ATV Connection Magazine

Is anyone here a Welder?

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Posted by: LEP7MM

the guys in my shop make the same I do. We have an air conditioned environment and they sit at a table and tig weld small gauge steel, aluminum, and a little stainless. Midpoint of the payscale is about $44K/year, start with 4 weeks vacation/year, and some good bennies which run about $150/month for full medical and dental. Oh, and we also have a bonus incentive plan. We should hopefully find out tomorrow if we get a bonus. Oh, and I forgot to mention THIS IS NOT A UNION SHOP.

I run a Strippit 1250 MXP Autoload Turret Press and 6-axis 90-175 ton Cincinnati Press Brakes.

Good job, great pay and bennies, but all of this is threatened to head south of the border if we can't continue to cut costs. Business is picking up. I just wish I could afford to purchase the equipment myself. Another big thing is subcontracting. If you can convince someone to invest in the idea of a sheetmetal shop, there's tons of work in the industry right now.

Posted by: BigBlack

Money can be made in under-water welding.


Posted by: RancheRider

I had a friend who enjoyed welding pressure vessels, I think the company was National Tank. Don't know for sure what his hourly wage was, but seemed to do okay. Didn't have to travel and I think his job was all in doors, out of the elements.

The other responder is right, under water welding can make you a lot of money, but is very dangerous. New Orleans, Houston, and other coastal locations or major rivers might be your ticket. Whatever it is, I'd find some sort of specialization that can set you apart from your competitors.

Posted by: joshiepoo

i weld at my shop, it's ok, i can weld tig, mig, arc, gas, aluminum, stainless and whatever steel you got, welding's a cool job but i could'nt do it exclusively for a job, i do alot of fabrication and machining too, so to spend 8 hours behind a welding mask is tough, or eight hours in a set of welding leathers in summer can drive ya nuts too, it's hot tedious work, there's good money in it but i'd rather do welding as another skill i have, plenty of huys are full time welders but you have to like it that much, be on yer knees or on yer back under something or hunched over a part all afternoon is hard stuff, i do think welding could be cool if you were on a job site like a chopper fab shop, or shipbuilding, or a sand rail company, staring at an arc for eight hours is'nt fun for me at least, it's yer call, just my .02, josh... P.S. leather gloves catching on fire is'nt fun either.

Posted by: 754

If so how do you like it. Im graduating soon and thinking of going to welding school. just wanted to know how you like it. And if the pay is good. Thanks for your time.











2003 tt-r 125 money pit

Posted by: 754

someone come on

Posted by: BareTread

my school offers a BOCES program and i take welding. i enjoy it a lot.