Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello! My name is Justyn. I am currently a junior enrolled in a Metal Fabrication and Welding program at my vocational high school. I became interested in welding over the years as my uncle would tell me stories of his days as a nuclear powerplant welder. I am very anxious of what could become of my future if I miss or skip a vital step, and being someone who likes to stick to a plan I am very unsure of what kind of welder I would like to be. I am currently in a Co-op program with a local fabrication company, but I have no concrete plans to stay with them after graduation. I over complicate a lot, second guess myself, and over stress everything, and fabrication being as meticulous as it is doesn't seem like a good fit for me. I am quite interested in joining one of the local unions in my area, but like any other young adult I really can't make up my mind. I was wondering what kind of welding careers would be worth doing research on. Fabricating is great but for me it would be more as a hobby than anything else. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you have a great day!

Don't worry about skipping a step. You learn for your entire career. The only people who do the wrong thing are the people who think they know it all. You can't and won't master everything at the same time but you can constantly learn and practise.

Best, Mick

If you’re the type of personality who likes to “over think, complicate, and stress over decisions” then Union work should be your last choice. Too many Union jobs don’t pay for the quality weldors are capable of, don’t pay them enough to care, and too many of the really good welders leave for better pay and better work. This is a generalization, not true in every instance.

Fabrication requires skills, intelligence, thought, and hard work. Understanding structural stress, metallurgy, constructability, and manintenace of things is pretty darn difficult to achieve. In CT, there’s a Navy boat builder. They have an EXCELLENT program for new welders and will put you through all the training with every process you can ever consume. It’s a great way to start. 10 years there, and you could leave and weld a fart to a rainbow in a hurricane when you’re done. You’ll have every Certification, or the skills to pass every one you wish. My best Mate did this route in VA and he since has run his own welding and fab company. He can do it all, and he points back to the training and exposure while welding at the boat yard as the single best decision he made.

Welding always sounds great, and it’s something many people love. But standing in the freezing cold grinding and cutting steel can get old, especially if you have a Major Tool for Supervisor. It will happen. Learn to endure, and don’t try to decide your entire life at 18yo. It won’t work out the way you have it planned today. But you can position yourself to have a great future with some skills and flexibility under yuor belt, and a great attitude as your best foot forward.

Welcome! Just remember this, Weld every day and never ever stop learning!! Take every opportunity to learn something new each day!!

I'm 63 years old and still can weld a fart to a rainbow in a hurricane! Never heard that one CJ. LOL!!!!!

Welcome Justyn!

I am a union pipe fitter/ welder. As a Union welder you have opportunities to work in your local area or travel around the country doing work. Depends on the company you work for and the type of work you do. There are lots of other benefits, and arguably some issues with unions. That’s a topic I usually talk little about because it can become devicive. In effect it matters more about how much effort you put into it. Union or nonunion you will have to go where the work is. Sometimes it’s a physical location thing, do I want to work in a fab shop? Or do I want to travel constantly between jobs?

weldin mike 27 wrote:Don't worry about skipping a step. You learn for your entire career. The only people who do the wrong thing are the people who think they know it all. You can't and won't master everything at the same time but you can constantly learn and practise.

Best, Mick

Thanks for the reply Mick! I really appreciate the wise words.

cj737 wrote:If you’re the type of personality who likes to “over think, complicate, and stress over decisions” then Union work should be your last choice. Too many Union jobs don’t pay for the quality weldors are capable of, don’t pay them enough to care, and too many of the really good welders leave for better pay and better work. This is a generalization, not true in every instance.

Fabrication requires skills, intelligence, thought, and hard work. Understanding structural stress, metallurgy, constructability, and manintenace of things is pretty darn difficult to achieve. In CT, there’s a Navy boat builder. They have an EXCELLENT program for new welders and will put you through all the training with every process you can ever consume. It’s a great way to start. 10 years there, and you could leave and weld a fart to a rainbow in a hurricane when you’re done. You’ll have every Certification, or the skills to pass every one you wish. My best Mate did this route in VA and he since has run his own welding and fab company. He can do it all, and he points back to the training and exposure while welding at the boat yard as the single best decision he made.

Welding always sounds great, and it’s something many people love. But standing in the freezing cold grinding and cutting steel can get old, especially if you have a Major Tool for Supervisor. It will happen. Learn to endure, and don’t try to decide your entire life at 18yo. It won’t work out the way you have it planned today. But you can position yourself to have a great future with some skills and flexibility under yuor belt, and a great attitude as your best foot forward.

I have heard many good things and bad things about unions, and the "bad" outweighs the good. I keep an open mind when it comes to them. As great as the navy boat program sounds, I was thinking of staying local to the state of MA so that I can support myself as well as my family with the money I earned. I've been doing extensive research on any welding programs (specifically shipyard) that I could look into as a first step, but I haven't found any leads online. If you could possibly PM or link the CT program that would be great. I know it isn't the brightest idea to make up a map before I even graduate high school, but my biggest fear is to graduate wondering what I should do or where I should go. I would never rule out fabrication as I do find the idea of seeing your work after completion and installed, feeling proud of yourself to be a great feeling, but I want to learn and gain as much experience as possible so that I don't get out of school with nothing. Im probably just overthinking it, but I really appreciate the reply cj737!

brandx1 wrote:Welcome! Just remember this, Weld every day and never ever stop learning!! Take every opportunity to learn something new each day!!

Absolutely! Thanks for the reply brandx1!

Poland308 wrote:I am a union pipe fitter/ welder. As a Union welder you have opportunities to work in your local area or travel around the country doing work. Depends on the company you work for and the type of work you do. There are lots of other benefits, and arguably some issues with unions. That’s a topic I usually talk little about because it can become devicive. In effect it matters more about how much effort you put into it. Union or nonunion you will have to go where the work is. Sometimes it’s a physical location thing, do I want to work in a fab shop? Or do I want to travel constantly between jobs?

Thanks for the reply Poland308. I plan on sticking local, and I can understand why it can be devicive. Since your a union pipe fitter, I was wondering if a background in HVAC was a requirement, and if there were any other training requirements to be aware of? The local 537 union offers a program that looks like a great step in a bright direction, but the impression it sends seems like more of an HVAC training program. I understand HVAC plays a major role in pipe fitting, and I am definitely not opposed to the idea of having 2 trades under my belt, but I would like to stick to welding as I really enjoy it.

http://www.gdeb.com/careers/jobs/manufacturing.html

These guys build nuclear boats for the Navy. Everything your Grandpa did, and more Groton is still pretty close to home, but I do understand your preference to stay really local. 2 things:

1. There’s nothing “wrong” with Unions. Some are great, and there are many great professionals in them. Don’t interpret what I said as dig in them. They get a bad rap sometimes deservedly, but that’s all based upon personal interaction, not total membership. And they can be great places to learn and get experience.

2. You can be “limited” in your career if you prioritize a locality over opportunity. You may not find the job or opportunity around the corner that you really seek. So stay open to really good jobs, wherever they might be. They don’t always last forever, and you can gain lots of good experience, make possibly much better money, then, return home with more choices going forward. Just saying.

(An aside) My 2nd son just enlisted in the Navy under their Nuke Engineering program. He never thought about it but did it. He got a $21k enlistment bonus, and this December will get a $100k (yes, $100k) bonus to extend his contract by 2 years. That means he spends 8 in, earns $121k above his salary and benefits, has $0 debt, and has an education in Nuclear Engineering that is portable to anywhere. Pretty smart play all because he was open to new ideas. He loves it, plans on 20-25 years in, and will get his Bachelors and Masters all paid for by the Navy. All kinds of paths out there for you. Keep your eyes open, and head screwed in straight and you’ll have ample choices

Thanks for the reply Poland308. I plan on sticking local, and I can understand why it can be devicive. Since your a union pipe fitter, I was wondering if a background in HVAC was a requirement, and if there were any other training requirements to be aware of? The local 537 union offers a program that looks like a great step in a bright direction, but the impression it sends seems like more of an HVAC training program. I understand HVAC plays a major role in pipe fitting, and I am definitely not opposed to the idea of having 2 trades under my belt, but I would like to stick to welding as I really enjoy it.[/quote]

The apprenticeship is designed to give you the training you need. As much so as your willing to apply yourself. I only know of the UA program. I had a tech school degree and qualified for a shortened apprenticeship period, but I decided to take the extra training it offered. Glad I did! HVAC is a major part of what I do. I run a service truck but I work on anything from laptop building controls to code welding on pressure vessels. Sometimes it’s high pressure steam (250psi or more) low pressure stuff, (boilers and chillers), or comercial refrigeration. (CFC and Amonia). I’ve been in nuke plants. (But it’s not a pace I like).
I do work on general equipment you might find in a home.(commercial work only) and stuff that’s big enough my house would fit inside.

Pleasure. I suppose I was limited by staying in town. But I have a young family, so being home every night was paramount.