Welding for fun and profit (well, for fun)

[Vort]

Any hobbyist welders on board here?

[bigcreek]

Well this is my first post on this site but your question I can relate to. I have a welding / cnc plasma cutting business. Do you weld or are you getting into it?

[Vort]

Well this is my first post on this site but your question I can relate to. I have a welding / cnc plasma cutting business. Do you weld or are you getting into it?

Getting into it, hobbyist-like. I have a set of tips for oxyacetylene welding, but no tanks yet. I haven't actually welded in, what, 35 years (high school). Any tips.

[Vort]

Well this is my first post on this site but your question I can relate to. I have a welding / cnc plasma cutting business. Do you weld or are you getting into it?

Getting into it, hobbyist-like. I have a set of tips for oxyacetylene welding, but no tanks yet. I haven't actually welded in, what, 35 years (high school). Any tips?

[Daybreak79]

I'm in the steel fabrication industry...I didn't realize that welding and profit could be used together!

[Vort]

I'm in the steel fabrication industry...I didn't realize that welding and profit could be used together!

I gather that welding is not an uncommon skill and not generally very profitable. I recently read about underwater welders who literally risk life and limb welding in highly dangerous conditions and under the most unpleasant constraints (weeks at a time underwater in tight quarters), for surprisingly little pay, hardly better than the burger slinger. So I expect you're right about the profit thing. :) Still, I think welding is exceptionally cool, so I'd like to learn about it. And in this case, I want to learn by doing.

[Daybreak79]

Vort - go, learn, and have fun with it. You never know where a new hobby may take you.

[bigcreek]

It can definately be profitable. My tip would be to get a good mig welder. No harbor freight stuff. You will be up and welding in no time pretty much anything you want (to a point). Check out my website Home | Ranch and Business Signs, Gates, and Metal Art | Big Creek Metal Works to see what i make as it may give you some ideas. It can be alot of fun and yes even profitable.

[Vort]

It can definately be profitable. My tip would be to get a good mig welder. No harbor freight stuff. You will be up and welding in no time pretty much anything you want (to a point). Check out my website Home | Ranch and Business Signs, Gates, and Metal Art | Big Creek Metal Works to see what i make as it may give you some ideas. It can be alot of fun and yes even profitable.

I actually tried out a MIG welder at Christmas. Yes, it was surprisingly easy -- lots easier than I remember arc welding or gas welding to be -- and fun. I plan to stick with gas welding to start with, and maybe grow into arc welding (since I can build my own arc welder basically for free). I will eventually get a MIG rig, if things work out.

[Guest]

I gather that welding is not an uncommon skill and not generally very profitable. I recently read about underwater welders who literally risk life and limb welding in highly dangerous conditions and under the most unpleasant constraints (weeks at a time underwater in tight quarters), for surprisingly little pay, hardly better than the burger slinger. So I expect you're right about the profit thing. :) Still, I think welding is exceptionally cool, so I'd like to learn about it. And in this case, I want to learn by doing.

And that's not taking into account that you have to be, first, a commercial diver which requires quite intensive training that costs quite a bit.

I have a friend that's welding in her garage as a hobby. She's making intricate, some life-size, metalic sculptures. Okay, she doesn't weld in the garage... she has all her stuff in the garage, then she opens the garage door, wheels the hunk of metal out to the driveway and weld from there. It is super interesting.

She also does glass blowing (sold a lot of miniature-sized glass beads for jewelry making) and clay molding and wood working (whitling?) and stained glass art. She is in her late 40's, single, no kids, and can't sit still without creating something magnificent. She's awesome.

Edited September 23, 2013 by anatess

[RMGuy]

Vort,

I think you will really enjoy it. I think I shared a bit on here before about my daughter rebuilding a car for her 16th. She started when she was 12 and has been working on it now for 3 years. Here is a link to some of the creative things she has built. Hope you enjoy it.

Edited September 24, 2013 by RMGuy
To change like to link :)

[Wordnerd]

Welding is an extremely highly paid trade in my area, people make 150K a year easily. Not that the work is easy, it can be quite unpleasant. I have no tips though, my husband has a little welder that he plays with out in the garage, thats all I know. :)

[Daybreak79]

WordNerd - where do you live and what type of welding is it? (Fabrication shops, oil fields, medical devices, pressure vessels, etc.).

In the great state of Utah, I believe the average non-union basic welder (no special certification) makes between $30,000 and $40,000 a year with a fitter making about $40,000 to $45,000 a year. These figures are without benefits and bonuses.

[Wordnerd]

Hi Daybreak it would be oilfield/ pipeline / pressure vessel / construction type stuff. The guys who make the most tend to have the independent setup with the truck mounted unit, or work in camps up north but I'm told even shop welders in town here earn about $35 or $40/hour mostly non-union work. There isn't strong union presence here. We have an extreme shortage a welders and have had for at least 10 years now. I'm in Alberta. About 14 hours drive north of SLC the camp work is about another 8 hours further north of me.

[Wordnerd]

Cost of living is significantly higher here as well, even with the Canadian dollar on par, purchasing a home is about $250/sqft, in a fairly average neighbourhood and everything else is also much more expensive than in the US.

[Guest scottzux]

I used to be a weld quality inspector for an aluminum boat factory. I learned how to weld, but I haven't done it for many years now.

I need a hobby, but I don't think welding will be it.

[Irishcolleen]

Vort,

I think you will really enjoy it. I think I shared a bit on here before about my daughter rebuilding a car for her 16th. She started when she was 12 and has been working on it now for 3 years. Here is a link to some of the creative things she has built. Hope you enjoy it.

Very cool about your daughter rebuilding a car! My daughter is studying to get her degree in aircraft systems. She loves anything mechanical. She welds better than her boyfriend, who is a mechanical engineering student. I love to see the pictures she sends me of what she's working on.

[bigcreek]

Gas welding is awesome. No power needed for that. Plus if you can gas weld the rest of it comes pretty easy. Ya the welders laying beads on trailers in factories and such dont make much money, but those in business for themselves CAN make good bank. I know a guy well who lost his farm so he opened a welding shop as he had that skill to fall back on. Now 12 or 15 years later he is worth over a million bucks from his welding business. That is securing govt contracts for railings (lots of them) and some structural steel among other things. I think its one of those things you need to find a kind of niche market because putting up a sign and waiting for the neighbors to drop off their lawn mower or rake for you to fix sure wont bring in much money.