What is wrong with me?

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I thought I had taken on an "easy" job, customer brought in a 47 cm or there abouts I can only assume fire pit and wanted it to be rewelded because her hubby and son decided to mess around with it... Took one look and thought it would just be a case of grinding out their poor welds and rewelding the thing... Boy was I WRONG WRONG WRONG Turns out I really need to make a totally new one from new steel, so I called the customer and had her come in and showed her all the rust and holes they had blown in it and explained what needed to be done... Only to get the classic pouting eyes and mouth and asked real nice if I can just fix it because of centimental value  I will post some pics of it when I get a new camera seeing as mine was pinched from the work car... Should give you all a great laugh and make some of you cry!
Reply:Charge her a nice sentimental pricePeople are mostly idiots"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammPeople are mostly idiots
Reply:I plan to Farmersamm, the thing is going to have a lot of hours just grinding the poor welds and the slag off it, then I have the pleasure of pannel beating it and welding it up... I gave her a guesstimate of 95 with a possibilty it would go to nearly 295 all up depending on how bad the thing really is once I cut all the welds... Might even have to form some sheet to add and blend it... Never again I tell ya..
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmI thought it was.....Most people are idiots.
Reply:People are mostly idiots            vs.Most people are idiotsHow about a Will Rogers quote?Everybody is ignorant only on different subjects.
Reply:maybe you need to hang up a sign that says"regular work $75/ hour...turdpolishing  $150/hour"
Reply:I should hey..... I told her there was a min charge of $75 and gave her my hourly rate and was shocked to hear that what I thought was expensive is actually the lowest quote she recieved..... But then again I get the feeling the others know her and have a good idea of what it would be like!!! On the upside the little CHIT that pinched me camera from the work car has been pinched by the coppers... Found me old cam just gotta find an SD card and some batteries and I will post where I am up to on the thing... Just not getting any done today because the power keeps goin out!
Reply:I know I said I would add photo's to this post and they are coming, I am very sorry for the delay.. I had a little #&$^#@@ break in the work truck and steal my camera amoung other things whilst I was doing a quote.. I am waiting until the insurance approves my claim so I can replace the camera and add the photo'sThanks for your continuing patience with me..Collin
Reply:its all good mate, pretty keen to see this nightmare job also but all in good time, cunning lil cunts aye breaking into your work truck.so you work for yourself hey? i plan to do the same one day here in w.a
Reply:I believe " no good deed goes unpunished" may apply hear too! Had a similar call from a dude. "Got a wheel barrow, just needs a quick weld, need it by next day, I'll drop it off in the morning, on my way to work, pay ya cash on the way home" ..."sure"Come to work to find this concrete encrusted, bent up piece of crap sittin' in the driveway. Called him up and told him to take a leap and his wheel barrow is on the curb and if he wants it, better get here in this area. Never saw him again.I love "people"200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Originally Posted by vandacootits all good mate, pretty keen to see this nightmare job also but all in good time, cunning lil cunts aye breaking into your work truck.so you work for yourself hey? i plan to do the same one day here in w.a
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderI believe " no good deed goes unpunished" may apply hear too! Had a similar call from a dude. "Got a wheel barrow, just needs a quick weld, need it by next day, I'll drop it off in the morning, on my way to work, pay ya cash on the way home" ..."sure"Come to work to find this concrete encrusted, bent up piece of crap sittin' in the driveway. Called him up and told him to take a leap and his wheel barrow is on the curb and if he wants it, better get here in this area. Never saw him again.I love "people"
Reply:Okay I got a new camera after the insurance company FINALY paid out my claim... But let me start at the start and end at the end.....I was in the shop today finishing up a few jobs and looking forwards to an early cut out time so I could get home and see the wife and our baby boy, when the phone rang surprise surprise it was the customer wanting me to go ahead and finish her as she called it "firepit" but she decided to put conditions on it wanting it to look like her 14 y.o son had made it (with no welding experience) that it not be panel beaten and that it would hold together... So I just said yeah fine and got off the phone..I ran the MiG with fluxcore wire in it so I didn't have to use the Argon/C02... Didn't bother grinding out the sons/dads crap welds didn't wire brush it... Basically it looks just like someone just picked up a MiG and started welding... Called customer to say it was ready and that I had the invoice sitting with the item... Well I am ashamed of how it looks but she says its exactly what she wanted and wouldn't have it any other way... All up I charged her $465 for the work which included my having to store it she ended paying me $500 saying the rest was a tip..... So I got a bit of cash and finally got that crap outta my shop! Attached Images
Reply:LOL, what an ODD thread......  I seriously would have come up with a better solution than that of the 'FIREPIT'.  $465.00 !  LOL... Crazy Stuff.Miller Diversion 165120 amp Buzz BoxVictor Oxy/Ace Oxy/LPGSmith "Little" Oxy/LPGHypertherm Powermax 30Lot's of Misc. tools n' crap....
Reply:$500.00 for that??!!! I need to move to Australia. Good coin!Miller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180
Reply:Originally Posted by jmanLOL, what an ODD thread......  I seriously would have come up with a better solution than that of the 'FIREPIT'.  $465.00 !  LOL... Crazy Stuff.
Reply:Originally Posted by jmanLOL, what an ODD thread......  I seriously would have come up with a better solution than that of the 'FIREPIT'.  $465.00 !  LOL... Crazy Stuff.
Reply:What a nightmare, from beginning to end, especially the end.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:PITA that she dick'd you around with the money. But she did tip you for your troubles and $500 for that, you can't complain!Really, though, you are comparing apples to oranges. Yeah, if she wanted a new one, she'd expect it to be a "proper" job, but she didn't want to loose an once of the "character" that it had, for obvious sentimental reasons. I think that's reasonable. If you'd beat the thing straight, it would loose it's "value" because it would no longer look like the one her son made.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:With my clients, I'll just go and take control of a bad situation when I know that they're FLIP-FLOPPING and 'just' cannot make up their mind.  If need be, I'll ponder a situation for a day or two and then get back to them with an 'alternative solution' to the problem.  The important thing that I find is that when you are 'FIRM' with them, they tend to 'LISTEN' a lot better and thus EASIER to 'STEER' in the RIGHT direction!  Let's not get this 'confused' with 'RUDE'!!  Above all, I have learned to be very 'DIPLOMATIC' and patient with people and it pays off HUGELY.  Anyway, I STEER them in the 'right direction' and if they don't 'get it', that's when I cut them loose and ONLY then...  Trust me it's EASY to persuade people to DO IT YOUR WAY, expecially if you do it with a 'smile' on your face. Although, you made out like a 'BANDIT' on this job... (Bandit being the key word here..Ahah!.    I likely would have 'STEERED' her into a NEW one but with the 'SENTIMENTAL OLD ONE' incorporated into the 'NEW UNIT'.  Meaning, I would have  takien her old one 'apart' and used the PIECES on the OUTSIDE to 'DECORATE' the NEW unit.  This would actually make the 'ORIGINAL PIECES' really stand out (which she wanted) but also give you 'comfort' knowing full well that the inside that you built was going to LAST a good long time.Cheers Dude,/Jman..Miller Diversion 165120 amp Buzz BoxVictor Oxy/Ace Oxy/LPGSmith "Little" Oxy/LPGHypertherm Powermax 30Lot's of Misc. tools n' crap....
Reply:Originally Posted by jmanWith my clients, I'll just go and take control of a bad situation when I know that they're FLIP-FLOPPING and 'just' cannot make up their mind.  If need be, I'll ponder a situation for a day or two and then get back to them with an 'alternative solution' to the problem.  The important thing that I find is that when you are 'FIRM' with them, they tend to 'LISTEN' a lot better and thus EASIER to 'STEER' in the RIGHT direction!  Let's not get this 'confused' with 'RUDE'!!  Above all, I have learned to be very 'DIPLOMATIC' and patient with people and it pays off HUGELY.  Anyway, I STEER them in the 'right direction' and if they don't 'get it', that's when I cut them loose and ONLY then...  Trust me it's EASY to persuade people to DO IT YOUR WAY, expecially if you do it with a 'smile' on your face. Although, you made out like a 'BANDIT' on this job... (Bandit being the key word here..Ahah!.    I likely would have 'STEERED' her into a NEW one but with the 'SENTIMENTAL OLD ONE' incorporated into the 'NEW UNIT'.  Meaning, I would have  takien her old one 'apart' and used the PIECES on the OUTSIDE to 'DECORATE' the NEW unit.  This would actually make the 'ORIGINAL PIECES' really stand out (which she wanted) but also give you 'comfort' knowing full well that the inside that you built was going to LAST a good long time.Cheers Dude,/Jman..
Reply:You have a misconception about process and longevity of welds.  Welds made with solid wire and CO2 don't last any longer than welds made with stick, fluxcore (gas or self shielded), tig, or even solid wire with argon/mix shield gas.  Choose your favorite process most applicable to the job, weld it properly and all will be well.  MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33You have a misconception about process and longevity of welds.  Welds made with solid wire and CO2 don't last any longer than welds made with stick, fluxcore (gas or self shielded), tig, or even solid wire with argon/mix shield gas.  Choose your favorite process most applicable to the job, weld it properly and all will be well.
Reply:I better put this message in because my step-daughter reads welding web if I leave it open on my laptop.. Happy 18th birthday Bree hope you had an awesome party tonight and that you don't wake up with a hangover in the morning... Now time for me to go and sleep off them ****** beers and no I still won't tell you how many I drank cause its not a competition...... YETI see what you're saying about using the process you're most comfortable with.  There is still a misconception in your thought though.  For the same wire diameter and machine output, fluxcore gives better penetration than solid wire and gas, generally speaking.  This is why you can weld thicker metals with a small 110v mig if using fluxcore than solid wire and gas.  It takes more energy (higher voltage output) to burn the solid wire versus the fluxcore, for the same diameter wire, so more of that energy goes into melting the metal, thus penetrating deeper when using the fluxcore.  For bigger machines with more power output, either wire type will give acceptable penetration.Last edited by DesertRider33; 06-26-2010 at 11:41 AM.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by jman I likely would have 'STEERED' her into a NEW one but with the 'SENTIMENTAL OLD ONE' incorporated into the 'NEW UNIT'.  Meaning, I would have  takien her old one 'apart' and used the PIECES on the OUTSIDE to 'DECORATE' the NEW unit.  This would actually make the 'ORIGINAL PIECES' really stand out (which she wanted) but also give you 'comfort' knowing full well that the inside that you built was going to LAST a good long time.Cheers Dude,/Jman..
Reply:What's wrong with you?  Nothing.  I want to know what's wrong with me!   I can weld like that all day for $500!!!  $2500/week to weld like that??  Which way do I steer????- MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Holy cow 500 buck that's the kinda jobs I need.... Everytime I give a price they look suprised.... Then the ask me why I charge so much... Also I have never gotten a tip great job by the waySIN CITY METAL WORKSvisit my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/devvon
Reply:Originally Posted by wd40prerunner... Also I have never gotten a tip great job by the way
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderBut why "steer" her anywhere. She just wanted it repaired as is. If she wanted it redesigned, reworked, or rebuilt different, she'd probably asked. If your pushing her to do something that you want to do, isn't that kinda f**ked up? It's like a car sales man pushing you to take a test drive in a Caddy when you came to look at a hatch back.Just sayin'
Reply:Originally Posted by MondoWhat's wrong with you?  Nothing.  I want to know what's wrong with me!   I can weld like that all day for $500!!!  $2500/week to weld like that??  Which way do I steer????- Mondo
Reply:Originally Posted by wd40prerunnerHoly cow 500 buck that's the kinda jobs I need.... Everytime I give a price they look suprised.... Then the ask me why I charge so much... Also I have never gotten a tip great job by the way
Reply:Mad about Metal,Hey, where's my cut?  I think I did that.  Sure looks like my welding (on a good day...)(Retired) Professional firefighter, amateur everything else I try to do...Oh yeah:  Go Big Red!   (You know: one of the 12 members of the Big 10 cuz we left the 10 members of the Big 12...)
Reply:Strube1369Well ya know I was going to send it but what with the exchange rate and all it just wasn't worth it lmao.... I am really sorry to all that I wasn't able to get photo's of the back so you wouldn't think my welds are that sh!tty......
Reply:Yoiks!  That's kind of embarrassing.(by the way, I'm new here)My wife made a better "fire barrel" (admittedly, not an above-ground "pit") than that, and it was her very first time using a torch!(all I did was weld some rebar legs onto the bottom, but I'm an amateur, and it ain't pretty)But I do get the sentimental part.  We left wood ashes in our fire barrel over one winter, and the resulting caustic soda ate the bottom out of the barrel.  So now my wife wants me to "patch it up", "just for one more summer".But when the patio goes in, the fire barrel goes to the crusher, and the "fire pit" is going to be natural gas, not wood - eventually it'll even going to have a remote control!   Attached Images