Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Mobile welding

Most people have no idea how much rods, gas, welding rods, grinding wheels, etc. They have no idea how much metal costs either.


Hey can you build me a Bbq pit like yours? Sure, material would cost a 1000 bucks. That shuts them up quick.

Miller trail blazer 301 + torches n tanks and custom trailer $4k

Where's he got it listed for sale?

Nowhere yet I’ll get some pics

That's a pretty decent price.

My buddy used to be a mechanic at the Cat dealer for about 15 years….. he went out on his own as a welder and found quite a bit of competition ….. farmers and ranchers just want chit stuck back together….. the kind of specialty stuff he did wasn’t in as high of demand outside a machine shop….. where he figured it out was “line boring”. Nobody outside the dealers were doing it in the field and he has made a killing….all he does anymore.

Makes good sense.

Part time is a good way to get started. I did that with my tool and die business in 1994. In 2000 it went full time. I asked around like you are here and as many as there were that encouraged me there were that many that didn't.

Many people can weld but there are few really good fabricators. You sell that if you understand it. You're most valuable asset will be your reputation. Always keep that top priority. Someone may want a cheap get by job. Don't do it. If that kind of job were to fail it comes right back on you. Sell your skill and take charge of everything you do. Doing a good job once is always the least expensive for the customer. It's up to you to convince them of that. You can have great skills and great knowledge but you have to sell yourself especially to folks that don't know you. In time they'll be telling everyone they know about you so give them only quality to talk about. I wish you the best. Post some pictures of your work on here too.

Comes down to how much “side work” you gotta do to cover insurance, etc.

Inadvertently fry a computer on piece of equipment, or burn a hay pasture off…

Saturday work is good, until it’s Beer o’clock or juniors t-ball game and someone calls “saying I’m down and need it going now”.

What qualifications do you have to prove you are a "qualified welder"?

Well between all the AWS certs and the fact that I was a turbine welder for GE, I'd say I'm probably qualified to do most repair work that would come up for this side job.

Just asking, I welded as a certified welder fir 50 years. Also a member of Local 798. I was certified im TIG, MIG as well as Down Hill and Uphill Stick.
I've repaired a fair ampunt of Turbin welds on GE Turbins, when I worked in Prudhoe Bay

You mostly see 11NM's?

It's OK to start with thinking small, but if you really wanna do this it will help you to have some contacts with some major, or at least mid level players who occasionally need help.
Custom Underground and Dover Thyssen are two that come to mind, as examples
Think it through a bit and have your fee schedule and invoicing system set before you ever accept work.

Invest in some fire blanket and a hand pump water type extinguisher from the get go.

You simply cannot work for $50 or $80 per hour and make it come out.

I go out of my way to make damn sure nobody here knows I'm a welder. Last thing I need is every tom, dick, and harry showing up at the house wanting something fixed or fabbed up for cheap or free which would be most of it around here. Got a farmer buddy and a tree service buddy I help out when they need it, and they help me out whenever I need it. Friends & Family Plan.

Don't need the aggravation, the day job is plenty enough.......

It's always hilarious to see pipeliners try to weld things that aren't round.

I’d plan on setting a service call price . That price goes toward the total bill if they hire you.

Then they are only wantabe welders

Not in my experience.

Fact is, nearly every interesting money weld is circular or annular in some way. An exception might be for the safety welder putting up marcels. Some guys, particularly if their ass is hanging from the marcel, take an interest in that

A 6G test qualifies you for every position