Would you be able to charge for these welds?

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Or better yet would you pay if this is the finished work you got?  These are mine for my own personal use.  I am a self taught tig welder with some but not a ton of helmet time.  I recently got setup for TIG at my house and I wouldn't mind taking on some small side jobs to help pay for it.  With some of the recent threads about people charging for inferior welding I was wondering if the pros would be able to charge(or you would be happy paying) for something like this or do I need to work on it some more before I expect the public to pay.I try and set myself to a high standard and nothing ever really looks as good as I think it should.  I know that this is not aerospace quality work.  Sorry, I am using a different camera and I couldn't get good close ups without getting fuzzy.
Reply:Your consistency needs work on the long straight welds. The  tube to tube connection top center just looks  ugly. You definitely need to work on getting the torch swung around more on small round tube connections. These are probably some of the hardest to do well, so it's no big surprise with limited hood time that one doesn't look great.I have no idea exactly what this is for, but you might want to think about this. That looks like a structural piece for a vehicle suspension component. I wouldn't touch that unless you have the insurance to cover your azz if something should fail. That's usually the biggest headache with "side" work. If you do it "legit", and have insurance to back you up, it's usually no longer cost effective. Roll the dice without it and some one has an issue and sues, and you are F'd big time today. You'll have wished you'd just sat at home and tossed money in your paper shredder for fun and excitement. Yard art and non critical items, it's no big deal if you don't have insurance. Start playing with critical parts, and you open yourself up to a lot of liability. Keep in mind the way things are today, it doesn't even have to be your fault. All a good lawyer has to do is make it look like you were cutting corners and infer it may have been your fault. If the jury buys the story, you are F'd..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Looks like a Kawasaki H1 frame. I would assume the tube connection if from factory. I have seen some seriously nasty welds on older bikes. More Constitency(which comes with time). I  do very little side work for people and never structural because I have no insurance.
Reply:You didn't ask but since you are considering marketing your work. I thought I should mention that design aspect of the weld and plating could be better, I'm not a engineer but full length welds are not always best, also a large radius on the open ended peice and some holes in the solid plate would not only look cool it may distribute the forces into the tubes better.Briggs weldnpower 225/210/cvLn-25 suitcaseMillermatic 130
Reply:Nice work. You will only get better with time. You should see the crap I have to reweld. Tons of bike shops weld their own gussets and the owner goes ballistic. Your welds look fantastic and they would be very happy.Certainly you could charge for that. Now let's see your alum work. Then I could  tell you if you should advertise.Last edited by shovelon; 06-06-2013 at 08:54 AM.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:Originally Posted by WinmacYou didn't ask but since you are considering marketing your work. I thought I should mention that design aspect of the weld and plating could be better, I'm not a engineer but full length welds are not always best, also a large radius on the open ended peice and some holes in the solid plate would not only look cool it may distribute the forces into the tubes better.
Reply:Yes. Nothing a grinder cant clean up. Looking at the crap welds coming out of China on the bikes at Sports Authority you got no worries. You'll either get better or give up. I don't like the design, see other's comments.
Reply:You are fine weld wise, but I would pay closer attention to detail with gusset and other fab work. Asthetics goes a long way with integral strength! Make it flow like a piece of art so to speak. Sometimes less is more and can double your profit margin just on eye candy alone. Your welds could use a little tightening up but that will come with time. All in all I would say your safe to start charging. Keep it up bud! I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Kudos weldermike and shovelon for the nice comments and constructive criticism. I also agree your welds are pretty decent and will continue to improve with hood time. Dimple dies make stuff like this look more "engineered" and also radius verses straight cuts look better as well as usually providing more strength. Keep up the good work.
Reply:That looks like the quality of my tig skills. I don't do tig much to, only every now an then on scrap just for fun. I don't think its as good as a professional but at the same time I have seen worse. Starting tig I did a lot worse as well. But in the end we all have to start somewherePROUD   AMERICAN
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWYour consistency needs work on the long straight welds. The  tube to tube connection top center just looks  ugly. You definitely need to work on getting the torch swung around more on small round tube connections. These are probably some of the hardest to do well, so it's no big surprise with limited hood time that one doesn't look great.
Reply:Originally Posted by kazlxThat's the funny part, is that the crappiest weld on that frame...was done by the factory.
Reply:I don't think you'd have any issues.
Reply:Heed what Doug (dsw) is saying regarding liability issues.  I have a cl add and will not touch any jobs where life and/or limb could be put in jeopardy.  I checked into liability insurance and it was around $1500 a year.  I'm sure you can find a cheaper policy but unless you are making that much and more on these side jobs, it's not worth it.  Bottom line: be very careful on what jobs you take or you may regret it later.
Reply:My welds don't always look that nice, and I charge for my work. Get a coat of paint on it and it would look a lot nicer. You would think it came from the factory that way.Miller 252Miller Bobcat 225Lincoln MigPak 1801959 Hyster forkliftHarris OA torch
Reply:Had to have our old fifth wheel camper lifted, didnt tell the company i was a certified pressure welder at the generating station in town... So i go to pick the camper up and i crawl under to take a look and THIS is what i got to see! probably in my opinion the BEST weld job ive ever seen, they fully welded the outside and only tacked the inside so the tubing pulled HARD and was toed out.... tell me how you square an axle like that! no bracing tying the 2x6 tubing together, welded straight to the flange of the weak *** ibeam so they basically made the camper as though its wearing a pair of skates. guess how much, 800$! i then explained my profession to them, got my money back and completed the job myself... On a side note your welds dont look terrible, there alot better than what i see from some "self proclaimed welders" having said that they arent as consistant as say a welder that welds alum bike frames all day. BUT i would totally say those welds would pass for none structural or statically loaded applications. Example: fences, gates, hand rails, brackets of sorts, Attached ImagesLast edited by Pressure_Welder; 06-10-2013 at 09:10 AM.
Reply:you should be proud of youself for what youve accomplished thus far with no teaching nonetheless. I do ALOT of tig welding on high pressure piping and i can say that i am impressed with what i see. So what you fumbled once or twice on a bead... your consistancy will come with more time, it dosent however mean that your welds arent sound just because you can see the odd "out of line ripple" Of course dont get into sorts of jobs that require proper ticketing/training. ALSO i think most will agree... as a golden rule for welders stay away from vehicle rims, welding someones cracked "propane tank, hot water tank, air compressor tank,)Heres a few ideas that could maybe spark your interest? Just for your own general for what things are worth... and trust me it suprised me. i made a table for my wife for christmas which i had appraised by one of my old friends whos a master timber framer from sweden. He said the table would easily fetch 10,000$ which absolutely astounded me, i thought MAYBE 5? Or also bumper fabrication is huge... atleast in canada. I made a set for my lifted duramax and had a few interested individuals want identical ones made. I made front/back matching pairs and had them boxliner'd and made 6000$. Mind you both these projects are labour intensive and take time but there is reward in the end! Or maybe once your skill improves camper hitches for pulling boats? i make about 700$ a piece installed/wired on the side for those. Attached Images
Reply:also... iam thinking the table was apraised so high as the top was solid 2" walnut, but the legs took about 1 month to make. Just trying to throw ideas out there man, theres money to be had! Attached Images
Reply:Have to say that table is a piece of ART. Some beautiful metal work there as well as wood.Trailblazer 302Hobart Stickmate AC/DCLincoln SP 135 TSmith torchSpoolmatic 30A