+Pipelining Questions+

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Hello. My name is Dave. I will be attending Greenville Tech in South Carolina 2014-15 for welding. I have limited experience with mig, stick, tig, and gas welding/cutting. I have been reading a lot of books and watching a lot of Youtube videos about welding. I am really interested in pipeline welding and that is the subject I watch the most on Youtube. I have searched and tried to read all the posts on this forum.I have several questions about the Pipeline:1.If I can pass a 6g pipe welding test, how hard will it be to find a pipeline helper/apprentice job on the pipeline?2.Are Unions really as hard to get into like the 798 Union is made out to be?3.Do most of yall stay in hotels/motels or live out of a camper?4.On Youtube, I have seen automatic welders called “BUGS”. Will these eventually take over the pipelining industry or will there still be a need for rig welders?5.If you could restart your welding career, what would you do differently?Any extra comments are appreciatedThanks,DaveLast edited by DCRichey; 12-06-2013 at 09:16 PM.
Reply:Don't mean to burst your bubble but pipeline welding takes a lot more skill and experience than most would believe. This isn't something you just "pick up" at school. This is the most stringently regulated forum of welding there is (along with boiler maker welding). If you can't do an X-ray quality weld every time, then this isn't the job for you. That being said, you could very well have the skills to do this with some help from an experienced pipeline welder or teacher. So, pay attention in school and don't get frustrated when things don't work. Listen to the advise you get and don't be afraid to try something different when things are not working for you. Don't keep making the same mistakes over and over. Learn from the first mistake and make changes. Good luck my friend.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:you are going to a very good school. I wish I went there instead... Right now though like already said. just learn and pick up the basics. Hard work pays off. And dont expect to get your diploma and head off to the pipeline, you will need more experience than that.- Christian M.C3 Welding & Fabrication - CNC Plasma Cutting-Mobile Welding-Custom welding and fabwww.c3welding.com
Reply:Go take a 6g test and a branch test for a gas company, not your school and when it doesn't go too good then go be a helper for a year or two then weld for a year or two if your skills are up to it. Then apply to 798 if you wish. In the pipeline world 75% of the welders are scabs and the rest are good. In the union alone it's 50/50. You better be to the top 25% if you want food on the table every night
Reply:I wasn't expecting to buy a rig and go straight to the pipeline right after school. I realize that welding is a trade and I have to start at the bottom. I know that 798 requires 5000 hours as a helper before you can be one of their rig welders.How hard is it to become a helper? How do I find a rig weldor and does he pay me to be his helper or does the company he works for pay me?Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life.
Reply:You don't need 5000 hours as a helper to be a 798 welder unless you join up as a helper. You can work non union for a few years as a helper then as a welder then when you have enough experience welding you can go union if you wish. Most pipeline helper jobs the contractor will pay the helpers not the welder.