Becoming A Welder

Buildings, bridges, construction sites, refineries, and almost everything manufactured in the world, what is used in these places? The answer is most likely about welding. Welding is defined as the process by bonding two metals together by using heat(“Welders,Cutters,Solderers,and Brazers”). Many people do not realize without welding the world would not have a lot of the things that it has today(Bemont,Reno). Vehicles people drive every day would not be there. Which would result a person having to walk to travel.

“A regular person cannot just wake up and want to be a welder. It takes skills and determination to be a good welder. Most people that have their mind set to be a welder usually go to a institution and take many welding classes.”(Bemont,Reno)

These classes work the person to do their best and it also improves their welding skills excessively. The other half of people who want to be welders may not be able to afford the costs of an institution, so they would just take basic welding classes at a high school or a college(Bemont,Reno).
A welder’s job plays a big role in construction type jobs. People are very uncomfortable when working at certain job sites. A lot of places are outside, so no matter how bad the conditions are outside the welder is always working. If a worker has height issues then, this job is not for them. In a construction site the foreman of the job may work the workers until the job is complete. People need to know that this is not an easy job. (“Welders,Cutters,Solderers,and Brazers”)
Welding comes with a lot of risks, safety training is mandatory at almost every laboring job in the United States(Bemont,Reno). Workers usually have the sense in their head that they are invincible and nothing will ever happen to them. Those people are most likely to be at high risk, and that will leave the worker without a well paying job. These type of jobs need to be taken seriously, along with using the correct safety equipment.
The people that are certified professionally, are at average annually making $55,000-$100,000 a year(Bemont,Reno).

“Big businesses are looking for skilled individuals who have just gotten certified, because of the baby boomer era retiring.”(Bemont,Reno) People are likely to go for the non-certified way, it’s the easiest welding job because the job only requires for a high school diploma and a basic knowledge of welding. The basic welder makes around the average of $36,000 a year(“Welders,Cutters,Solderers,and Brazers”). The pay may vary depending on the actual company the person is working for.

The welding job is not just bonding metals together. People have to physically be strong and capable of lifting 50 lbs regularly and 100 lbs occasionally when needed. Working indoors may make it physically easier than outdoors but mentally it only gets worse because of the amount of space given to work in. It can be very tight quartered and may be tough for a person to breathe. In the outdoors, a welder has to think about the weather condition and has to be very careful with the way they are welding because it may lead into someone getting

hurt(Bemont,Reno).
The three things a welder has to think and know when coming upon a job project. What is needed to complete this project. A person does not want to start a job without the essential tools. Another thing is to make sure to recognize the conditions of the metal and to consider cleaning off if the metal has excess rust built up. The welder needs to know what kind of welding technique would be correctly used to complete project and make the bond strength at its’ best.
There are three types of basic welding in the world.

One of those types is the easiest type. That type would be called the MIG welding process. MIG welding process is most commonly used in fabrication shops where production is high, and the possibility of wind blowing the gas shielding away is unlikely. When it was first developed it was called Gas Metal Arc. Also known as GMAW or Gas Metal Arc Welding. The differences in the names are the type of gas used, inert gas versus non-inert gas. MIG weld welding requires three things, electricity to produce heat, an electrode to fill the joint, and shielding gas to protect the weld from the air. MIG welding is done using a very small electrode that is fed continuously, while the operator controls the amount of weld being done. In some cases when a robot takes over this process, it becomes automatic

welding.
The TIG welding process is one of the hardest processes to learn and to do. TIG welding proper name is, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding or GTAW. This is the name the American Welding Society-AWS and other welding organizations refer to this process on their welding jobs. GTAW is the abbreviation that welding engineers use to specify the welding process that is to be used on blueprints. When TIG welding was introduced around the 1940’s Helium gas was the primary shielding gas used in process. Back in the day people used to called this process heliarc welding. Since the name includes the term “tungsten”, tungsten is obviously what makes TIG welding possible. TIG welding metal properties allows an arc to maintain a temperature up to 11,000 degrees fahrenheit. A high melting point and excellent electrical conductivity keeps the tungsten electrode from burning up.
The last basic type of welding processes is stick welding. Basic Stick welding is not that hard to learn but knowing what to do and actually doing it, is what the thing to think about. Stick welding’s proper name is, SMAW / shielded metal arc welding. Selecting the right rod for stick welding is very important. For example, 6011 rod is one of the most used rods for all positions and great for deep penetration. A 6011 rod using the first two digits stands for a minimum of 60,000 pounds of strength per square inch of the weld. The last two numbers say how much more shielding, flux, and or metal is being deposited. It is weird that the weld is actually twice the strength of the steel being welded too.
One of the biggest factors to consider is whether the welder will be welding indoors or outdoors. If the welder is welding indoors, any process will work. If welding outside, work can not be done with MIG or TIG, as there are only a few exceptions. Although it is not impossible to weld outside with MIG and TIG methods, the wind conditions always have funny ways of making it extremely difficult to get a good solid weld.
A well know job that participates in welding is boilermakers. Boilermakers and boilermaker mechanics make, install, and repair boilers,and large vessels that hold liquids and gases. They supply steam to drive turbines in electric power plants and to provide heat and power in buildings, factories, and ships. Tanks are used to process and store chemicals such as: oil, beer, and other products. Manufacturers are starting to increase automatic processes to increase the quality of these vessels. Boiler are welded together in sections, but they often now use automated orbital welding machines to make welds, which make the more consistent welds rather than by hand. Smaller boilers a person can usually weld by themselves in the plant manufactured in. Too big boilers may require assembling it on the site and need assistance with more people suspended in the air to help weld. Boilermakers usually make around $57K a year and hourly around $27.79. The busiest time of the year is spring and fall seasons. Those seasons are also more likely the most hazardous times of the year because of working harder. People usually join a union to become a boilermaker, unless the person works in some kind of manufacturing company. Boilermaker must be very fit to work this job and also willing to reach dangerous heights. Before becoming a boilermaker, the person must undergo an various amount of training at the age of 18 years or older. The training courses are made up of technology techniques about metals and their installation parts. Must be able to read blueprints clearly and recognize them when something serious comes up. A lot of math is used in order to figure correct measurement to a fitment. Safety procedures are also enforced before earning the job.
A quicker and most likely way to getting a job like this, is going under an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is a four to five year training so to speak, that a person must have 144 hours per year at. They learn how to use tools and equipment the right way. Some people even get paid, it just depends on the apprenticeship the person is in. In order to be in a apprenticeship, a person has to have a high school diploma or GED.
The easiest way to get a look at if someone is interested in something like welding is to job shadow a business. I job shadowed a welding repair business that is different from any other basic welding school because as a student, I would be indoors in a shop welding with clean metals. The environment is very different between the real world vs learning to weld. When I job shadowed Jason Littlejohn, I tried to put my knowledge of welding to the test. For the most part it did work ,but then I realized having to work on things like oil field equipment can be very difficult. The machinery is most likely oily and filled with grease. The day I job shadowed it was very cold and rainy. Something I was never used to, like always being used to the shop. Jason told me that he puts his business name out there around the area and people contact him if they need a quick repair. His business is doing very well, he is always staying busy especially in the oilfield, repairing oil rig trucks and pumping units like we were fixing that day I shadowed him. I also learned that travel welding business makes a lot more money than a business in a shop just because the work being done.
So in the long run, I have learned and experienced so many things with welding that I plan on pursuing this career when I get older. Following these guidelines I hope to be successful but also have fun making these memories along the way. Welding is one career that is needed everywhere and always needs someones help. Being a part of the welding, would make a person be confident in saying that they are involved in that, and they make a difference in the world.