how many welders

chromerunner

chromerunner

The Scrambler
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Location
Biscoe NC
how many on here weld for a living?

ill be entering guilford tech's welding program here in the fall and im interested to see how many on here do it for a living. im pretty excited about it. i got word of the program through my instuctor of a community night welding class ive been taking for the last 3 months. He runs the program up there and says its top notch. He has 10 of his former students in the rousch program right now. Thats my goal at the end of the program as of right now.

interested to here some feedback from people who weld for a living. Or that attend guilford or even if you have been through the welding program up there.:beer:
 
I weld for a living. TIG and MIG. It's dirty, hazardous, sticky, back-breaking, hot, underappreciated, underpaid work. People expect crap to be done yesterday, and your equipment decides to take a dump because the guy who worked there before you didn't have the word "maintenance" in his vocabulary. You go home smelling like crap and your wife won't touch you.








In other words, I effing love it! I mean, come on, I make sh!t with metal for a living! Does it get better? :D
 
catfishblues said:
I weld for a living. TIG and MIG. It's dirty, hazardous, sticky, back-breaking, hot, underappreciated, underpaid work. People expect crap to be done yesterday, and your equipment decides to take a dump because the guy who worked there before you didn't have the word "maintenance" in his vocabulary. You go home smelling like crap and your wife won't touch you.
In other words, I effing love it! I mean, come on, I make sh!t with metal for a living! Does it get better? :D
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that was awesome
 
I hope your instructor is Randy Owens..

I also weld for a living. There are several people that went thru the program that weld for rousch.. I went thru the program but had to withdraw 2nd semester for personal things that came up. He is a good teacher. It is not easy to get on at rousch. If you do decided to take the course with him make sure you don't miss any days or your chance having him help you into rousch will be done. Good luck
 
I welded for LeeBoy industries All forms & all positions from hard facing with a stick or MIG to tig alum. flux core. For the first 10 years, I love it don't weld much anymore for them now I Q.C. & teach weld techniques.
 
Oooohhh.. so we can have our own "Continuous bead" vs. "tack tack tack" method of welding tubing debate now... :D
 
Rich said:
Oooohhh.. so we can have our own "Continuous bead" vs. "tack tack tack" method of welding tubing debate now... :D
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I ain't going there :flipoff2:
 
sharksanddanger said:
I hope your instructor is Randy Owens..
I also weld for a living. There are several people that went thru the program that weld for rousch.. I went thru the program but had to withdraw 2nd semester for personal things that came up. He is a good teacher. It is not easy to get on at rousch. If you do decided to take the course with him make sure you don't miss any days or your chance having him help you into rousch will be done. Good luck
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yea thats my instructor, hes pretty cool. as for missing days and stuff, i know its going to be hard thats why its just a goal right now. i know it will be alot of ass busting for a while
 
I'm just finishing up welding school here in Charlotte. I love it. Like he said, you get to work with metal all day long. I'm finding that the money is out there. You just have to find the guy who is handing it out. :beer:

Rich said:
Oooohhh.. so we can have our own "Continuous bead" vs. "tack tack tack" method of welding tubing debate now... :D
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You mean your not interested in knowing who tack tack tacked their rig together?:D
 
brokeass4runner said:
You mean your not interested in knowing who tack tack tacked their rig together?:D
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Much of mine is.

Having just cut off several pieces of tube from the rear of the cage and then smoothed it down, I can tell you with 100% certainty that it penetrated the base metal.

I crank the heat (4/4 on a 175amp), crank the wire speed (~70-ish on .120 DOM), and go in short bursts (more like a taaaaaack), overlapping and doing the next one (hopefully) before the weld cools.

I'm surprised it hasn't crumbled to pieces just sitting in the garage.
 
Im not certified, but I weld all day at the shop. Its nice in the winter, if you dont wear the sleeves you get a nice tan with the occaisional skin peel. ;)


Dont get Jordan started on this debate, according to him(which he is a certified structural welder), the tack method allows too much contaminents into the bead.


Rich said:
Oooohhh.. so we can have our own "Continuous bead" vs. "tack tack tack" method of welding tubing debate now... :D
Click to expand...
 
Rich said:
Having just cut off several pieces of tube from the rear of the cage and then smoothed it down, I can tell you with 100% certainty that it penetrated the base metal.
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I saw some guys on the post saying they had done/would do this. Did you try to cut as close to the start/stop point as possible?

I personally believe that it is possible to get adequate penetration with the long taaaaaaaack on this kind of tube. Though the more start/stop points, the greater chance of introducing a flaw into the weld. Still, your going to have at least 1 if not 2-3 start/stops for each weld.
 
StudNuts said:
Dont get Jordan started on this debate, according to him(which he is a certified structural welder), the tack method allows too much contaminents into the bead.
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In some applications tack tack is the way to go such as sheet metal But in the heavier applications such as 1/8" & up he is correct it does allow contaminants in to the weld but you guys got to remember we are not welding on the nuclear power plant or the space shuttle so I would suggest that you should use common sense & better judgment If you not sure then bevel it with a grinder crank up the heat & burn it in






But I ain't going there:shaking: again :flipoff2:
 
Not sure if Daniel will ring in here, he got his cert at Forsyths program, and the first welding job or two bored him to tears. Assembly line work, you are just a "cheap" robot...

Then he got on with place installing metal decorative fencing, Michael may still work, there, not sure? Liked it alot more, got out and was able to see things, less robotic same stuff over and over...

I would guess getting job at race shops... is few and far between... he had a dozen or less, out of HOW many students going thru the program every year?

So that is a 3rd party, heard it from my wife's cousin, told it to me, now to you point of view ha!

Oh, if you can scuba dive, underwater welders get to be REALLY cold and weld at same time but for "Big" $$$ [nother 3rd party, former student of mine...now that I think about it he was going back to college to get out of this...hmm]

Sam...tack tack tackssssssZAP (ouch)...Hinton
 
catfishblues said:
I weld for a living. TIG and MIG. It's dirty, hazardous, sticky, back-breaking, hot, underappreciated, underpaid work. People expect crap to be done yesterday, and your equipment decides to take a dump because the guy who worked there before you didn't have the word "maintenance" in his vocabulary. You go home smelling like crap and your wife won't touch you.
In other words, I effing love it! I mean, come on, I make sh!t with metal for a living! Does it get better? :D
Click to expand...

I've been a "welder/fabricator/blacksmith/steelworker/installer/designer/ occasional salesperson" for about 10 years now as a living,(mostly ornamental/architectural iron and lots of structural stuff) plus probably 25 years counting growing up on the farm and keeping the equipment going, plus cars trucks and toys as a hobby. One thing I've learned is that no matter how bad your job or job conditions are (and in this line of work they can be very bad) there is a great sense of pride in doing a job well and knowing its going to be around a long time. I live near Ashe-vegas and my wife gets so tired of hearing me say "I did those rails" or "I put the steel up in that building" when we drive through town. But metal working is a craft and no matter how many people you meet claiming to be a welder or steel worker, the total numbers of people who do this and do it well are small. You are part of a small group that most others are amazed at what you can do. And there are not many things that can give you that sense of pride today.
 
blynyrd said:
... part of a small group that most others are amazed at what you can do. ...
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That is for sure. The guys installing our new dyno had stick welds that looked like they had a tig setup out. Absoutly amazing to watch them weld stainless tube for the exhaust system with a stick. I was so glad they let me watch and gave me some pointers. I can stick two pieces of metal together, but these guys were true artists.
 
Yea I took the coures at Forsyth Tech, got my certs. in stick all positions. They didnt offer certs. in MIG, or TIG but we learn them. I did the production work for about 3 or 4 months and couldnt take it any more, then went to a ornamintal iron place and enjoyed it for almost 2 years, then I was forced to quite to go driving for UPS after being there for 6 and a half years. :driver: :Rockon:
 
Waking this up from the dead. BEAR WITH ME I HAVE AN UNDERLYING REASON.
Welding for a living as a primary ocupation or talent for 27 years.
Did a few years teaching. Still at it. Part time self employed, lol! If you can call it that, I still maintain my LLC and tax #'s. I do primararly contract work odd projects and equipment repair.
Work as a maintenance lead in my full time roll. Aside from the keeping the plant running repairs I am the lead fabricator so I get 95% of the welding and now most of the in house manual machining due too personel changes.

SMAW is my favorite process. Something makes it stand out as an accomplishment. Proficient in GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, and Carbon ARC gouging as well. Welded a lot of different alloys as well.

THE REASON I POSTED.....
I have recently been asked about becoming the maintenance manager. This would cover all parts of plant maintenance for the company I work for. Time keeping, Facilities, Production, Downtime, and the whole nine.

Anyone else make this leap?
I'm capable. But I'm not sure it will be rewarding? The other half is I'm not exactly feeling like a spring chicken anymore.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Waking this up from the dead. BEAR WITH ME I HAVE AN UNDERLYING REASON.
Welding for a living as a primary ocupation or talent for 27 years.
Did a few years teaching. Still at it. Part time self employed, lol! If you can call it that, I still maintain my LLC and tax #'s. I do primararly contract work odd projects and equipment repair.
Work as a maintenance lead in my full time roll. Aside from the keeping the plant running repairs I am the lead fabricator so I get 95% of the welding and now most of the in house manual machining due too personel changes.

SMAW is my favorite process. Something makes it stand out as an accomplishment. Proficient in GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, and Carbon ARC gouging as well. Welded a lot of different alloys as well.

THE REASON I POSTED.....
I have recently been asked about becoming the maintenance manager. This would cover all parts of plant maintenance for the company I work for. Time keeping, Facilities, Production, Downtime, and the whole nine.

Anyone else make this leap?
I'm capable. But I'm not sure it will be rewarding? The other half is I'm not exactly feeling like a spring chicken anymore.
Click to expand...

Why would you not? Some time about the beginning of June you'd wish you had. Not like you won't have plenty of people on the side asking you to weld/fix their shit.

Besides, like you won't still be welding and fixing shit for that company anyway as soon as the guy hired to replace you stops showing up
 
braxton357 said:
Why would you not? Some time about the beginning of June you'd wish you had. Not like you won't have plenty of people on the side asking you to weld/fix their shit.

Besides, like you won't still be welding and fixing shit for that company anyway as soon as the guy hired to replace you stops showing up
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I'm more worried about the politics. I would answer to the plant manager and production manager only. The rest might as well be considered "customers". The current manager has considerable electrical back ground. I know enough to do basic trouble shooting and when to call for help. The other side is the current leadership is all about change and making steps. Good, bad, or indifferent the wheels keep shifting. This has created an atmosphere of instability, maintenance last, and mostly pressure from poorly orchestrated "improvements". The bottom line is I've never been a "yes man" and don't filter much doubt or realistic points of view. It doesn't fit the narrative when the plow is set to full depth and they want to shift gears.

The only positive so far is the ability to head off the unknown in another candidate. Our equipment is all in house custom. The process is similar in many respects in similar industry. However the plc code, mechanical, and process are very much custom. Enough that another very seasoned highly qualified tech has to remind himself daily on some of the "quirks".
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
I'm more worried about the politics. I would answer to the plant manager and production manager only. The rest might as well be considered "customers". The current manager has considerable electrical back ground. I know enough to do basic trouble shooting and when to call for help. The other side is the current leadership is all about change and making steps. Good, bad, or indifferent the wheels keep shifting. This has created an atmosphere of instability, maintenance last, and mostly pressure from poorly orchestrated "improvements". The bottom line is I've never been a "yes man" and don't filter much doubt or realistic points of view. It doesn't fit the narrative when the plow is set to full depth and they want to shift gears.

The only positive so far is the ability to head off the unknown in another candidate. Our equipment is all in house custom. The process is similar in many respects in similar industry. However the plc code, mechanical, and process are very much custom. Enough that another very seasoned highly qualified tech has to remind himself daily on some of the "quirks".
Click to expand...
I can't speak for your situation at your current job but at my plant the maintenance manager makes over 150k a year. He spends most his time coordinating with our engineer and contractors on projects. He does roll his sleeves up and help the maint. supervisor and techs when they are down a man or overloaded but he doesn't have the experience with our equipment to do much other than help turn wrenches. I say go for it and worst case use it to pad your resume and take another maintenance manager position that pays well and better suits your desires.

I'll also ad that I was worried about politics as well before taking a management roll at work. I soon found out that I was worried about nothing. I speak my mind, I only filter my language not my message. Often times my opinion is well received because the plant manager knows that I know what I'm talking about and I don't sugar coat it.
 
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