[RamboBaby]

Someone in the area told my buddy that that place starts weldors out between $16 & $20/hr. He also told my buddy that the top guys make $28. They also have a cnc machining center there. I didn't really check it out but I saw it on my way to the restroom.

It doesn't sound like a bad place honestly. Kinda like were I work. I'd try to test again if I was you.

Beveling a 3" price isnt bad. They could have been 8 or 12 inches long.

It was 12" long x 3" wide x 1/2" thick. I had to hand bevel four of those. It was brutal. They also gave me a 3' long Stronghand C clamp to hold those pieces down. The clamp weighed about 30 pounds. I was working on a burn table and needed about two feet of that clamp to hold the plates down.

[Bsmith]

Someone in the area told my buddy that that place starts weldors out between $16 & $20/hr. He also told my buddy that the top guys make $28. They also have a cnc machining center there. I didn't really check it out but I saw it on my way to the restroom.

It doesn't sound like a bad place honestly. Kinda like were I work. I'd try to test again if I was you.

Beveling a 3" price isnt bad. They could have been 8 or 12 inches long.

It was 12" long x 3" wide x 1/2" thick. I had to hand bevel four of those. It was brutal. They also gave me a 3' long Stronghand C clamp to hold those pieces down. The clamp weighed about 30 pounds. I was working on a burn table and needed about two feet of that clamp to hold the plates down.

Oh ok I thought I read 3". Yeah I bevel a lot, so I know where your coming from. I did some 1" the other day for a 3g test and it was brutal. I did it partially with the torch and still spent 2 + hrs


Yeah it just sounds like they were testing you. Keep us posted and good luck.

[RamboBaby]

Everything was so hot! I would have just about rather have taken an overhead 7018 test with no welding jacket, just kidding.
This is how I had to take the test. The pliers are a proxy for the mig torch (my mig went to the pawn shop last week). Even the goose neck on that damn torch was a smoking hot tamale.
You can see where I partially melted my tigfinger xl by running it over a hot weld. I also shredded my regular tig finger some more (it was alrealy fraying from a previous run over a red hot weld).
Finally you can see where I smoked my glove on the index finger by trying to be a jackass and not use the regular tig finger.
At least I didn't get burned!

[Bsmith]

Everything was so hot! I would have just about rather have taken an overhead 7018 test with no welding jacket, just kidding.
This is how I had to take the test. The pliers are a proxy for the mig torch (my mig went to the pawn shop last week). Even the goose neck on that damn torch was a smoking hot tamale.
You can see where I partially melted my tigfinger xl by running it over a hot weld. I also shredded my regular tig finger some more (it was alrealy fraying from a previous run over a red hot weld).
Finally you can see where I smoked my glove on the index finger by trying to be a jackass and not use the regular tig finger.
At least I didn't get burned!

Yep that's how all my gloves loo shriveled up. I need a tig finger to mig

[RamboBaby]

Made one with filler wire. The tacks look like crap because I need .045 or .030 filler, but I don't have it. This part would have turned out perfect otherwise. Had this been mild steel then I would have blended those tacks in.

[Bsmith]

Did you hear anything about that job?

[exnailpounder]

Did you hear anything about that job?

I am thinkin he got it. Too quiet today.

[RamboBaby]

No, I haven't heard a word from those guys. I took that piece from the post that I made this morning and went to a kitchen equipment fab shop. The guy told me that they aren't sure if they are gonna hire or not. The piece was enough to get me a welding test in the morning though. This will be my third welding test in seven days.

[Bsmith]

No, I haven't heard a word rfrom those guys. I took that piece from the post that I made this morning and went to a kitchen equipment fab shop. The guy told me that they aren't sure if they are gonna hire or not. The piece was enough to get me a welding test in the morning though. This will be my third welding test in seven days.

Hell yeah, sounds good. Good luck!

[Poland308]

That's the way to do it. Don't be afraid to go back in a few weeks if they tell you they aren't hiring right now. And don't take the same sample in more than once. With the kitchen place take in some samples of your aluminum too. They might like to see your not a one trick pony.

[LtBadd]

No, I haven't heard a word rfrom those guys. I took that piece from the post that I made this morning and went to a kitchen equipment fab shop. The guy told me that they aren't sure if they are gonna hire or not. The piece was enough to get me a welding test in the morning though. This will be my third welding test in seven days.

If it's a decent shop you'd like to work at, go back once a month (I know you need a job now), when they do need to hire they'll remember the guy that "wants" to work there

[RamboBaby]

Well, I'm down to $135, got two welders in the pawn shop, and traffic court on July 8th for a parking ticket in a big rig. The ticket is $116.25 plus court costs. The engine was about to go down because, although it was full of oil....the oil was sludge. Company had probably just been adding oil for 40 to 50 thousand miles without ever changing it. I immediately pulled off the street because its the same alarm as when the air pressure is low and the parking brakes are about to lock up. A cop pulled in right behind me and told me that emergency parking is no excuse. If I don't get a job before court then I'm just gonna tell em to lock me up cause I ain't doing probation or community service for something that I had no control over.
$116.25 for a ticket that would have only been $25 had I been in a car. Welcome to my world.

[Otto Nobedder]

I was once hired on the spot at a job that "wasn't hiring", because I had a skill they found was hard to hire.

I quit them three days later when I got an offer or 2.5X the money, and pissed them off, but that's another story.

Best of luck on that test!

Steve S

[RamboBaby]

Failed the test. It was scratch start tig, 16 gauge, square butt and t-joint, both of which were autogenous.
Shop super had an old miller with a crank handle dial and a white plastic arrow that pointed to increments of ten amps. He had it at roughly 38 amps and I turned it up to about 42. Should have left it where it was. I was doing really good on the butt weld and ran about five inches then stopped to reposition. He walked up and said that it really looked good but he needed the bead wih to be about half as wide as what I was doing. I was only doing circles of about 3/16". Got it started again and it ran good for about 2", then the plates began to criss cross because they weren't clamped down.
T-joint started out ok with the first tack but I was nervous and had already forgotten that he told me to tack from the inside out so I warped the bottom plate. He came over and tacked it for me and I did a couple of runs between tacks that were ok but one run just peeled back the edge for the entire two inch run.
Super told me that I just need to go home and get a little bit of practice, then come back and retest. He said that he could tell that I actually know how to weld. He said that welding school grads come in there all the time and either try to walk the cup on his brushed stainless or don't peel off the plastic backing.
Before I went in for the test, a shop that I tested for last Thursday called and asked if I want a weldor's helper job. Said they usually pay $8/hr bit they were willing to pay me $10/hr due to my level of experience. I'll take that job for a bit and learn how to fab handrails, gates, fences and staircases. That will also give me the $$$ to pay my fine in case the judge doesn't wanna throw out that bogus No Parking ticket. I'm still gonna try and fight the ticket though. At least I won't have to do jail time.

[exnailpounder]

Glad to hear about the job! You will probably move up fast and start getting paid. Amazing how things come along when you really need them. Now you get to tell us boring work stories

[exnailpounder]

I was once hired on the spot at a job that "wasn't hiring", because I had a skill they found was hard to hire.

I quit them three days later when I got an offer or 2.5X the money, and pissed them off, but that's another story.

Best of luck on that test!

Steve S

What skill was that Steve? The walking encyclopedia thing?

[Poland308]

Nice job Rambo. The we need a welders helper is probably code for we want to test you out. Put in some fab time and pay close attention to how the welders they have are doing things and it won't be long before one of them gives you a shot to do his job. The way he does it! To see what you got.

[RamboBaby]

I won't do $10/hr for long. I'm a grown ass man even if I do act like a kid. I was making between $27 & $30/ hr with TeamOne as a driver, depending on how the day went. I know I'm not worth that as a weldor yet but I'm definitely not weldor's helper material either. I've always been really good at making stuff and putting stuff together. I was the only student that my high school building construction teacher trusted to make his projects with high dollar woods like birch an walnut. He also farmed me out all over the vocational building to do work for teachers who paid him and he would, in turn, use the money to buy materials for our class.

I'm looking at this is more of an opportunity to learn how to get side work for me, pay my ticket and get my welders out of pawn.

By the way, my buddy Eddy, wants to know if any of you guys ever weld in your panties and he wants to know what sun block you use when doing so. I personally told him that I never weld in panties unless they're under my clothes and that he can kiss my A$$ for insinuating otherwise!

[Bsmith]

Failed the test. It was scratch start tig, 16 gauge, square butt and t-joint, both of which were autogenous.
Shop super had an old miller with a crank handle dial and a white plastic arrow that pointed to increments of ten amps. He had it at roughly 38 amps and I turned it up to about 42. Should have left it where it was. I was doing really good on the butt weld and ran about five inches then stopped to reposition. He walked up and said that it really looked good but he needed the bead wih to be about half as wide as what I was doing. I was only doing circles of about 3/16". Got it started again and it ran good for about 2", then the plates began to criss cross because they weren't clamped down.
T-joint started out ok with the first tack but I was nervous and had already forgotten that he told me to tack from the inside out so I warped the bottom plate. He came over and tacked it for me and I did a couple of runs between tacks that were ok but one run just peeled back the edge for the entire two inch run.
Super told me that I just need to go home and get a little bit of practice, then come back and retest. He said that he could tell that I actually know how to weld. He said that welding school grads come in there all the time and either try to walk the cup on his brushed stainless or don't peel off the plastic backing.
Before I went in for the test, a shop that I tested for last Thursday called and asked if I want a weldor's helper job. Said they usually pay $8/hr bit they were willing to pay me $10/hr due to my level of experience. I'll take that job for a bit and learn how to fab handrails, gates, fences and staircases. That will also give me the $$$ to pay my fine in case the judge doesn't wanna throw out that bogus No Parking ticket. I'm still gonna try and fight the ticket though. At least I won't have to do jail time.

If you act like they pay you 25 and hr you will do fine. Just keep that in mind. Not 10.

[exnailpounder]

I won't do $10/hr for long. I'm a grown ass man even if I do act like a kid. I was making between $27 & $30/ hr with TeamOne as a driver, depending on how the day went. I know I'm not worth that as a weldor yet but I'm definitely not weldor's helper material either. I've always been really good at making stuff and putting stuff together. I was the only student that my high school building construction teacher trusted to make his projects with high dollar woods like birch an walnut. He also farmed me out all over the vocational building to do work for teachers who paid him and he would, in turn, use the money to buy materials for our class.

I'm looking at this is more of an opportunity to learn how to get side work for me, pay my ticket and get my welders out of pawn.

By the way, my buddy Eddy, wants to know if any of you guys ever weld in your panties and he wants to know what sun block you use when doing so. I personally told him that I never weld in panties unless they're under my clothes and that he can kiss my A$$ for insinuating otherwise!

I weld in my speedo sometimes when I get a bit too far in the bottle. And only mig welding with no sunblock on rusty painted metal, overhead.

[RamboBaby]

I've thought about welding in a diaper and boots. Nothing like a hot mig BB between the toes to get me dancing. Boots are a must!

[exnailpounder]

Ok...this is getting weird

[Rick_H]

Congrats!!

My recommendation, no circles....try to keep the torch manipulation down unless needed, makes the bead wider and adds more heat. Your package is on the way Be a sponge and stay humble, learn those tricks it will help you in the future.

[RamboBaby]

Thanks Rick. I got to playing with scratch start a little while ago and found out it didn't need the circles. Didn't play too much because it's a sweat box in my practice area. Scratching without sticking is really hard. I also realize now that I need a xheater lense for this kind of work.

[Otto Nobedder]

With SPF 50, you can weld naked.

Just be aware, there's a fine line between "rubbing lotion on yourself" and "rubbing yourself with lotion..."