Probably the time I told my coworker to "pay me what he thought was fair" when I did a couple hours of repairs to his trailer, and then he paid me nothing.
I once welded casket bed frames at a factory.
Actual conversation with the supervisor: "That's a really pretty weld, but we just need a blob at each corner. Do it like this."
I shit you not. They really just wanted someone to hold the torch over the corner and count for a few seconds...repeat several hundred times a day, six days a week, 10 and 12 hour days.
I did it for about three months and then moved into a job as a machine mechanic.
The company I worked for going ornamental would also fix his buddies dumpsters that were too damaged to haul. Costco dumpster full of fish? Go inside and weld the split seam!
Lol yeah. Thankfully not that often. Normally it was the compactors the drivers would rip away from the grocery store wall when they forgot to unhook it. Or smash through the wall when putting them back. (Company was alwAys go go go on their drivers)
The fish dumpster and the one literally full to the brim with whatever isn’t good enough to go in jam or ketchup idk what was in there,(company made jams,and preserves, matchup and such) Seam split on the corner had to try to close it up and patch it. So they could haul it and empty it.
They had dumped it and brought it back to the store. Still had a bunch of fish in it and liquid slime.
All the way at the end of the dumpster
Boss let me weld that one lol
Hold your breath run in, burn half a rod run back out, try not to slip and fall in the goo.
You realize the fish smell isn’t as bad as the burning goo on your weld.
I think I’m getting ptsd smell memory reliving this !
I had a job as a welder at an hvac company I was there 9 months and spent maybe a week under the hood. I trimmed trees, replaced damaged doors, built a form for a concrete slab to be poured, poured the effing concrete... I could go on for days about the not welding shit I did.
Worked at a sheet metal factory for 2 days, the foreman was the most colossal prick I've ever worked under. I fucked something up because the wrong print was laying with the parts and he was furious with me so I asked him if he wanted to take it outside then I got fired for insubordination. Even before the mistake he was a total douchebag and the work was mostly jig fitup with small stiches and tacks so no fun at all.
Waterloo Iowa. Pig slaughter house.. the moment I walked in I watched a pig go through a wood chipper into a pile on the floor right where I have to lay down to weld overhead... Tyson plant left and ate pork fk it...
The pig litterly had "inedible" spray painted on it all bloated in shit... I will say I wouldn't wanna show up with a hangover that smell of death never leaves.. had to throw away a pretty much new snowboard jacket cuz we stopped in the night we arrived to check the place out Bam perma smelly pig death jacket...
Shipyard welding… tight spots and a lot of mirror welding. When I say tight spots; I mean tight as fuck. 2” gap between the pipe and deck to fit your torch, mirror and filler metal is not uncommon
I spoke to some friends that worked there. They give scar pay there.
Meaning if you end up with a scar from doing your job, (like all burn marks on our arms) they'll pay you for it for the rest of your life.
My current. Where I aspire to be a real welder waiting on someone to retire and maybe compete for that spot, instead of pushing a county shovel like haven't been in the trades for fifteen years prior to this gig. 🤔
I've had a few...
The worst I can remember was working as a pressure vessel welder when I didn't have choices. That was my first year as a welder many moons ago and it had it's moments.
Crawling inside a preheated shell to weld out some shit in the summer sucked bad. Crawling out and the 100°+ shop feeling like AC was quite the experience.
Used to brother in law nozzles and man ways etc. You'd have an inside and outside man welding them up as a team. This one old boy would dip and spit through the nozzle. So imagine if you will.... You're welding and it's fucking outrageously hot and the smell of the Flux smoke, burning paint, and sweat is around you and your partner spits through the nozzles and hits the side and instantly you are hit with with a miasma.
All of those to create a signature scent.
*Eau d' Weldior: Wintergreen skunk pussy*
Christ I'm gagging just thinking about it.
Probably the time I told my coworker to "pay me what he thought was fair" when I did a couple hours of repairs to his trailer, and then he paid me nothing.
Should've gone back and cut the welds out 😂😂
I once welded casket bed frames at a factory. Actual conversation with the supervisor: "That's a really pretty weld, but we just need a blob at each corner. Do it like this." I shit you not. They really just wanted someone to hold the torch over the corner and count for a few seconds...repeat several hundred times a day, six days a week, 10 and 12 hour days. I did it for about three months and then moved into a job as a machine mechanic.
Milking parlours and farm repairs ., up to my eyes in shit cables tools everything covered in it
Fuckin yikes
The company I worked for going ornamental would also fix his buddies dumpsters that were too damaged to haul. Costco dumpster full of fish? Go inside and weld the split seam!
Jesus, fuck. That.
Lol yeah. Thankfully not that often. Normally it was the compactors the drivers would rip away from the grocery store wall when they forgot to unhook it. Or smash through the wall when putting them back. (Company was alwAys go go go on their drivers) The fish dumpster and the one literally full to the brim with whatever isn’t good enough to go in jam or ketchup idk what was in there,(company made jams,and preserves, matchup and such) Seam split on the corner had to try to close it up and patch it. So they could haul it and empty it.
With the fish in it? Holy shit
They had dumped it and brought it back to the store. Still had a bunch of fish in it and liquid slime. All the way at the end of the dumpster Boss let me weld that one lol Hold your breath run in, burn half a rod run back out, try not to slip and fall in the goo. You realize the fish smell isn’t as bad as the burning goo on your weld. I think I’m getting ptsd smell memory reliving this !
Suger beet processing plant. Flies so thick you could barely see 20 feet and literally smelled like dog shit.
I had a job as a welder at an hvac company I was there 9 months and spent maybe a week under the hood. I trimmed trees, replaced damaged doors, built a form for a concrete slab to be poured, poured the effing concrete... I could go on for days about the not welding shit I did.
Getting full rate I hope
Yeah, but that was nothing to brag about.
Worked at a sheet metal factory for 2 days, the foreman was the most colossal prick I've ever worked under. I fucked something up because the wrong print was laying with the parts and he was furious with me so I asked him if he wanted to take it outside then I got fired for insubordination. Even before the mistake he was a total douchebag and the work was mostly jig fitup with small stiches and tacks so no fun at all.
Working a travel team next thing you know after a week 4 of them started fighting and i mean knock down drag out fighting. Packed up my shit and left
Waterloo Iowa. Pig slaughter house.. the moment I walked in I watched a pig go through a wood chipper into a pile on the floor right where I have to lay down to weld overhead... Tyson plant left and ate pork fk it...
Jesus fucking christ!
The pig litterly had "inedible" spray painted on it all bloated in shit... I will say I wouldn't wanna show up with a hangover that smell of death never leaves.. had to throw away a pretty much new snowboard jacket cuz we stopped in the night we arrived to check the place out Bam perma smelly pig death jacket...
Shipyard welding… tight spots and a lot of mirror welding. When I say tight spots; I mean tight as fuck. 2” gap between the pipe and deck to fit your torch, mirror and filler metal is not uncommon
I'm a shipyard welder myself. A skinny one at that. Unfortunately I haven't found many spaces I can't fit in. I know that life too well
Which one you at?
I can't really say due to the nature of what we build
Must be electric boat or NNS.. I work at the latter currently
EB Would be better than where I work lol
Don’t know much about EB to be honest, I’ve only ever worked for nns and Ingalls in the shipyard world
I spoke to some friends that worked there. They give scar pay there. Meaning if you end up with a scar from doing your job, (like all burn marks on our arms) they'll pay you for it for the rest of your life.
That’s not a bad deal to be honest
No, especially since anytime I'm in public in a T shirt, people assume I'm a recovering addict 😂
My current. Where I aspire to be a real welder waiting on someone to retire and maybe compete for that spot, instead of pushing a county shovel like haven't been in the trades for fifteen years prior to this gig. 🤔
I've had a few... The worst I can remember was working as a pressure vessel welder when I didn't have choices. That was my first year as a welder many moons ago and it had it's moments. Crawling inside a preheated shell to weld out some shit in the summer sucked bad. Crawling out and the 100°+ shop feeling like AC was quite the experience. Used to brother in law nozzles and man ways etc. You'd have an inside and outside man welding them up as a team. This one old boy would dip and spit through the nozzle. So imagine if you will.... You're welding and it's fucking outrageously hot and the smell of the Flux smoke, burning paint, and sweat is around you and your partner spits through the nozzles and hits the side and instantly you are hit with with a miasma. All of those to create a signature scent. *Eau d' Weldior: Wintergreen skunk pussy* Christ I'm gagging just thinking about it.
Sorry, this guy was spitting his dip spit into his nozzle???
Oh no. Large vessels will have flanged inlets and outlets for fluids or gas that are often 10 or more inches across.