Welding side money.

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Anyone had any luck welding as a side job? I have a stick and mig welder and have posted on craigslist with no luck. I am a full time welder with certs just wanting to make more money.
Reply:I did the craigslist thing for a while .. Fixed a few lawnmower decks and stuff like that.. Even brazed some guys bathtub fixture ...(Never got paid for that one)But most people wanted body panels and floors welded in I wont touch that with a 10 foot poleThere is also a fair amount of scammers and idiots on craigslist.  Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkMiller 211Hypertherm PM 451961 Lincoln Idealarc 250HTP 221  True Wisdom only comes from Pain.
Reply:Depending on your area, maybe consider welding art with horseshoes or recycled materials . It can be profitable and fun.
Reply:CL gets you nowhere. Word of mouth is where it is at. I now have repeat customers.www.tjsperformance.comDynasty 300 DXHTP 240HTP Microcut 380Hyperthem 85JD2 Hyd Bender and HF Hyd Ring Roller all in one =(Frankenbender)Bpt. Mill/DRO4' x 8' CNC Plasma TableInstagram: tjsperformanceYT: TJS Welding and Fabrication
Reply:All my work has come from word of mouth. I do not advertise at all. In fact I do not even have a sign.  When I had a sign all I got was crap jobs like others have said. All my work is business to business.  If I were going to look for more work I would go talk to small buisineses personally . Take some pics of your work and let them know what you can do. Do not tell them what tools you have, they don't care they just want it fixed.  Try to get connections with a shop that has equipment to do what you can't , like rolling , machining etc. You can not say you can't do that. You sub out what you can't do and add their price to your job. The type of companies you want to talk to are, saw mills, tree services, plow contractors, farmers, restaurants if you can tig stainless and finish it , small bottling plants,small trucking co. almost any co. with under 10 employees. The large companies have their oun maintenance people and have to go by OSHA regs. so until you have a lot of experience you will need to stay away from them.  Make a buis. card with a cell number so you can answer where ever you are. If you work through the week and are only available at certain times it will be tuf. I would make sure they know you will work Sat. with no o. t. charges.
Reply:

Originally Posted by opencircles

Anyone had any luck welding as a side job? I have a stick and mig welder and have posted on craigslist with no luck. I am a full time welder with certs just wanting to make more money.
Reply:

Originally Posted by WNY_TomB

.danger is spending on home shop equipment rather than saving into a retirement account, too many are 40 or 50 with no retirement savings. if you start saving when young it just snow balls vastly bigger retirement savings after you get past $100,000 then $200,000, etc for example.save $400 / month for 50 years at 6% which is stock market long term average comes to $1,393,630..compound interest calculator. math is a powerful tool..https://www.investor.gov/tools/calcu...r#.U5MmUnbYmSo
Reply:

Originally Posted by John T

Thanks Dad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:when things are slow at work i post an ad in cl. all in all i have to say i got good results. i got my money's worth from those free ads.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:A well worded ad can be helpful, but like John T said, a lot of people want rusted out body panels, floors and exhausts repaired. I don't even touch it with a 20 foot pole.   -----------------I used CL when I was starting my business.

http://www.philswelding.com
Reply:

Originally Posted by MetalMan23

A well worded ad can be helpful, but like John T said, a lot of people want rusted out body panels, floors and exhausts repaired. I don't even touch it with a 20 foot pole.   -----------------I used CL when I was starting my business.
Reply:

Originally Posted by docwelder

except for gas/compressor tanks i'll weld anything if they got cash in hand


Reply:Back in high school I used to weld riding mower decks back together.My "collection":Homemade Stick WelderVictor O/A TorchAC 225Ideal Arc 250HF 90 Amp Flux CoreHF Mig 170Solar 2020 Plasma CutterPower i-Mig 140EHarris O/A torchHF Dual Mig 131140STAlpha Tig 200x
Reply:Cash in hand is nice, but burning through rusty sheet metal for a couple bucks is not my cup of tea. And I don't even like tea

http://www.philswelding.com
Reply:I don't really have a lot of tools to work with. I would like to be able to tig but I want to work my way up to be able to buy a good tig welder. The problem I am finding is that everyone thinks they can fix everything with a $100 flux welder.To the guy that talked about retirement. I have pensions and annuity's that my employer pays into and plan to invest more into a retirement fund eventually.
Reply:

Originally Posted by opencircles

I don't really have a lot of tools to work with. I would like to be able to tig but I want to work my way up to be able to buy a good tig welder. The problem I am finding is that everyone thinks they can fix everything with a $100 flux welder.
Reply:Be the guy that that has equipment that can go anywhere. I seem to make more money just hauling my stuff around and welding for 15 minutes then hours welding in the shop. CL was a waste of time, get service accounts by dropping a card in person.ESAB Rebels 215 and 235, ESAB HELIARC 281i, ESAB ET 301i, Hypertherm 85 and 45XP, Thermal Arc 185, TD 60i, HTP PRO PULSE 300
Reply:I don't have the funds for a gas powered welder. I would like to just start small
Reply:Business Cards man, Business Cards.Location Location LocationDrop them EVERYWHERESmall restaurants, motorcycle dealerships, bicycle stores, auto part stores, tow truck yards, hardware stores, gun ranges/stores, car and motorcycle shows (when the weather warms up)Place them on windshields at gyms, garden centers, and if you can get into the yards at like At&T (I have one by me where the employees park on the street) school bus lots, UPS, Gas company, Electric company lots and so on.110 TIG welder is the way to go. Plug in at there house and $


Reply:I would like to be able to TIG aluminum. not many people around here can do it.
Reply:

Originally Posted by opencircles

I would like to be able to TIG aluminum. not many people around here can do it.
Reply:What TIG welder do you use?
Reply:

Originally Posted by opencircles

What TIG welder do you use?
Reply:How does everyone deal with insurance with side jobs? Is it just a matter of doing non critical work only?
Reply:I can't really afford a big name tig. Have been looking at the everlast 250.