Any Welders Here?

[Drkinferno72]

As title says, any other welders here? I’m in a trade school atm, doing a bit of everything, mig, tig, stick, fcaw, oxyacetylene etc

I’m thinking of specializing in mig and stick since I appreciate being able to use both hands on a job. Did a bit of tig today, and I didn’t like it much. As my instructor said “it’s kind of like rubbing your belly while patting your head on one leg, but you’ll get used to it”


What’s your two cents?

 

[Phalanges Mycologist]

Tig's great if you get into the technical materials, depending on where you are lots of precision industry like medical part construction (an support equipment / processes) and Airospace, and there is a lot of money in that but you need additional certification to make it into those jobs.

When I weld professionally my two go two processes are Oxyacetylene and Forge Welding as they are more common for what I do (blacksmithing), Gas welding is so common to find it's considered basic competency, forge welding isn't done much any more and isn't what youd use in the construction trades apart from smithing.

I do have a MIG I use for working on Cars or other stuff you cant get a Gas bottle set to like kike structural work, but that's prety much all personal stuff not professionally.

That's about all the advice I can give you, I'd say pick up project management and inspection particularly in NDT you need to know how to weld and you can do them part time courses in a few years of on the job experience, when you get to that point you can earn serious money that's what the professional welders I've met have told me.

 

[Gig Bucking Fun]

I welded my double sided dildos together to create my “Quadildo”. Does this count?

 

[Drkinferno72]

Tig's great if you get into the technical materials, depending on where you are lots of precision industry like medical part construction (an support equipment / processes) and Airospace, and there is a lot of money in that but you need additional certification to make it into those jobs.

When I weld professionally my two go two processes are Oxyacetylene and Forge Welding as they are more common for what I do (blacksmithing), Gas welding is so common to find it's considered basic competency, forge welding isn't done much any more and isn't what youd use in the construction trades apart from smithing.

I do have a MIG I use for working on Cars or other stuff you cant get a Gas bottle set to like kike structural work, but that's prety much all personal stuff not professionally.

That's about all the advice I can give you, I'd say pick up project management and inspection particularly in NDT you need to know how to weld and you can do them part time courses in a few years of on the job experience, when you get to that point you can earn serious money that's what the professional welders I've met have told me.

The ultimate goal is just get a welding shop running itself and I just collect a check once a month.

 

[Jaded Optimist]

Go into sheet metal or metal fab instead. You weld anyways in those professions, but you also have a wider variety of skills. I prefer sheet metal because you do metal fab and welding in most shops. You can still always develop deeper skills in one type of welding and be know for it those trades buy you'll generally have more interesting work.

 

[Ultrapenguin]

I mean, soldering is kind of like tiny laid back welding, right?...

The ultimate goal is just get a welding shop running itself and I just collect a check once a month.

Well having a self sustaining business where someone shows up to collect a check once a month is virtually everyone's ultimate goal, but that's a real big jump from "What's people's thoughts on welding?" to "I hope to one day have to do virtually no work at all and still be financially solvent".

The former people could probably give advice on. If anyone has info on the latter in the modern day I'd sure like to hear it, because outside of winning military contracts or something I don't know how that would work.

 

[Drkinferno72]

I welded my double sided dildos together to create my “Quadildo”. Does this count?

I mean, soldering is kind of like tiny laid back welding, right?...


Well having a self sustaining business where someone shows up to collect a check once a month is virtually everyone's ultimate goal, but that's a real big jump from "What's people's thoughts on welding?" to "I hope to one day have to do virtually no work at all and still be financially solvent".

The former people could probably give advice on. If anyone has info on the latter in the modern day I'd sure like to hear it, because outside of winning military contracts or something I don't know how that would work.

But for now, just pick a speculation and master it, probably mig and stick

 

[The Empire Never Ended]

I do inspections on welds (and other stuff) and I can tell you that you either study and become a master of all things welding and metal related and then fall into a specialist position, or you remain a welldurr for life making shit pay under shit conditions.

That doesn't necessarily mean schooling, but you at least gotta read the specs and common standards to gain an understanding of the industry as a whole and see where the money is made.