Hillbillysmith Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Are there any boilermakers, pipefitter, etc here? Im finishing up my schooling a the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology and will be taking the UA-21, UA-41, and possibly the UA-15 pipe tests. My first question is, what does UA stand for?? Ive been told it means Union American but Im positive thats not correct. And secondly, and I dont mean to be nosey, what kind of pay rate, benefits, etc. could someone who is a fairly talented tig welder be looking at if they were to pass most (if not all) of the UA pipe weld examinations? Im undecided on where I want to go exactly with the welding trade but will be taking the tests none-the-less because it looks good on a resume for future use. -Hillbilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain ol Bill Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Hillbilly I am a retired Boilermaker that made a good living for over 35 years primarily welding or supervising welders. Not being a pipefitter I always thought that UA meant "usually a**holes " actually stands for United Association of Pipefitters. Passing any welding test is just an opportunity to get a job and not a gurantee. If I had all the welding certs I have held down throught the years the paper would fill the back of a pickup easily. As a general rule each time we went on a job we had to re-test to qualify for that particular contractor. Any welder that tells me he has never busted a weld test is either a liar or he hasn't taken many tests at all. Try driving across country with not enough money to get you back home and have to belly up and take a tough test. Bust the test you are out on the street! That will make the ol butt pucker buddy. Been in all 50 states, worked in 32 , some many times, couple of foreign countrys and American possesions. Can you make a living at it? Yes you can - but (awlays a but ain't there ) you better like to travel and spend a lot of time in cheesy motel rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 The United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters aka UA So saith the union brothers I work with IBEW lu 305 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 I plan to retire in 2yrs and have been at this welding thing since '73. Like Bill, have taken tests on top of test, certs to fill a library...(and busted my fair share of tests.) I've been at current job since '85 and certified in over 175 procedures in all process; GMAW, SMAW, GTAW, FCAW, & Oxy/Act. I'm non-union but have made a good living and haven't had to travel in the last 30 yrs to do it. There are jobs making good $$ where you don't HAVE to do all that traveling but they may or may not pay as much. I'm a family man, have turned down traveling jobs that would have made more money in 6months than I made in 1-2yrs but I LIKE sleeping in MY bed with MY family. (I don't mean to knock those that are union, pipeline, or whatever.) The one thing I wish I had done earlier in my career was to get a degree in metalurgy or welding engineering...too scared to take the pluge, comfort zone was TOO comfortable I guess. But I love what I do and enjoy the challenge of new materials or procedures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbillysmith Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 I appreciate all of the info that you guys have provided me. I'm just starting out so (you're right) I haven't taken many test (only 40 or so all being a hodgpog of root/face bends, side bends, macroetch, dye pen, and x-ray) SO FAR! I'll be taking some certification tests and some UA test soon so that'll give me more tests under my belt. And I've busted only 1 so far and I'm sure there will be more in the future but I've only been at it in this great trade for a meere 4 years so I'm a greenhorn yet. I'm bringing up more and more questions because I'm nearing the end of my time here at the Hobart Institute in Dayton, Ohio and am looking forward to getting back out into the workforce to make some money again. I'm taking all of the certs and tests I can to get more experience to broaden my abilities and sharpen my skills in various processes, positions, materials, etc. I wouldn't mind traveling because I'd love to see the world and get around to meet more people to learn from and see different tricks/techniques used in the field. The only thing I'd like is to be able to perminently stay where I'm at and just hop on a plane and travel to wherever the job requires me to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbillysmith Posted April 17, 2010 Author Share Posted April 17, 2010 Any of you guys ever TIG weld 3/4 inch schedule 5 tubing?? I ran some today in class and found that it was extremly hard to walk the cup on without loosing your shielding gas and hard to get a butterfly effect pattern. Along with 2 inch schedule 40 stainless pipe, I'll be continuing extensive practice untill I get it down to where I'm happy with it. I mean, just running the 3/4 tube without walking the cup wasn't hard just tedious. I'll post some pix of some of my welds as soon as I get to a computer to upload them. I'm only doing the 3/4 tube just because I wanted to try it because I've been told it's difficult and I love a challenge. My question is; is there really much call for doing something this small in a real situation?? Anything smaller than that? I'll be getting some 1/2 inch schedule 5 tube this week and be running that in 6G with stainless filler. Thanks for everybody's help and comments! I greatly appreciate it. -Hillbilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welder19 Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 The money you make depends on where you are and if your willing to travel or relocate, oil refinery's and comercial marine, shipping and or comercial fishing, etc. are a few of the higher paid welding positions and one of the highest is underwater welding. Good luck! welder19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Im gonna stick my nose in here and give my two cents... I am not a welder, I only hold one cert (FCAW, and only because you have to have it to do structural work. When I got it I had been called to do a job, they ask If I had a cert. I went down to the local test guy welded a coupon for up and a coupon for overhead and they sent me a card) Now I say Im not a welder... but I have run thousands of pounds of filler in just about all proses, I recently had a job where I ran 215lbs of 1/16 dual shield in 10 days, (ugg) ... .I can glue just about anything together.... But I have my limitations and I am only reasonably good at some things, and some I am no good at or would just rather not do.... But how I view welding (now you welders dont take this wrong) is the least important part of my job... I am not a nuke or chemical or super duper fancy welder doing important stuff... I am a fabricator.... I have to design and then build the bits that THEN get welded together... I view a welder as a fancy hot glue gun.... I am not trying to discount how vital welding or welders are... But for ME if I was a WELDER and did nothing but WELD I would find something else to do... I like welding as part of the proses, but not when I am just laying down mile after mile after mile of weld... What I like is building stuff... the whole act... the design, the fabrication and the assembly all as a package. I have been the "welder" in a shop and hood down burning rod all day is not what its about for me... So my two cents is figure out what part of "welding" is really what turns your crank.... If its building stuff then dont get on a crew that sits at a bench makes sparks all day on the same part... You might make more money doing it but its not all about money, its about enjoying what you do and making enough to live a good life. Thats my opinion, yours may vary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Any of you guys ever TIG weld 3/4 inch schedule 5 tubing?? I ran some today in class and found that it was extremly hard to walk the cup on without loosing your shielding gas and hard to get a butterfly effect pattern. Along with 2 inch schedule 40 stainless pipe, I'll be continuing extensive practice untill I get it down to where I'm happy with it. I mean, just running the 3/4 tube without walking the cup wasn't hard just tedious. I'll post some pix of some of my welds as soon as I get to a computer to upload them. I'm only doing the 3/4 tube just because I wanted to try it because I've been told it's difficult and I love a challenge. My question is; is there really much call for doing something this small in a real situation?? Anything smaller than that? I'll be getting some 1/2 inch schedule 5 tube this week and be running that in 6G with stainless filler. Thanks for everybody's help and comments! I greatly appreciate it. -Hillbilly Yes, it's done quite often actually, at least in our plant. (I work for Eastman Chemicals) I weld 1/2" sch.10 titanium, 100%X-Ray for the acid plant at work. No one in the shop likes it due to it being so tedious...that and the x-ray thing. Also weld 1" and 3/4" sch.10 hastalloy and monel. MUCH rather weld the Titanium, it's easier than either of the other 2. Once the bead is in it's OK. I HATE the Hastalloy (we lovingly called it 'Nastyloy'!)Walking the cup on small dia. pipe is really not the best way, too slow. We 'finger' the small stuff. On stainless you can still get good color in your cap and not burn the pipe. Since you have the luxury of practicing try both ways and see which you like better. A lot of the boiler tube welders don't walk the cup because of the time element. Time is $$ in the real world. I would like to post pictures of some of these welds for you but NO camaras are allowed in the plant. I'd Hate to loose my job with 2yrs left to retire! But please post your pics, I would like to see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Im gonna stick my nose in here and give my two cents... I am not a welder, I only hold one cert (FCAW, and only because you have to have it to do structural work. When I got it I had been called to do a job, they ask If I had a cert. I went down to the local test guy welded a coupon for up and a coupon for overhead and they sent me a card) Now I say Im not a welder... but I have run thousands of pounds of filler in just about all proses, I recently had a job where I ran 215lbs of 1/16 dual shield in 10 days, (ugg) ... .I can glue just about anything together.... But I have my limitations and I am only reasonably good at some things, and some I am no good at or would just rather not do.... But how I view welding (now you welders dont take this wrong) is the least important part of my job... I am not a nuke or chemical or super duper fancy welder doing important stuff... I am a fabricator.... I have to design and then build the bits that THEN get welded together... I view a welder as a fancy hot glue gun.... I am not trying to discount how vital welding or welders are... But for ME if I was a WELDER and did nothing but WELD I would find something else to do... I like welding as part of the proses, but not when I am just laying down mile after mile after mile of weld... What I like is building stuff... the whole act... the design, the fabrication and the assembly all as a package. I have been the "welder" in a shop and hood down burning rod all day is not what its about for me... So my two cents is figure out what part of "welding" is really what turns your crank.... If its building stuff then dont get on a crew that sits at a bench makes sparks all day on the same part... You might make more money doing it but its not all about money, its about enjoying what you do and making enough to live a good life. Thats my opinion, yours may vary Excellent points! and no, I take no offense to your comment on welders. Fortunatly in my 37+yrs of welding I have had only 1 job that was a "production/assembly line" welding job and left after 9 months of that! I have fabricated pressuer vessels for the petro/chemical industry along with fabbing pipe and structural for the same. Something different everyday and the change in materials go along with it. I may weld Titanium, Stainless, and carbon all in one day, or go for weeks welding only one type of metal. Ya just gotta be ready for it all. At my shop/studio at home I would MUCH rather be forging hot metal than welding! I will only arc weld when I can't do it any other way. I really like to Oxy weld as you can 'blend' the weld with the hammer while it is still hot. I'm not that good a forge welding especially on larger pieces to do that although I can on smaller elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Hillbilly- do you plan to go through an apprenticeship program? I found it hard to get journey level pay after attending pipe welding school that was a year long and full time 8- 4:30 mon- fri welding every day. I had to bounce around for a few years getting some experience in the field before I could get a job with good pay and benefits. I have been working as a union carpenter for 15 years now and I have done a lot of welding as a carpenter I have worked on concrete tilt ups, bridges, hospitals, commercial office buildings, and residential projects. The last ten years have been mostly metal stud work, but that is rather slow right now. there are jobs out there that need guys to just weld but if you learn other skills you will be able to move on to another job and stay working more. I know that the sound of a three year apprentice program may not be that great but if you can be a fitter and a welder you will be a more valuable employee. If I had it to do over again I wold go through the Millwrights apprentice program, they do a lot of maintenance on power plants and factories as well as installing equipment in that type of facility. You may already have the skills to make you employable but if you go through an apprentice program the guys will respect that. So you may want to look into that, check with local unions and see what is out there some that may need your skills are the Plumber/ steamfitters you got that one, boilermakers and ship builders, millwrights, pile-drivers ,oh and iron workers Great avatar are those your dogs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbillysmith Posted April 18, 2010 Author Share Posted April 18, 2010 Thomas Dean- Thanks for the insight. I can finger in the 3/4 tubing just fine just figured that walking the cup would look a little prettier. I believe we have 1 inch schedule 10 titanium at school that I want to see if Im able to try. Ive done .052 titanium plates before and passed the x-ray test on it. I love welding, fabricating, pipefitting, mathematical calculation, the whole bit! I totally hate production work. Im not talking down on it because its definitly needed but its not my cup of tea. I like mixing it up and doing things where the pressure is on because I love the feeling of a challenge. When I weld, ill try ANYTHING. Any material, position, process, technique, name it. Welding is one of the very few things in my life that i was ever any good at and now whenever I get a chance to challenge and put my skills to the test, im all for it! I try my best to strive for excellence and to be the best even though I may not always accomplish it. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbillysmith Posted April 18, 2010 Author Share Posted April 18, 2010 The dogs in my avatar are not mine. It was just a picture my aunt sent me. I liked it so I used it. If you look close at it, the dogs have like crooked teeth and stuff, its funny. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbillysmith Posted April 18, 2010 Author Share Posted April 18, 2010 The dogs in my avatar are not mine. It was just a picture my aunt sent me. I liked it so I used it. If you look close at it, the dogs have like crooked teeth and stuff, its funny. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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