tool and die welding

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Hello all, i am a new member from ohio, and was wondering if any members are or have any experience as a tool and die welder. I know this isnt a career you can hop right into and need to gain knowledge and experience in, but id just like some information about it.  I am thinking of going to welding school and would like an idea of where i would like to be down the road, set career goals.Basically id just like to know some info about the job, job duties,  training required (besides trade school), if tool and die welding is a good job, stable and so forth.  I have heard it is very lucrative and involves alot of tig welding which i enjoy quite a bit, id also like a challenging and enjoyable job. So if anyone can give me any feedback that would be greatly appreciated. Also interested in aerospace welding so if anyone has any info on that field please feel free to chime in. Thanks again.
Reply:I think that is a great idea. That is a neat job. Tiggin' is a clean job too!Plus, a lot of guys look at TIG like it is an ancient chinese secret and respect you and have no desire to take your job....Seriously, the die part is kinda of simple. You weld it up and some machinist makes it look new. Your welds are invisible a lot of the time.The tool part is more intense.Let us know how it works out!Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Not quite as simple as you might think.  If it were, it would not be so expensive.  Many tool and die repairs use exotic material and filler, micro welding equipment, and sometimes under a microscope.  Some are very expensive if you don't do the repair perfect.  Do some internet searches and you'll find quite a lot.  Good luck.
Reply:Thanks for the responses . I couldnt find all that much online about it, but i know with manufacturing making its supposed rebound there should be some sort of welding work in that area,Or so i think anyway. Like i said id just like to have an idea of what id like to do down the road in my welding career, i also really love the idea of welding exotic metals. Currently i mentor a FIRST robotics team and do all of their welding (all aluminum tig), im not a welder by trade but caught the tig bug back in high school and have done it to help the team ever since.  Im considering going to the local trade school (started off in college and haaaated it) to take up welding and i want to get an idea of where id like to start and go from there. But if anyone has anymore info on either tool and die welding or any other kind of niche welding i.e. aerospace or aviation that would be greatly appreciated.
Reply:My dad owned two forging die businesses. I did alot of tig welding repairing trim dies when I first got out of school. But the coolest thing about that field of work is flood welding with baseball bat size electrodes!
Reply:Flood welding???? Sounds very interesting ive never heard of that
Reply:Hardest part is not washing out the corners and overheating causing sink and resulting flash in contact areas. I got a #2 magnifer in the hoods and break out the #2 reading glasses to go on top of that. Most times I break out the Air Hardening #3 tool steel, marked AH-3, made by stoody. That stuff works on any steel to deposit a hard layer without heat treat.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Shovelon do you work in tool and die repair?
Reply:Originally Posted by tigman379Shovelon do you work in tool and die repair?
Reply:Ah i see well good to hear things are picking up, i know things in my neck of the woods are starting to get busy on the oil and gas side of things, hopefully it stays that way.  Do you have any advice for a young guy looking to start a career in welding?
Reply:I work in the mold industry as a mold maker and a micro welder. I use very high end equipment including an Olympus microscope that runs around 8 grand. I use filler rod as small as .003 and as big as .020. I have about 15 years experience micro welding and it has not been an easy journey. It is always a challenge to say the least. You learn a lot of tricks along the way and it is near impossible to get any tricks from anyone else. Throw away anything you have learned about tig welding and get ready to step outside the box.....way outside the box. Good luck!
Reply:Tigman,There's a company in Dayton, OH named Wicked Welding that specializes in Tool and Die welding.  I visited there shop a few years ago to learn more and talk about a job opportunity.  It wasn't for me, but what I saw there sounds very much like what Hutch describes in his last post.I still have some contact info for the owner.  Where are you located in Ohio?  If you're close enough to Dayton, maybe I can setup a quick visit to talk with the owner about what they do.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:Grumpycricket from hear is a tool and die welder, I hope he catches this and chimes in for ya bud! I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Im located in northeast ohio, youngstown warren area, probably about 3 hours from dayton. I will have to look them up though, the name alone sounds cool
Reply:Ok.  Wicked welding does have a website, or did the last time I looked.  I'm sure there's someone in the Youngstown vicinity doing tool and die repair with the Lordstown GM plant in that area... Originally Posted by tigman379Im located in northeast ohio, youngstown warren area, probably about 3 hours from dayton. I will have to look them up though, the name alone sounds cool
Reply:I think we have a shop in the area that does some tool and die work but im not too sure. I always thought GM employed their own tool and die welders, i dont know if they still do