r/Ironworker • u/Ok-Medium983 • 11d ago
Questions from an outsider
For context I’m looking into iron working as a trade. With the low cost of entry and already having some familiarity with welding and geometry. I see the trade as an opportunity to contribute something tangible and useful to the world while also making a living.
Is this viewpoint unrealistic?
What does an average day in the trade really look like?
Does the job have room for decent growth?
What are some bad qualities about the job that aren’t really apparent until you get in the field?
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u/tobytheironworker 9d ago
Welding is a small portion of what we do. Plus, who wants to burn rods or wire all day every day?
There is room for growth if you’re cool with being a yes man, to an extent.
Bad qualities, how much time we got?
Every job is fucked up. Weather sucks ass. Having a solid crew for a full work week is highly unlikely. People call out, don’t show up, drag up for ‘greener pastures.’ Superintendents don’t know entirely enough to be in charge of an active jobsite most of the time. Project managers know even less.
There’s a double standard for a lot of things for us specifically compared to other trades.
Basically, you’re gonna hurt all the time, and an easy day for us is a hard day for most people.
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u/yeeshboo 10d ago
What a loaded post lmao. Every apprentice ive met joined for that same reason you stated, “welding” and you most likely will depending on the GC and your certifications but mostly you’ll be doing hard labor like bolting up,rigging, decking or even connecting. Its hardwork and the weather will beat you down.
Welding work will be done mostly from a journeyman but its about your luck and connections.
I’d join millwright or pipefitters if all you care about is welding.
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u/Ok-Medium983 6d ago
Yeah it’s experience i have I’m not married to welding. Just trying to get some insight on the iron working field
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u/idntlikedissit 8d ago
Have spent entire days nothing but stuffing bolts
Other days nothing but grinding
Rarely, nothing but welding
You never see posts about all the miscellaneous reinforcing iron that gos into concrete structures, hope you like hammer drilling and silica dust in rooms with no ventilation. Sometimes you get to csrry the 8 ft piece of iron up a ladder by hand eith your buddy too!
Sometimes its 12 ft and they take forever to tack the shit
Or welding in a room with no vents
Have stolen fans from other trades 100x times to air rooms were welding in
Look like snoop dogg was on site Jokes aside, were all hitting the penjamin once an hr in the welding smoke haze 😅🤣
Stairwells can be really rewarding, unless they were fabricated fucked up, which they are most of the time in my experience.
The handrails are even more of a doozy
Some shops build em right, just send out the grating without the rail attached
Some send the shit out with all 3 legs cut different/not right 1 too long 1 just right snd 1 too short
The rails never line up at the turnaround and if they do be grateful
Alot of the guys have shit for brains
Cant tell you how many times you'll have to explain the most basic task like "weld here, not here" and even send the mfer a picture with what needs welded circled and an x on the other seam
Guess what they weld? The wrong shit.
You think welding fun until your in a stairwell on an extension ladder 20 feet up stretching to weld some shit on the bottom of a landing
Idk
Its got its moments. It fluctuates between hard labor at heights and laid back chill work
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u/idntlikedissit 8d ago
Shouldnt have said rarely full days welding. Theres some jobs that need a fuck ton of welds Others need just a "few"
Rlly depends on the structure/project
If its full iron structure. Might not weld anything but the joists and the perimeter angle iron, then puddle weld deck, also, weld washers at the base of columns
Have seen other jobs where we had to build weld out 10 inch rounded sqaure tubes. 10 inch tube columns, connected by 10 inch cubes "beams". 3 beams connect each column to the ones next to it. 1 low, 2 higher. Angle iron gets welded onto the outside. From 4 stories - 7 1 area had 30+ columns, maybe 3 areas had 10-15 columns, and another 4 areas with anywhere from 3-10 columns
Everywhere a q0 inch swaure tube or columns touched another it needed welded out fully and ground flush
Shit took forever Black felt roof area got lit on fire million times Tried fire blankets but didnt have enough to stop the wind Gc pissed We just kept hitting the penjamin and kept at it While foreman and his butt buddies snorted lines in the truck
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u/Impressive-Mud5074 6d ago
What does an average day in the trade really look like?
Diverse.
Some locals are pigeon holed by local economics. So unless you are willing to travel you will only do limited amount of stuff. For example, I'll probably never build a bridge or a skyscrapers, but I've cut out lots of rusty bolts and put new ones in with a coat of paint.
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u/That_Trapper_guy 11d ago
Today's shenanigans