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Well, I F'd up and went a got a real job at a serious production structural steel shop. The place has 5 bridge cranes rated at 55,000 lbs. and 14 welding stations each covered by a 2,200 jib crane. Each welding station has 2 ESAB "Warrior" 500 amp inverter wire welding set ups. Obviously this company is pretty serious about getting some structural iron out the door. According to the prints, the beams and collums I squirted large quantities of hot metal on this week are for Building # 22 at the San Clemente Plaza. And, in kind of a strange twist of fate it looks like (in a way) I finally made Master Chief. Got assigned E9 as a welder identification number.
Reply:Cool good luck! I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Congrats on your promotion Master Chief! 30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30" vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:Dude, you are so going to wish for the spool to empty to catch your breath Congratulations on the new job.
Reply:looks nice man!!! Much luck to you!
Reply:HTCM - BZ bro! You have enough room and welding power at that facility to fab some heavy work, for sure. Best fortune in your new endeavor "Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:HT3 Allen is quite jealous of your new digs, master chief.
Reply:That's a nice shop. The shop I work in resembles a snake pit and certainly not as big. The whole idea is to pump iron out the door - it's what generates the paycheck. Some of our welders are older than I am and others are just old. We're about to get real busy after 2 months of 5/8's. Prior to that we were on 7/12's to get a contract out. We use metalcore w/tri-mix (2% oxygen) it gets real hot. What's your poison. Tried to load a pic . . . wth!JimJim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY
Reply:Thanks for all the well wishes guys.This has to be by far the largest, most well equipped (for its intended purpose) shop I've ever worked in. Most of my experience has been in more of a job shop type environment where you worked on a wide range of things using multiple processes working closely with other specialists (mechanics, machinists, etc.). This place is designed to do one thing only, that being to pump out large quantities of prefabbed structural steel components. I've heard the place has a design capacity of 500 metric ton / week. And while they haven't managed that yet they're still in the process of getting their work force trained up and bringing on a third shift. The place has been open less than a year.What you can see in the picture I posted is probably only around 1/8 of the shop. The other end of the shop where the raw steel comes in is full of CNC equipment for sawing, plasma cutting and hole drilling. Once all the parts are made for a particular weldment they're lifted down to the assembly area where the fitters and their helpers tack it all up. After a dimensional check by QC to verify every thing is as it should be it's my (or one of the other welders) turn to weld it out. I've got helpers available for any grinding that might need to be done and to help with the post weld clean up. Post weld clean up usually requires just a little light scraping to get rid of some fine spatter and most of the glass (silicon islands) and a quick hand wire brushing. After giving all my welds a quick once over to make sure all the welds are the right size and I've got no defects that need fixing (under cut mostly) I stamp it and stick a yellow flag on it which alerts the QC guys on the shop floor that it's ready for final inspection. Everything gets a 100% visual inspection with some UT and MT here and there (mostly the CP joints). When the QC guy is happy he sprays the metal tag attached to it pink which lets one of the crane operators know he can grab it and load it on one of the flat bed trucks they've got backed in the door on my end of the shop. On average I'd say they're pulling a flat bed semi load of finished beams and columns out the back door once an hour.
Reply:While I've been pretty use to being able to take pictures at will of the things I've worked on in the past this place unfortunetly has a no personal picture taking policy. But how ever I managed to copy these from the companies public web site so I don't think it will get me in any trouble for showing them here. These were taken shortly after the place opened and now there's way more steel stacked just about every where so there's not near as much open floor space as you see in these pictures.This is the North end of the building where the raw material comes in. The plasma cutting station is just to the left inside the door. On the right is the sawing and drilling line. Other than a quick walk thru on my first day I haven't got to spend any time in this area.Since saws are a frequent topic of conversation in the forums......This is looking down thru the shop toward the South end where I work.
Reply:Some of my shopThe company just bought a huge break for our bent plate needs. No more outsourcing. Our PYTHON does all the cut and hole opts on our beams and columns while the burn table cuts the base plates. Don't they all really operate sort of the same way?Jim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY
Reply:Hey HT-2, what part of the country from?JimJim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY
Reply:Wow impressive. Enjoy it man!I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Originally Posted by welditforyouHey HT-2, what part of the country from?Jim
Reply:The shop is certainly impressive ,but I didn't see the station for making trailers with a 110 flux core !
Reply:welditforyou,Judging by the pictures you posted I'm guessing you have a broader over all knowledge of this type of fabrication than I do at this point. I've been learning lots of new little things every day so far. And I expect that to continue for a while. Luckily for me my only real responsibility so far is to be able to put good welds on things in a timely and efficient manner. Which is some thing that 40 years of teasing a molten metal puddle around trying to get it to do what I want it to has made me fairly good at. I've got two older highly experienced fitter / assemblers that have been playing this game for a while that I can call on for guidance when ever I'm not sure just how something should get done. One thing that had me puzzled at first (and didn't quite understand) was why they were paying an A level fitter / assembler a dollar more an hour than an A level welder. It only took me the first couple of days on the job to grasp why that's the situation.
Reply:Originally Posted by welditforyouThat's a nice shop. The shop I work in resembles a snake pit and certainly not as big. The whole idea is to pump iron out the door - it's what generates the paycheck. Some of our welders are older than I am and others are just old. We're about to get real busy after 2 months of 5/8's. Prior to that we were on 7/12's to get a contract out. We use metalcore w/tri-mix (2% oxygen) it gets real hot. What's your poison. Tried to load a pic . . . wth!Jim
Reply:HT as another "structural brother" it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As for the shop - it is not a bad place to work. I think we all can see some obvious differences though (your floor is much cleaner). It's actually the largest shop I've ever worked in. But, as for the OLD WELDERS. I meant the equipment not the humanoids. There has been some mild rumor as to the company spending some money and getting some new power sources. The pics I posted didn't show anything other than the shop and some material. Nothing about how much I do or don't know. I worked in a couple of structural shops over the years. One as far back as the Carter administration and another about 4 years ago when a shop needed to fulfill a contract on time. I hired into this shop last August after a buddy text me and ask me if I was interested in coming work. That is my structural experience and the required AISC certs to work there. Other than that, it's been production shops. One gig as a fixture welder pumping out as many parts as possible because a guy built one part in 7 minutes so I must be able to build 10 of them in 70 minutes right? Now do that all day. It just doesn't work that way. The 7/12's weren't fun but it only lasted about a month. Prior to that it was 5/10's w/8 on Saturday. I hired in as a fitter/welder. Most of the time we weld what we fit up. Other times we might fit up all day and let the night shift weld. I just don't care what I do. I go where the company needs me. I might be on beams and columns for a couple of weeks then next week I'm in the miscellaneous dept. welding handrail and stringers. If you think about it, it's like heavy production work. I apologize if I came across as some kind of hot shot super welder. I'm just another guy pulling or chasing a puddle, whatever the case may be. Here's what I'm working on right now. Attached ImagesLast edited by welditforyou; 01-25-2015 at 01:14 PM.Reason: wrong picturesJim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY
Reply:What is that thing a lunar walker or a carnival ride?
Reply:Here's the engine for it.This is what it will be.I think the lunar walker would be fun to drive too.Jim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY
Reply:I used to really want a kit plane! We had the land for it back at my dads. Level one of the 20Acre fields into a strip, and taxi up on up to the barn to park. Until I realized what it cost to get a PPL, and then what it would cost to actually buy/build the plane. What is the start to finish time on building that particular plane?
Reply:Looking really good on the Bearhawk welding so far. How long have you been working on it? What's the weight of the motor + PSRU?-- Paul S
Reply:Thats a nice looking shop, y'all need to get some of that round iron up in there! O-Beams and such.
Reply:I'll start a thread on the airplane project so as not to hi-jack this one. Perhaps one of the mods could move the post with the plane pics to another threadHmmm . . . "O-Beams" I think they could catch on . . . . maybe . . . . it could happenJimJim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY
Reply:Originally Posted by TimmyTIGThats a nice looking shop, y'all need to get some of that round iron up in there! O-Beams and such.Those shop photos are porn to me. Thats my dream operation then i remeber the overhead they must have then my dreams get smallerVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Originally Posted by welditforyouHT as another "structural brother" it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As for the shop - it is not a bad place to work. I think we all can see some obvious differences though (your floor is much cleaner). It's actually the largest shop I've ever worked in. But, as for the OLD WELDERS. I meant the equipment not the humanoids. There has been some mild rumor as to the company spending some money and getting some new power sources. The pics I posted didn't show anything other than the shop and some material. Nothing about how much I do or don't know. I worked in a couple of structural shops over the years. One as far back as the Carter administration and another about 4 years ago when a shop needed to fulfill a contract on time. I hired into this shop last August after a buddy text me and ask me if I was interested in coming work. That is my structural experience and the required AISC certs to work there. Other than that, it's been production shops. One gig as a fixture welder pumping out as many parts as possible because a guy built one part in 7 minutes so I must be able to build 10 of them in 70 minutes right? Now do that all day. It just doesn't work that way. The 7/12's weren't fun but it only lasted about a month. Prior to that it was 5/10's w/8 on Saturday. I hired in as a fitter/welder. Most of the time we weld what we fit up. Other times we might fit up all day and let the night shift weld. I just don't care what I do. I go where the company needs me. I might be on beams and columns for a couple of weeks then next week I'm in the miscellaneous dept. welding handrail and stringers. If you think about it, it's like heavy production work. I apologize if I came across as some kind of hot shot super welder. I'm just another guy pulling or chasing a puddle, whatever the case may be. Here's what I'm working on right now.
Reply:I'm afraid I'm one of those who are "over braced" It seems to get worse the older you get. Things just aren't as steady as they used to be, and oncoming arthritis doesn't help either. Don't get me started on the knees, eyes, back,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:About the airplane??It seems the engine is an automotive engine from the pics. Does the carb work in the inverted position? If I remember correctly, one of the most fatal flaws in the early Spitfires during WWII was the fact that the carbs weren't designed for inverted flight, and the motor would quit during a roll. Lost a good number of pilots because of this. It was later corrected."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Say HT,Our shop has fitter/welders and master fitter/welders. I am not the latter. Also, our shop is union. It's about the most useless union, but it is union. Cost me 40 bucks a month and I get absolutely nothing for my money because the company does whatever they want to anyway. However my opinion is I feel very fortunate to have a job and I have had less paying jobs so things are good. Now bracing ones self. I tend to be one of those especially since I had both knees worked a couple of weeks ago. I just went back to work yesterday. Let's talk eyes. I wear readers with side shields under the hood, but do the look over the top thing when walking through the shop. Damn, getting old is not for sissies.All in all though, I like the job. It's an old school industry with some hi-tech add ons. Remember when we used a mag drill for the connection holes and a cutting torch for the block outs. Now the python cuts the block outs, cuts to length and burns the holes. I just knock the dross off and its ready to fit. Also, for the most part everything is welded flat. For the weld test we have the 3/8's flat, the unlimited which is "flat" 1in. beveled plate w/1/4 root w/backing and the typical slice and dice then the 3g w/dual shield on 1" beveled plate w/backing. I have the unlimited and will be taking the 3g this week while we are slow. The schedule will start OT again in a couple of weeks.JimJim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY
Reply:Jim,At this shop the fitter / assemblers and the welders are both broke down into A, B and C levels. Then they also have "helpers" that either group can call on when needed. If nobody has a specific task for a helper they're suppose to be pushing a broom or other wise involved in keeping the shop clean and organized as best as possible. While there's no Union there's still some pretty (at least I think so) benefits involved. Yesterday I made 16, 2' long 1/2" fillets (3 passes each). Plus around 20' of 5/16 fillet, 6, 1 pass partial penetration joints 2' long and 1, 18" long single bevel full pen on 1". I'm guessing I've been going thru most of a 60# spool of .052 metal core wire each day.
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Reply:Do they have a chamber machine? I have one I would like to sell.
Reply:Todd,My shop does have a camber machine. We don't use it all the time but it does get used. How about an angle master. I hear rumor that the company is considering one.Jim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY
Reply:I don't have a angle master. I purchased some equipment from a large fab shop and they have this chamber machine that is very nice shape and they can't get anyone to look at it.
Reply:Originally Posted by welditforyouSay HT,Our shop has fitter/welders and master fitter/welders. I am not the latter. Also, our shop is union. It's about the most useless union, but it is union. Cost me 40 bucks a month and I get absolutely nothing for my money because the company does whatever they want to anyway. However my opinion is I feel very fortunate to have a job and I have had less paying jobs so things are good. Now bracing ones self. I tend to be one of those especially since I had both knees worked a couple of weeks ago. I just went back to work yesterday. Let's talk eyes. I wear readers with side shields under the hood, but do the look over the top thing when walking through the shop. Damn, getting old is not for sissies.All in all though, I like the job. It's an old school industry with some hi-tech add ons. Remember when we used a mag drill for the connection holes and a cutting torch for the block outs. Now the python cuts the block outs, cuts to length and burns the holes. I just knock the dross off and its ready to fit. Also, for the most part everything is welded flat. For the weld test we have the 3/8's flat, the unlimited which is "flat" 1in. beveled plate w/1/4 root w/backing and the typical slice and dice then the 3g w/dual shield on 1" beveled plate w/backing. I have the unlimited and will be taking the 3g this week while we are slow. The schedule will start OT again in a couple of weeks.Jim
Reply:Wow, you use a cheater in your hood WITH the no line bifocals? How's that work for you? I too have no lines and tried them under the hood but got double vision with them. I can't use contacts lenses either because there set up the typical one for close and one for distance. I see the best with a pair of 2.00 cheaters.HT, I'm happy for you. Don't you love that first paycheck thing. It makes the world feel like a better place.The word is out in our shop that we will probably be going to 5/10s as well in a couple of weeks.It sounds like your shop is pretty busy, you gotta love it. It's going to take a little bit to pump out 140 columns. This is our calm before the storm. We were slow enough at the moment I took the day to put some ice packs on my knees after the procedure I had done a couple weeks ago. They ache like hell this morning after the week on a concrete floor. But I'm not complaining, it can always be worse.Jim,I don't mean to be argumentative and cantankerous,but I am getting older and a bit crotchety!Addendum; AND CRANKY |
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发表于 2021-8-31 22:12:06