couldn't hurt.

I'm pretty excited about the idea, I love working with metal and if I can gain some technical expertise then combine that with my artistic side I think it would be full of win.

We'll see.

 

[chrisjp]

Havnig been laid off for awhile now and getting no where with a BFA I've decided I'll be heading back to school this fall and pursuing my M.E... Or perhaps Materials Engineer.

Anyway, in the meantime, I've been thinking that I'd like to take some welding classes and get certified. Give myself a real trade, a real skill I can earn money with while taking classes.

I know nothing about required certifications, Union hassles, etc.

I'd like to pick the brains of some certified welders and see if it's really something I'd be up for.

I spent four years in metal smithing/Jewelery but it's all fine Art technique and method. I can braze/weld with an Oxy Acetlyn and coat hanger, but thats for from professional.

I do know though, that I love metal and I love fire. SO burning metal and building/repairing stuff is something that's in my blood. I grew up around a lot of Stick welding, my dad was always fabricating something...

Anyhoo, anyone have any resources, input, possible focus I should aim for?

I'm not really comfortable working way up high but otherwise, I'm GTG.

ok call me stupid ...but what is a BFA?