Welding Profession-Advice?

[expatriated]

(First of all, if this is in the wrong forum, feel free to move it to the correct one.)

My profession is in finance but one of my clients has a son who has his heart set on going into the welding profession. My client asked my advice about the potential financial viability of this field, of which I have zero knowledge but I told him I would look into it.

Can anyone here offer advice as to the appropriate training/certifications/licenses a young person should obtain when getting into this field?

What sort of initial monetary outlay can be predicted in the area of tools and equipment needed?

What is the salary one can expect after graduating from whatever training is necessary?

Any other advice would be welcome--potential pitfalls, things not to do, what field of welding to go into (I am assuming there are different areas or specializations?).

Thank you.

 

[Merkava_4]

Community College is the best place to learn how to weld. What town does you client's son live in? A couple of clicks on the internet and I can find him a good school. All he would pay is the cost of tuition per unit; usually a welding class is about 5 units, times however much they charge per unit. When I started back in 2000, it was $11.00 per unit times 5 - so $60.00 per semester plus whatever basic personal gear I needed such as a welding hood and safety glasses, etc. So you can see, the initial monetary investment is quite low.

The wages for a weldor vary widely per which weld process the person knows how to run. As with most fields, the less skill required for a profession, the less pay you can expect.

The MIG process is the easiest, and therefore pays less. You'll never get up over $20/Hr. being a MIG weldor. The weld processes that pay the most are the TIG process, SMAW process, and FCAW process.

The TIG process is for light gage materials that require a minimum amount of heat input to minimize or eliminate the distortion of the material to be welded. It takes great skill to master the process and therefore pays very well.

The SMAW process is primarily used for heavier gage steels ranging from 3/16" on up to 2". It is used for welding together sections of pipe in an oil fields as well as for equipment repairs in the agricultural business. It requires great skill and is often subject to radiologic inspections.

The FCAW process is primarily used in the structural steel industry for heavy gage plate and steel girders. It can also be used for welding sections of pipe together after a root pass has been performed using the SMAW process. FCAW and SMAW is used in the construction trades. The pay can be very high working for an oil company or in the union Ironworker trade. The only drawback is the person will often be in a laborious intensive work environment and therefor must possess excellent physical condition.

In a Community College environment, the student will normally be exposed to all of the different weld processes. It is normal to have an affinity for one process over another; which is why it's important to have the exposure to the different processes.

Welding is something a person needs to have knack for. A person will either hate it right off the bat or they will love it so much that they will become obsessed with it - for me it was the latter.

 

[Skyline]

I have a friend who works as a union welder for the Department of Transportation. He welds mostly on bridges. He has always had good salary and benefits. But the downsides are that he needs to work in sometimes very dangerous conditions, and in all sorts of weather. He is nearing retirement, and you can see that it has not been an easy career...he is pretty beat up physically.

It would seem that the way to acheive the most success as welder is to first learn the skills, then open you own welding business. The private welding businesses in our area do VERY well.

 

[pearl_dude]

At Fresno City College in California(school where I am going next month) The cost per unit is $20.

 

[Jim Stabe]

Go on here http://weldingweb.com/ There are lots of people in the business and they can provide you with good info straight from the horse's mouth.

Jim

 

[Merkava_4]

At Fresno City College in California(school where I am going next month) The cost per unit is $20.

That's the program I went to - 5 semesters total.

Say hello to Robert Fransen for me.

 

[35mastr]

Community College is the best place to learn how to weld. What town does you client's son live in? A couple of clicks on the internet and I can find him a good school. All he would pay is the cost of tuition per unit; usually a welding class is about 5 units, times however much they charge per unit. When I started back in 2000, it was $11.00 per unit times 5 - so $60.00 per semester plus whatever basic personal gear I needed such as a welding hood and safety glasses, etc. So you can see, the initial monetary investment is quite low.

The wages for a welder vary widely per which weld process the person knows how to run. As with most fields, the less skill required for a profession, the less pay you can expect.

The MIG process is the easiest, and therefore pays less. You'll never get up over $20/Hr. being a MIG welder. The weld processes that pay the most are the TIG process, SMAW process, and FCAW process.

The TIG process is for light gage materials that require a minimum amount of heat input to minimize or eliminate the distortion of the material to be welded. It takes great skill to master the process and therefore pays very well.

The SMAW process is primarily used for heavier gage steels ranging from 3/16" on up to 2". It is used for welding together sections of pipe in an oil fields as well as for equipment repairs in the agricultural business. It requires great skill and is often subject to radiologic inspections.

The FCAW process is primarily used in the structural steel industry for heavy gage plate and steel girders. I can also be used for welding sections of pipe together after a root pass has been performed using the SMAW process. FCAW and SMAW is used in the construction trades. The pay can be very high working for an oil company or in the union ironworker trade. The only drawback is the person will often be in a laborious intensive work environment and therefor must possess excellent physical condition.

In a Community College environment, the student will normally be exposed to all of the different weld processes. It is normal to have an affinity for one process over another; which is why it's important to have the exposure to the different processes.

Welding is something a person needs to have knack for. A person will either hate it right off the bat or they will love it so much that they will become obsessed with it - for me it was the latter.

Well put Merk,This is as good as it gets.

Mobile welding is also a very good business here. Lots of equipment and semi trailers always need work. If I was to do it. I would start in a small shop and also do mobile. Mobile will pay the bills.

 

[Art From De Leon]

This little town I live in has two full time welding shops, and God only knows how many part-timers.

The one I go to was started by a man who used to work at General Dynamics in Ft. Worth, and he now employs at least 4 people, and his Dad is the machinist. The owner and at least one of his employees stay out of the shop with his portable rig building fences and metal buildings
The worst thing about oilfield welding is some of the working conditions you will be required to work under, and, like now, the oilfield is deed, and you have a glut of unemployed welders.
I worked with a man who, on his days off, made as much as his real job, building ornamental gates, and entry signs.

 

[ossaguy]

My welding teacher said that when looking at help-wanted ads,the professional shops make sure that they have the proper spelling in the ad.,as in "weldors",not "welders".

Steve

 

[Elroy]

Can anyone here offer advice as to the appropriate training/certifications/licenses a young person should obtain when getting into this field?

This is where Elroy would suggest you start your research:

The Hobart Institute:

http://www.welding.org/

 

[Uncle Buck]

I suggest AWS, the American Welding Society. Here is their web site http://www.aws.org/w/a/

 

[rsanter]

I spent a number of years working for companies that did manufacturing of metal products. welder were always in demand.
I got my brother-in-law a job there and told him to kep his mouth shut and do what the supervisor wants and stay away from the idiots. within a year he moved up from part handeler to welder to leadman because all the other people were being stupid.
his pay went from about $7hr to $20hr in that time

he will do best to go to school for welding and then take the test to be a certified welder and keep moving up through the certifications.
welding jobs he can do that make good money:
structural steel (buildings, bridges, etc)
pipefitter-pipe welder
oilrings
oil platforms
top pay will be found in underwater welding

its all a matter of what he thinks he can handle doing

to be a welder you need very little equipment. your employer will supply the welding equipment based on what the job is. he will need to but a good helmet or two and some of the leathers to protect himself and his clothing. likly he will need good steel toed work boots and a good set of gloves.
some jobs will even supply the gloves, helmet and leathers. but some guys still prefer to have their own verses sharing group stuff.

if he does not mind doing the work and the conditions he will be working in, a welder will always find a job. he may have to move around a bit but there is always a demand for welders

bob

 

[speed bump]

Depends on what he wants to do.

Does he want a factory job throwing together parts? Does he want to work in a chemical plant or aerospace related field. Does he like being outside in the worst conditions imaginable?

As far as pay and what not it doesn't so much depend on the process as the work. Most companies are starting to try to run GMAW processes inside because its fast and clean, however you are still going to generally be doing your outside work stick welding (for jobs it will mostly be FCAW). If your in a chemical plant then you need to be good at TIG and orbital welding (chances are 75+ percent of your welds will be X-rayed in these places).

Personally I think anybody can make a good living at welding if they are willing to work hard and not be tied to living in one place but if you don't have the motivation you won't go to far.

Also he should realize that he will probably end buying anywhere from 5 to 100 grand worth of tools in the first couple of years he is out there working so that will cut into the paycheck.

 

[Vicegrip]

IMO Tough business to make a solid long term living from. Hard work high personal risks both physical and exposure to nasty stuff. As was said depending on the type you end up doing the work often moves from hot spot to hot spot.

 

[WVU Tuba Dale]

My father is a 30 year union Ironworker, and if that's the route he wishes to choose, have the client or their son check with the local union hall and inquire about an apprenticeship. Just thought I'd add a little to the pot.

 

[caper]

Also he should realize that he will probably end buying anywhere from 5 to 100 grand worth of tools in the first couple of years he is out there working so that will cut into the paycheck.

What weldor working for somebody else spends 5 grand on tools let alone 100grand?Every weldor I know buys a helmet,some leathers and other ppe and goes to work.Company supplies the welders and other gear.He may buy a few clamps or grinders but most companies supply that as well.Unless he's starting a shop his tool outlay is nowhere near the quoted figure.

 

[Merkava_4]

My welding teacher said that when looking at help-wanted ads,the professional shops make sure that they have the proper spelling in the ad.,as in "weldors",not "welders".

Steve

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/weldor

My Firefox browser doesn't like the word and therefor underlines it in red; so I went and tried some online dictionaries. This one dictionary called "Wiktionary," says both spellings are acceptable for a person who welds. I wish I could find a dictionary that was concrete one way or the other, instead of saying both words are acceptable.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/weldor

My Firefox browser doesn't like the word and therefor underlines it in red; so I went and tried some online dictionaries. This one dictionary called "Wiktionary," says both spellings are acceptable for a person who welds. I wish I could find a dictionary that was concrete one way or the other, instead of saying both words are acceptable.

The correct term for someone who welds as a profession is Weldor. However, since so many people say Welder, it has become accepted.

 

[Merkava_4]

The correct term for someone who welds as a profession is Weldor.

Alright . . . I'll go back and edit my first post.

 

[bugdust]

My welding teacher said that when looking at help-wanted ads,the professional shops make sure that they have the proper spelling in the ad.,as in "weldors",not "welders".

Steve

Both spellings are correct for a person that welds, while a machine is a welder.

I went to the local Vo-Tech center to learn welding. I started with the basics: safety and basic metallurgy, oxy/fuel torch use, SMAW then GMAW then TMAW. It got me an entry level welding job. I worked hard and learned from everyone that I worked with, changed jobs a lot for a while doing custom fab, field repair, production welding, etc. I took pride in my work and made a decent living doing it. I worked non-union, inside production mig for most of my career. It's not as good money as working on an oilrig or powerplant but the working environment is much better and it is full-time work. I worked as a welder trainer the last two years of my welding career.

I worked with guys that were in their 50s-60s and decided I didn't want to be welding when I got to be that age. It can be very hard on the body. I went to college on the company tab and now I sit at a desk doing 3D design (Pro/e) and writing standard work procedures. I walk out in the shop on a hot day and don't miss welding at all. Because of my job (Manufacturing Specialist) I still have to keep current on my welding knowledge. I just took a series of courses recently in fact.

I have a couple welding machines at home so I still get to weld a fair amount. I restore cars or build trailers or fab up stuff for someone.

Would I recommend welding for a living? Maybe for certain people, but there are easier ways to make a good living. If you're going to do it, join a union and make sure you can pass the 6G pipe test. Would I recommend learning to weld? Absolutely!! It is a skill that I think everyone should posess, or at least have an understanding of.

 

[Bolster]

Several people have mentioned that professional welding is "hard on the body." Please explain...what is the issue? Is it the crouch position you're in? Exposure to inhalation hazards? What?

 

[Dust]

You're melting and burning materials that could potentially give off noxious or toxic gases and fumes. So far as I know, most welding hoods don't provide breathing filtration.

You're also dealing with heat, fire, extreme environments, and awkward positions, sometimes for long periods of time. That's hard on any body, even in short periods of time. I know I couldn't do it, and I just took one class two years ago.

And yet, I'm a mechanic. Strange how that works.

 

[caper]

There are hoods available with a filtered air supply(and cooling)but they are $$$$$$.Our welder was having breathing problems so the company bought him one.Didn't help,too little too late,his lungs were already to far gone from years of fumes,dust and grinding particles.When you look in a shop that's full of welding fumes and smoke you realize that it takes a huge amount of ventilation to clear out a shop of smoke from a couple guys welding.Then when you let the smoke out the cold air replaces it.So up here in the north you have a trade off,smokey or cold.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Welding is hard on the eyes, and hard on the lungs. That is why guys say it is hard on the body.

 

[Bolster]

Welding is hard on the eyes, and hard on the lungs. That is why guys say it is hard on the body.

Are recommended goggles and masks insufficient to prevent eye damage?

 

[Uncle Buck]

Are recommended goggles and masks insufficient to prevent eye damage?

No, actually there is PPE available that is totally sufficient to protect the employee against the hazards encountered. It just usually seems to work out that most guys end up with too great of exposures over the course of a career of welding. The technology to protect has been there for a good many years if folks are smart enough to apply it religiously from day one.

 

[Merkava_4]

Welding is hard on the eyes, and hard on the lungs. That is why guys say it is hard on the body.

I might add that the blaring sun on a 107F day coupled with the hot weld process of FCAW takes it's toll on the body real quick. I have an enormous respect for Ironworkers. I've always said that if our military reservists were all Ironworkers, they'd be the toughest most ruthless military fighting force on the face of the earth.