Welders Rule!

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Kizmet, Jan 8, 2015.

Loading...
  1. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  2. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    The pay for welders is so good that I strongly considered talking some welding courses at one point. And that was AFTER earning my MBA.
     
  3. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Usually the first kind of welding people learn is Shielded metal arc welding, more commonly known as stick welding. Depending on what you're welding it's not especially hard. If you wanted to build dumpsters for a living I could teach you in less than an hour. If, on the other hand, you wanted to work on a nuclear reactor you'll find it remarkably difficult and some people just aren't ever good enough. The equipment is relatively inexpensive but it's rather dirty and you need LOTS of ventilation.
     
  4. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    But if he has truly installed a jet engine on a golf cart, might he not be a candidate for a Darwin Award?
     
  5. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  6. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Edit: I had a welding question but realized I need to refine my qustion.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 23, 2015
  7. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    OK. We could start another sub-forum, "Kizmet answers welding questions." Or I could just give an answer and you'd have to tell me the question. Here's the answer:

    approximately 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit

    so what's the question?
     
  8. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    What qualifies someone as a welder?

    Approximate temperature of lightning?
     
  9. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Q1 - What qualifies someone as a welder?

    A1 - People learn to weld in many ways. Lots of people begin in high school metal shop/auto shop classes. You don't need more than that if all you want to do is construct dumpsters or other similar simple products. If, however you want to pick up some welding certifications, typically required for certain projects/products then you need an opportunity to practice those techniques and there are tests involved. Welding pipelines, pressure vessels, defense contract products, nuclear products all require certification in specific welding techniques. Mastering these techniques leads to improved employment opportunities and wages and you gradually move up the welding food chain.

    Q2 - Approximate temperature of lightning?

    A@ - You're thinking along the right lines. It's actually the approximate temerature found at the tip of a plasma torch.
     
  10. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    Cheers, great answer.

    Q3 - What are your thoughts on the potential differences between a multi-craft maintenance technician who can weld versus a journeyman or professional welder?
     
  11. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    In the end it probably depends more on how you want to spend your time and where you want to work.
     
  12. Vonnegut

    Vonnegut Well-Known Member

    Q4 - What additional training or certifications do you believe a professional welder should possess?
     
  13. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    There really is no "should" in this equation. It just depends on what you want to do. I know a guy (Jimmy) who works for a company that does electron beam welding. Jimmy and I welded a chunk of gold to a chunk of stainless steel with no buttering (I love all this technical jargon) and that piece went on a bunch of space missions until the last space shuttle was deactivated. Now Jimmy works in a nice clean laboratory. It looks like a hospital x-ray room. He wears polo shirts and moccasins at work. I've even seen him wear a lab coat. He is a certified electron beam welder and that's all he does. He doesn't work on pipelines or oil rigs. No submarines or nuclear reactors for him. It's just Jimmy and his ray gun and the very specialized jobs that he does. So all those other certifications, even if he could pass the tests, would be wasted on him because he'd never use them. I started out arc welding and my first certifications were arc certs using 6011 and 7018 welding rods. I started there because that's the place that was near my home, that's the place that hired me and that's the work they did. Because I was superfantastic I moved into MIG welding (it's actually easier AND it's cleaner) and then into TIG welding. The TIG welding was the catapult as it's used in lots of fun and exotic applications. MY TIG certs in aluminum and stainless steel were my ticket up the ladder. I eventually got to the point where I was training/certifying other welders. But the TIG welding certs would have been useless if I didn't have an employer who had contracts that required TIG skills.
     
  14. Jason9934

    Jason9934 Member

    Kizmet, I love conversations like this. Most people on a forum like this have never and will never work in the trades. Understandably they think in terms of necessary certifications. In the trades it is generally about "can you do the Job or not." Certifications may get you in the door, but it is really all about results, and it does not take long for a foreman to figure out if you have the skill or not. I have worked as a Lineman for 16 years, and for the most part hated it, but it pays extremely well. Building trades such as welding are not for the faint of heart, but they do pay well if you can stomach the work.
     
  15. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  16. Jason9934

    Jason9934 Member

    Amen! I have done some welding in my line of work. I would to see a Lawyer try that!
     
  17. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  18. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    Great article! I like this qoute:

     
  19. NorCal

    NorCal Active Member

    Welding is an art. Many skilled trades apprenticeships have incorporated welding as part of their curriculum, but I've hear the Iron Workers Union's welding training is suppose to be the best.

    I have a flux core welder that I use for my various projects. Currently I'm doing a rest-mod 1967 Jeep, as well as a mini bike from the late 60's. My neighbor is a metal fabricator so I have him mig weld stuff for me on a as needed basis.
     

Share This Page