(some of) My Fabrication Projects

I started out my welding career in Oilfield equipment...

Mostly Generators and the Skids, Trailers and Shacks they go on or in, As well as accessories like Toolboxes, Cabinets, Fuel & various liquid tanks.

I'll post some pictures as I go... 

40` Bos Shack with sound attenuated gen-set

Bos shack 2

I wont post a lot of pics just my favorites...
I left my first shop after about 5 years & moved onto Trailer building with some truck rig ups, Mostly for Tri-can.

Acid Pumper in production

Acid Pumper Finished

A better look at the hydraulic pipe rack

  These units were not fun to build (but sure looked good when they're done)  what with all the hydraulics running the entire length of the trailer. & that pipe rack on the ass end consists of about 25 different pieces. (all break & shear work done in shop)

Acid pumper truck rig up

This beast is called the Fracture Unit...yes those radiators are about 10` high & the unit is mostly engine.

The Frac. units are quite impressive in person considering the massive size of them. To this day I've never seen an engine this big.

A closer look at the Fracture Unit

These units are used in retrieving sour gas. If I remember correctly they pump acid into the ground (via acid pumpers) then pump in concrete with concrete pumpers(sorry no pics) then the hook up a dozen or so fracture units to break up the concrete releasing the sour gas. Or something like that. Hey I get paid to know how to build these things not use them, So don't quote me. look up the details yourself...

  It was after working here a while that the economy went to shit and I ended up doing a lot of piece work, & temporary jobs, But found a little stability in fixing old equipment, rebuilding construction equipment ect. a lot of  repairing buckets,Breakers/Hammers,Shears & Pulverizers. Nowhere near as nice as building new products or doing 1-off custom jobs, But work is work Right? At least I got to learn how to run an Excavator

Shear on linkbelt Excavator, Mostly just did buildup on shear blades & around the "mouth"

Ho-pac(tamper) mostly repaired broken legs (from operators pushing too damn hard)

Allied Hammer(Breaker) after rebuild

The Pulverizers are nasty looking aren't they

Zoomed out view of the mechanical dinosaur.

  Since then I've found a good job in a nice small shop doing truck rig ups, We build crane trucks, Tilt decks, End-Dumps, Swaploaders, & smaller jobs as well as custom work.  I enjoy it and It's nice to be building something that I know isn't going to immediately get destroyed... If you can't tell it's my mission to learn as much as I can about various aspects of our Industry.& the best way to learn is to Do.
my motto is: "If you didn't learn anything new... It was a waste of a day" 

  Hope you enjoyed the pictures & as always feel free to post your comments or questions.
If you have any pics you want to share put it in the comment section(if blogger will let you) Or post a link.(if you don't know how I don't mind if you copy & paste the url.
  Next series of posts will be Welding 101, I'll be going over the basics of :
GMAW(mig), GTAW(tig), SMAW(stick).
One more project for you...

25' Hard-sufaced Auger

Uphand Fluxcore on Hard-surfaced plate to mild steel on a round surface can be tricky

  Have a good one... & keep your head out of the smoke plume.

Welcome To The Machine pt.2 ( How to: Become a Welder )

So you want to be a Welder...

Getting into any trade can be a pain. Especially with the country recovering from an economic downturn, And many people sitting on their purse strings , A flooded job market, & the fact that many smaller shops have been forced to layoff 1/2 their workforce or shut down completely.

But it is still possible to get into the trade IF you go about it in the right way, I'll layout for you in this post the best ways to get your foot in the door.

1) Get your phone books out people...

It may seem like an antiquated technique, But honestly the best way to get into a shop when you have no or minimal experience is to look up "welding" "welding shops" "steel fabricators" "steel" "trucks or truck body" "manufacturing" in your local yellow pages and call around to ask if shops in your area are currently hiring or taking on apprentices 

(you'd be surprised at how many people are willing to train an eager, Hard working individual such as yourself). 

Remember to point out any experience you have that will be useful in a shop environment, Such as:

-Forklift experience (Forklift licenses are always good)

-Overhead crane experience

-Safety courses such as: C.W.B. Ticket, W.H.M.I.S. training or even First Aid can be Very useful in shop and in getting your career kickstarted. 

-Mechanical experience can be useful in many shops, Most shops I've worked in appreciated the fact I know how to turn some wrenches, (although I tend to build custom equipment or accessories for heavy trucks or oilfield equipment)

-Having your own tools, While it's not always necessary it's a good idea to have at least some proper fitting tools like: Squares, Levels, Tape measure, Hammers, Punch set, Scribes, Tri-squares, Pry & Pinch-bars etc..

(If you would like more info about helpful tools, Just let me know in the comment section)  

Remember if you're have trouble getting a good response Your Not Alone... 

Just keep plugging away at it.      

It can be tricky to get the right person on the phone, or even just not get hung up on. (I'll be going over proper techniques for this in a future post)

2)Look into Pre-employment training...

If you are in alberta the best place to go for this is NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology)

They describe their pre-employment training as follows:

Program Description

The Pre-employment Welder program is a great way to launch a career in welding. This 12-week program covers all course material received by a first year welding apprentice such as oxyacetylene welding, shielded metal arc welding, plus additional hours in gas metal arc welding, and job search skills. To improve employability of our graduates, additional training in the areas of rigging and hoisting, WHMIS, and forklift operation have been added to the program. The Pre-employment Welding program is well recognized in industry as a great source of quality employees, so demand for graduates is high. Successful students will be able to write the first year Alberta apprenticeship exam.

Admission Requirements

• Successful completion of Alberta Grade 9, including Math, English and Science or equivalent, or receive a pass mark in the Alberta Apprenticeship Entrance Examination.
• All applicants to NAIT  must demonstrate English Language Proficiency prior to admission, including students educated in Canada. For more information, please visit English Proficiency.

For information about the Alberta Apprenticeship Entrance Examination, visit Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training.

Remember though the Pre-employment training programs are the equivalent of your 1st year training, 

They DO NOT include your practical (in shop) hours required to fully complete your 1st year training, 

1350Hrs approx. (In Alberta).

Another thing to point out is that once you start your apprenticeship you cannot miss going to school for more than a year and a 1/2.(in Alberta) Or you will risk losing your apprentice ticket. it may seem harsh but I personally agree with getting the appropriate training in an appropriate time frame.

 

3) Hope you have a relative that owns a welding shop...

I'm kidding here, But if your not willing to go though the steps I've mentioned above, Then your only real hope at getting into a shop would be if you know someone who can get you into a shop.

& if that's the route(#3) you feel is right for you, Then this trade is probably not for you, As it will be hard work nearly every single day.

But if you enjoy building things with your hands, Or find satisfaction in turning raw materials into finished products. Then you might just get the opportunity to make good money and enjoy what you do.(pretty rare)

It's also pretty nice to get home at a decent time every day, & know you're going to get most of your weekends off.

Good luck out there and as always feel free to post your Questions or Comments.

Welcome To The Machine ( Introduction to the Welding Trade )

This Blog is my attempt to...
Help people interested in becoming a welder.
Provide "inside" info to new welders breaking in to the industry.
Share trade tips and techniques.
Engage in open discussion about the welding industry, Or just specifics such as welding techniques.
Answer questions & help out fellow tradesmen who might not know some of the tricks I've picked up during the 10 years I've worked as a custom fabricator.(I'm a Red Seal Journeyman Welder)
 Here goes nothing....
http://www.tradesecrets.gov.ab.ca describes a welder as follows: 

Duties

"Welders join or several metals in beams, girders, vessels, piping and other metal components, make metal parts used in construction and manufacturing plants, and weld parts, tools, machines and equipment.
Welding usually involves applying heat to metal pieces to melt and fuse them together. In electric arc welding, heat is created as an electric current flows through an arc between the tip of the welding electrode and the metal. In gas welding, such as oxy-acetylene welding, the flame from the combustion of burning gases melts the metal. In both arc and gas welding, filler materials are melted and added to fill the joint and make it stronger. In resistance welding, the metal piece itself is melted as current flows through it, and no filler is added.
Welders use different welding processes and fillers depending upon the type of metal, its size and shape, and requirements for finished product strength. For a typical welding project, they:

• develop patterns for projects or follow directions given in layouts, blueprints and work orders
• clean, check for defects and shape component parts, sometimes using a cutting torch
• weld parts together

Welders may also build up worn parts by welding layers of high-strength hard-metal alloys onto them.

Working Conditions

Welders work in a wide variety of work environments. They may work outdoors on construction sites or indoors in production and repair shops. Travel may be required on jobs such as oilfield-related welding. A 40-hour work week is normal, but overtime is sometimes required.
There is some risk of injury involved working with torches and hot metals and the resulting sparks and toxic gases.

Skills and Abilities

The work is most rewarding for those who enjoy building things and working with little direction or supervision.
To be successful in the trade, welders need:

• manual dexterity
• good vision (glasses are acceptable)
• eye-hand coordination
• the ability to concentrate on detailed work
• patience"

I recommend starting at Tradesecrets.org As they have a plethora of useful info for anyone looking to get into any trade, As well as tons of useful info about working in alberta and working in the trades.
But what they don't cover are the little details about working in different types of shops, Or the politics that can come into play (unfortunately) but that will be covered in future posts.
  Well that's my first post...
Stay tuned for more. And feel free to post your questions or comments.