Well, damn. On my thread about this, it was mostly positive feedback. I start classes in about a week and I'm looking forward to it. If you want to talk safety, that's cool. Everyone should be safe, but don't use it to steer someone away from what they want to do. I've been around a while and what I've learned is... "Shit can happen to anyone at any time." This isn't the 50's. There are all sorts of safety measures employed these days. Back in the 50's, safety gear may have been available, but probably wasn't used because of ego. Yea.... when that guy went to the bar after work, he didn't want his buds calling him a pussy for using a mask. So, he gets the big C and dies. But at least he wasn't a pussy. Not to say welding isn't or can't be dangerous, but so is working with electricity. Or a lathe. Or a jack hammer. Or a grease machine at Mc Donalds. So, I'm going to attack this the same way I did building my T. I'll do the best I can and I'll learn to do it safely. My community college has thier welding course divided into three segments. From becoming a welders helper to advanced welder. All three lead to seperate certifications. I plan on completing all 3. Upon completion, I want to be more flexable in the job market. I've been looking at the $400 worth of books I had to buy and there's a shit load of math, but I figured on that. There's no actual welding until the second phase. This first section is basicly learning the terms and blueprint reading. So, I'm off to the races in about a week. As long as I pay attention, I should be fine.
Welding was still relatively new in the 50s. There weren't many people who had been doing it for 20 years. The dangers weren't known and the safety equipment hadn't been developed. Many times you couldn't see across a shop where welding was being done. Most masks won't protect you very well because when you try to suck air in it finds a way around the mask. The masks also make it more difficult to breathe and intensify heat exhaustion. The recently developed supplied air respirators pull air through a filter and pressurize a mask to keep contaminated air out. They are expensive so employers don't want to pay for them. It's cheaper to hire another welder. If you weld in a production facility, they usually have an exhaust system to pull air from your workstation but they usually want you to work for minimum wage.
When I was 16, in 1976, my first girlfriends elder brother was a welder. He was also into scuba diving. He combined the two and did a bit of training and suddenly he was off to Bahrain or Saudi Arabia all the time doing welding under the sea. He was earning more in a day than I earned as an apprentice machinist in a month. Ten years later a friend at work got laid off and applied as an oilfield welder. Next thing I know he is off to Canada, or somewhere equally inhospitable, earning $400 a day welding pipelines. Maybe that is something to think about.
Good point. There are underwater welders here in Houston living like doctors. Mostly off shore, but damn.
I quit reading at page two and decided to post. There is a local guy who has every welding cert under the sun. NASCAR Aerospace etc. He is a phenom of a welder but even better fabricator. Builds full tube chassis cars, 10.5 cars, etc. He is booked way out and has multiple jobs in his shop at one time. Like someone said before you learn to be a good welder but if you don't learn the engineeering/fabrication part you be laying beads all day in all types of conditions. BUT you have to start somewhere and learning to weld is a good start. Lookl ahead a year or so and align yourself with a program or shop where you can pick up fabrication skills
Hello all! As a weldor and the owner of a small (just me) automotive/motorcycle/whatever-comes-through-the-door fab shop...I can say being able to weld VERY WELL is a skill that will at the very least keep you fed and clothed. If I were giving advice to someone looking to make a career out of welding...I'd tell them to specialize in TIG welding of exotics (titanium, inconel, etc.), Aluminum, and Stainless Steel. If you want to weld for someone else...aerospace is the only place I know of where someone who can cert. to aerospace standards can start at $25+/hr. plus benefits....and go home every night. Additionally, you'll be in a very clean environment welding nice clean materials with the best equipment. If you want to work for yourself...being able to weld anything CORRECTLY will make your shop the place to go in your area! Very few shops in any one area weld Aluminum (especially well), and even fewer will/can do Titanium or Stainless correctly. A lot of my pure welding work consists of fixing and re-welding Stainless parts that were not back-purged or backed with Flux. This stuff cracks up pretty quick at the weld! A fair amount of my Fabrication work consists of making custom car and motorcycle exhausts in 304, 321, and Titanium, which is pretty straight forward fab work, followed by a lot of prep and precision TIG welding. Clients will pay for good work...and will pay more for (and appreciate!) excellent work! Plus...any of these materials welded correctly will outlast the vehicles they're mounted to. Good luck and have fun! John
Just got done with the schooling. I decided i will never do it as a job. Im 38 and its just not for me.
I was a welder for many years and loved it. Mig welding is very easy to learn and yes can be hot and dirty but very rewarding. You will need to learn to read blueprints to get into the higher paying jobs. Tig welding is a little harder to learn but a lot cleaner and cooler. I actually had to wear white gloves doing government work on aluminum parts. Sitting at a table in an air conditioned room making good money. So don't give up so quick and check it out. Stick welding is a good thing to know but I wouldn't advice it unless maybe you want to be a pipeline welder and do a lot of traveling. Hope this info helps as I have no regrets to being a welder. Handydandy.
I was a welder for many years and loved it. Mig welding is very easy to learn and yes can be hot and dirty but very rewarding. You will need to learn to read blueprints to get into the higher paying jobs. Tig welding is a little harder to learn but a lot cleaner and cooler. I actually had to wear white gloves doing government work on aluminum parts. Sitting at a table in an air conditioned room making good money. So don't give up so quick and check it out. Stick welding is a good thing to know but I wouldn't advice it unless maybe you want to be a pipeline welder and do a lot of traveling. Hope this info helps as I have no regrets to being a welder. Handydandy.
5 hrs solid under a semi trailer welding it back together - oh big fun !! About 3 hrs laying out, cutting and fitting parts. Damn near ripped in two just in front of the axle.
I smoke swisher sweets, wear bifocals and my liver is blacker than Obama's ass. The pipefitter life-style is hard on you. Welding has taken me around the world and allowed me to build hotrods and raise my family. I still get around pretty good for a old man. It's been 45 years and I'm getting ready to retire but I'm not gonna stop welding. Seems somebody did tell me welding was bad for me and I'd go blind. But then they told me my palms would get hair. You want to push paper welding isn't for you. I've been a AWS CWI for the last 33 years bben welding 45 and work for one of the largest Engineering and Design firms. Pipe fitting/welding is where the big bucks are. Union or open shop field jobs are where the big bucks are. Tig/Stick and Fluxcore pipe in all positions ASME/ANSI 31.1 or 31.3 will get you in the door. I stay away from MIG (maybe it's good) jobs in fact just talking about mig makes me and the big oil companys go into sizures. Field welding is dangerous, it's working outside in the elements and long, long hours. Travel to the job site is required. Some times the natives where you are aren't friendly and the living conditions suck. But a good field job with overtime is like robbing a fucking bank. Plus when I retire I can take the grandkids point and say I helped build that. I just came off this job and the scale was 42.00 on the check not counting benefits. We worked 6-10's. Time and a half after 8. 4 hrs. show up for rain. I used to teach here in Tulsa at the welding schools and the jr college back in the 70's. You can PM me if you want to discuss differen't ways to make a living welding.
i dont consider myself a great weldor...decent maybe. went to school. did good, had fun. but i decided i wanted more school and never took an offical welding job...i do a bunch of side work and such for myself. i dont know if i would like to punch a clock for it or not. some days i still think about it. the current job is well lets say not the plan...go to school work hard and see how much you like it. if nothing else its good experience and something to fall back on. as for pipeline and under water welding; hell yea. good money. thought about it, but then again i tend to think about a lot of things. i have just never taken my passion of cars and like or similar jobs to the point of doing it as a career. i worry that it would take some of the fun out of it. i duno just thinking outloud.l
A friend of mine at age 63 lost touch with reality lately. He had to be sent to a secure facility for the rest of his life. The doctors have stated that they believe it was caused by breathing welding fumes during his life time of welding and caused the harding of the outside of the brain. The best, or worst thing about it is that he doesen't seem to notice his "change of life style" or the fact that he will never return home.
I work in the Nuclear Power industry. Our welders are paid very well and can work less than 12 months a year and still achieve a 6 figure income. However the skill levels required are high. I have seen welders right out of apprentice training pass their tests and do quite well. Some guys,( also ladies) develop welding skill rather quickly and can do well. If your hand and eye coordination as well as your vision are good you may find welding skills come to you somewhat easier. I process weld papers and rod slips and have noticed that the better welders seem to have really nice penmanship. Also the more skilled you are at doing your own fit up and layout is a big plus in the welding trades. Just some observations from a 40 year journeyman Iron worker. Anyway good luck with your new career
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