Welcome to World Wide Welding
I used to be a welder. I was employed by Newport News Shipbuilding to build aircraft carriers and aircraft carrier parts. I did it for five years until 1992 and hated every minute of it.
The reason I am creating this page is mostly because you can’t find Home Pages on the internet that belong to Welders or people in the occupation of welding steel or other metals together. Well, if this page is not the first, perhaps it will be the most comprehensive, and most of all, honest. Why there are not any web pages dedicated to welders will be discussed below.
What it is like
If you have never tried welding, I must say, DON’T! It’s not fun. The best way to describe what it is like to weld for 8 hours a day: Imagine sitting in a very dark place, staring at a very bright puddle of light which is actually molten metal, watching it move slowly from point a to point b. Now repeat. Keep repeating for 8 hours. Sounds boring, right? Well, boredom is not even the half of it. If the pay is right, boredom can be handled and endured, for after all, work is not really supposed to be fun, is it? But work can be downright miserable when you factor in the perks that come with the job.
Heat
Welding is nothing more than playing with fire, albeit in a somewhat controlled environment. Fire, as its nature, produces heat. Fire hot enough to melt high tempered steel produces a lot of heat. Therefore welding is hot work.
Add to this the safety issue of protecting a person’s body against this heat, and the work becomes hotter. A welder must wear protective clothing to avoid pain and injury from flying sparks, slag and arc flash. This means being covered head to toe in thick cotton shirts and jeans. Thick gauntlet style gloves are worn to protect the hands. When welding overhead, a leather jacket weighing about 15 lbs. is added to the wardrobe to prevent hot slag from burning through the clothing on the arms. Additionally, a hard hat is worn to protect the top of the head from the same debris. Sounds like it sucks, huh?
- So imagine playing with fire, covered head to toe in thick clothes. It’s hot.
How hot is it? Your whole body perspires except for your hands which are too close to the welding arc. Your gloves begin to smolder. - Now, imagine that it is summertime. It’s really hot.
How hot is it? Sweat rolls freely down your face and drips steadily into your welder’s face shield, pooling into a salty puddle at the bottom. All of your clothes begin to stick to your body. Your gloves are smoking now and the bottoms of your steel-toed boots begin to melt and stick to the deck. You begin to see mirages. - Now imagine that it is summertime and the metal you are welding on must be preheated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent it from becoming too brittle. A torch or huge heating coils are used to do this. It’s really, really hot!
How hot is it? Your sweaty clothes dry out as fast as you can sweat, leaving gray and white streaks at the wrinkles due to the salt your body excretes. You occasionally have to remove your gloves when they burst into flame. Your feet are smoking because your boots are almost completely melted away. You ARE a mirage. You begin to see demons. - Now imagine that it is summertime and the metal you are welding on must be preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent it from becoming too brittle. And you are welding overhead. Below the 6 inch thick steel flight deck on an aircraft carrier that has baked in the sun for 12 hours. It’s hot as hell!
How hot is it? Your welding face shield begins to distort and melt. Your hands burst into flames and burn right down to the elbows. You no longer have the exertion to sweat; your clothes are so heat dried that they suck the moisture out of your body like a sponge. A portal to Hades opens up in the very air before you and Satan begins to beckon your name. - Now imagine that you have to do this for EIGHT hours! AIIIEEEEEEEE!!!
But wait, there’s more!
Dirt
Welding is not only hot work, but its dirty work too. The process of welding produces almost as much waste as useful material. Most of the waste is turned into smoke, a gray sooty substance that smells like a mixture of dust and dirt together. This smoke settles on everything and leaves a brown residue. The rest of the waste byproduct becomes slag, an almost clay-like substance that cools onto the surface of fresh weld. This byproduct must be removed with a “pecking hammer” and the slag just gets everywhere.
Other processes in the course of welding produce even more dirt and grime, including cutting operations, surface grinding and “carbon arcing.” Carbon arcing is a process that instead of putting metal into a surface, you gouge it out with high voltage electricity and compressed air. Very dirty process.
So not only do you have the heat, you have the sweat and the dirt. Dirt gets stuck in sweat and turns to mud. This dirt also grinds into your clothing, breaking your cotton trousers down at an almost molecular level. The dirt also gets on your car seat on the way home, your sofa at home, etc. etc.
Sweat
As mentioned above, you sweat constantly, even if it dries faster than you can produce it. Therefore you cannot get enough to drink.
Metal Shavings
Metal shavings are produced by grinding operations. If the weld doesn?t look right, you can grind it down a little until it looks better. But it produces thousands of metal splinters. Imagine sitting on them or accidentally putting your hand in them. Ouch. ‘Nuff said.
Smoke
This stuff is nasty. It mixes with sweat, gets in your hair, tastes really bad, collects in your eyes and makes you look like you are wearing eyeliner. The smoke even mixes with your mucous membranes until you feel like you have half a box of Cocoa Crispies crammed up your nose. The smoke from carbon arcing is nothing but atomized steel and a respirator has to be worn to prevent some sort of mining disease.
Metal Fume Fever
I swear this is a real disease, as it is what eventually ended my welding career. Thank God!!! Exposure and inhalation of too many welding fumes cause this metal fume fever. It produces flu like symptoms, which last about 18 hours from the time of exposure, wearing off just in time to go back to the gulag of a welding job. Shivering fevers of 103 degrees are not uncommon, along with painful joints and a dry cough. I began to get metal fume fever every day and that?s when I knew it was time to file for Worker’s Compensation. š
Hemorrhoids
Sit on unyielding hard, hot steel for 5 days a week for a year and you tell me what happens to your ass! Many welders pack Preparation H in their lunch pails.
Sunburn and “ArcFlash”
Welding produces more light than heat if you can believe it. That is why they have to wear those face shields. With a good welding face shield, you can look at the sun and count sunspots. Really! Most of the light from welding processes is in the ultraviolet spectrum, which produces sunburn on exposed skin. It probably produces x-rays too, but I’m no physicist.
Anyway, another added bonus is arcflash, the “hot sand thrown in the eyes” feeling from watching someone weld without using adequate eye protection, or from having an asshole welding neighbor that neglects to erect a canvas shield to protect his coworkers from the harmful rays of his arc-light. Veteran welders swear that sliced potatoes placed on the eyes will alleviate the severe pain associated with arcflash, but I just think that is one more example why welders are such stupid people.
Welders
As people, welders only really come in one flavor, and that is DUMB. Face it. People that have a Bachelor’s degree just don’t weld, and if they do, it just proves my point even further. Why would anyone want to spend their time rolling around in the dirt, fire and smoke if they weren’t stupid? Sure, I did it for five years, but I was smart enough to get out with my life intact. The points below will justify my statement that all welders are inherently stupid.
Longevity
Welders always tell each other that there is no such thing as an old welder. This is because, they claim, that welders have a shorter life expectancy because of their trade. Welders develop respiratory ailments, their knees go bad from the constant kneeling, their backs go bad lifting heavy steel plates or welding machines, their hearing goes bad due to loud environments, eyesight goes out due to arc-flash and loss of life due to industrial accidents. It is true about the unfortunate ailments that afflict welders. But if all welders know this, yet continue to do what they do, it must mean they are stupid!
Furthermore, you might not wish to believe the statistics about welders not living long. True, they may not, but it may be more attributed to their stupidity than their occupation. I mean, stupid people get hit by buses, forget to take medication, or partake in activities that are not healthy. And, stupid people also become welders.
Coarse Breed
It takes a special type of person to become a welder. As mentioned above, the prime requisite is a low IQ. But genetics aside, one other characteristic is common among welders: Lower Middle class family values. These include rednecks, trailer dwellers, welfare victims and the occasional lesbian.
You will never see a welder living in a Penthouse apartment or a Riverside three-story house. You won’t find welders making their fortunes on Wall Street. In fact, as welders like to say, they contribute weekly to their retirement fund by playing the State Lottery. It’s not that welders don’t make a decent hourly wage, but being stupid, they spend their wealth on Budweiser, Skoal Bandits, cigarettes and Colt 45.
Don’t get me wrong- welders are some of the hardest working Americans among us, but they are down there on the economic and social food chain. These are guys that hang out in topless bars, go hunting every November and fart audibly on elevators. A limited vocabulary forces welders to curse like a sailor. Many of them are proud that they can spit 15 feet.
Tobacco
As if breathing atomized steel particles weren’t bad enough, many welders indulge in tobacco use as well. That welders would indulge in an activity that would increase the odds of their dying prematurely is yet another example of limited intelligence.
The really tough smokers smoke Tiparillo cigars right under their face shields, and the chewers and spitters deposit their droppings directly onto their job sites and have no qualms about sitting in the brown chunky puddles. I used to know a welder that would spit directly onto the inside of his face shield while he was working. Every now and then he would lift up the shield and allow the run-offs to drain out along with his sweat, staining his coveralls brown. The guy always smelled like peppermint barf.
Why no Web Pages About Welders?
This is an easy answer. Again, welders are too stupid to create a web page. Many of them could easily afford a nice computer, but once they get it, their Netscape bookmarks consist of Nascar sites, Guns and Ammo, and Porn, Porn, Porn. Ever notice you can’t find a newsgroup called alt.welders?
If you do a search on welding on the Internet search engines, you will find a bunch of vendors and suppliers of welding machines and welding stock, but no personal web pages. Welders would not go into an IRC chatroom and brag about the fact that they are welders. Wherever they have an option to fill out a profile on-line, they list their occupation as “engineer” or “metallurgist.”
Welding War Stories
Every occupation has groups of people that gather around over drinks to discuss accomplishments of either themselves or others within their immediate circle. These are called “War Stories.” Accountants tell war stories about IRS audits or catching a client embezzling money, and computer technicians talk about their dumbest users or awesome Servers they have built.
Welders tell stories too. Most welding stories involve mutilation, death, and unsurprisingly, heat. Below are a few I have heard that have floated around the shipyard on more than one occasion.
Dropped Badge
The shipyard is famous for having hundreds of cranes for lifting heavy loads. Many of these cranes operate off a high voltage rail and track system like a city subway. The largest crane has its tracks and rail underground, and as this behemoth moves, steel plates rise up and allow the wheels to track forward.
Well, since the shipyard is contracted by the government to build Nuclear Warships, it is a secure facility, which means everyone always had to wear a badge. One welder accidentally dropped his badge down a hole between the steel plates that cover the high voltage rail of the large crane. The welder found a long piece of wire, fashioned it into a hook and stuck it down the hole to fish out his badge. Of course, it hit the rail. I?ve heard some people say that the voltage was so intense that his body exploded, and the only things left were his boots. Dead welder. Stupid welder.
Cutter Beneath an Overhead Plate
One welder was assigned the arduous task of cutting out a large section of a pre-fab unit for replacement. Cutting operations are of course, easiest cutting below yourself, and the welder thought he was finished, but the hole he had cut didn’t fall out of the bottom of the unit as planned. He climbed out of the unit and inspected it underneath to find where his blowtorch had missed. He found the spot and since he could see it better underneath the unit, he fired up his torch and took out the last section. He happened to be standing where the unit would fall. Twenty tons of metal hit the concrete with him pancaked between. Dead welder. Stupid welder.
Confined Spaces
Many welding operations require the use of inert gases as shielding agents. The most common is Argon. Argon is an inert, colorless, odorless gas that is about twice as heavy as air. It is almost like an invisible liquid the way it can fill up an unventilated room.
A welder did not check with the chemists to ensure that a hole he was about to crawl into was free of Argon gas. He went in, inhaled deeply, and suffocated. Dead welder. Stupid welder.
The remaining items are war stories of my own, and thankfully do not involve death and severe mutilation.
Being on Fire
Welders are combustible. I was no exception. The most fireproof clothing anyone could wear in welding operations was thick denim jeans. Blue jeans can be exposed to a direct flame and will not combust, provided that there are no holes in the jeans. But hot slag, sitting in the fold of denim can wear out the fireproof properties, and ground in dirt wears out the fabric too, so that after a few washings, frays in the material begin to appear. Unlike the rest of the denim, these frays of cotton are very combustible, and once ignited, the fire spreads quickly.
I have had many a hot spark set me ablaze, and being in the dark and unaware of your surroundings, you could be on fire for several moments until you smell the smoke. After the smoke comes the unmistakable sensation of heat spreading up your body, and flames actually “lick” your skin. These flames are not real hot against your skin, but it does feel like a dog licking you with a hot tongue, minus the slobber.
The pain does not come until you try to beat the flames out with your gloves, and grinding the smoldering clothing against your skin hurts. There is a safety rule in the shipyard that says that you are not allowed to blow dirt off of yourself with the oxygen from your blow torch for obvious reasons.
Oxygenated clothing ignites and burns like flash paper.
Scars and Slag
I still bear a few scars on my forearms and feet from slag burns. Slag, as mentioned above, is the clay like material that appears on fresh weld. Removing the slag sometimes sends glowing hot debris flying in many different directions. Sometimes the slag falls into shirt pockets where it sits and burns the skin, or into folds in the shirt sleeves. It falls into gloves too, and that hurts a bunch.
In fact, if you were to watch a welder for one shift, you would probably see him throw his gloves off at least once to shake out a piece of hot slag. Sometimes slag falls into the top of the boot. You cant shake a boot off your foot, but you can do this little dance and cause the slag to rattle around inside so it doesn’t burn one spot too much. Instead you try to make it burn a whole bunch of little spots.
I have heard welders that are smokers tell stories about how an ordinary Bic lighter, when ignited all at once, is like an eighth of a stick of dynamite. It seems that welders forget that a lighter is in their shirt pocket, and when hot slag hits it, it goes poof!
High and Tight Places
As if all of the above weren’t bad enough, welders work construction, which means they are often times placed in high or tight spaces. Most welders therefore, do not suffer from acrophobia or claustrophobia, mostly because they are too stupid to be afraid. I have welded hanging 80 feet above the bottom of an empty dry dock on rickety, shaking-in-the-breeze scaffolding. Likewise, I have crawled forty feet into a catapult system in spaces so tight you couldn’t turn around.
And welders often fall or are killed in explosions. Sometimes both!
This is how most stupid welders avoid collecting retirement checks-
Conclusions
Just because welders are stupid, it doesn’t mean that I hate all welders. True, I hated the occupation, but the fine Americans that comprise the steelworkers union are mostly good people that work hard. But they are still stupid. However, America needs its welders to put our ships together, to build our skyscrapers and our bridges. But I must say that if there is ever any occupation most deserving of replacing its workers with robots, it has to be welding.
If you are one of the smart welders that know how to work email, feel free to send comments or share a welding war story with me. I may even post it here! Or, you can register with the site and post a comment, but it will be moderated.
[…] Welcome to World Wide Welding […]
Sadly….
Stupid Welder… Dead Welder….
http://tinyurl.com/qt432
A construction worker was killed Wednesday when a welding torch apparently ignited his clothes while he was working inside a steel drainage pipe at a construction site at Highway 29 in Napa.
The man, whose name was not released, was trapped inside the pipe and burned to death, according to the Napa Fire Department.
The worker had entered the pipe to perform either welding or cutting with an acetylene torch. The pipe was 24 inches in diameter, and the man was about 40 feet inside the pipe when the fire broke out.
The man cried out in pain, and his partner, who also was not identified, attempted to go to his rescue with a fire extinguisher. However, it turned out the second man could not be of help, according to fire Capt. Scott Sedgley.
“You can crawl in the pipe, but you can’t turn around,” Sedgley said. Realizing the situation was desperate, the trapped man’s partner backed out of the pipe and called 911.
Stupid Welder… Dead Welder…
This one didnt think he needed good scaffolding.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4028789.stm
Defence company BAE Systems has been fined ?250,000 after a welder died while working on a North Sea platform.
Billy Farrell, 35, of Belton, Norfolk, fell to his death as he carried out maintenance work on a crane.
Norwich Crown Court heard on Friday that despite it being 90ft above the North Sea, there were no safety rails or toe boards.
BAE Systems Operations Ltd admitted failing to ensure the safety of a person other than an employee.
The Hon Mr Justice Cresswell said that the scaffolding used for the work was “unsafe and unsuitable”.
Stupid Welder…. Dead Welder…
He couldn’t see the fireball that was coming toward him…
http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/metro/story/11751514p-12473182c.html
John Robert Pura, 46, who was injured in an explosion and fire Monday afternoon at his business in Clovis, died this morning at University Medical Center, the Fresno County Coroner’s Office reported.
Pura, a resident of Clovis and owner of Pura Fabz, a custom welding and fabrication business at 53 W. Herndon Ave., was doing a welding job near a fuel tank on a truck when the explosion occurred.
Pura, who reportedly was covered in a ball of fire, was taken to UMC with third-degree burns over 100% of his body, as well as other injuries. He was pronounced dead about 5:15 a.m. today.
I’m so SHOCKED to hear about this stupid welder….
From an accident report here: http://tinyurl.com/opkxr
Farmer Dies When Electrocuted While Welding Feed Bunker Wagon
Stupid Welder… Dead Welder. This time in Kuala Lampur. From TMCNet here: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/02/28/1418556.htm
Stupid Welder manages to survive his accident. Not all of them die.
Thoughts and prayers are with the family for a speedy recovery.
From the Sun Herald here:
http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive4/030206/tp1de1.htm
Here is an example of a stupid person that wants to BE a welder. And I think he gets his stupidity from his mother, who refuses to forbid him from doing highly stupid things.
From the Kingsport Times:
http://www.timesnews.net/communityArticle.dna?_StoryID=3615614
This man may not have done anything stupid to cause his own welding death, but he works a job that blinds him to safety hazards around him. Someone comes up and plays with the controllers on his cherry picker, and it kills him.
From Onlineathens here:
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/040706/cops_20060407042.shtml
Pat said,
“Yes, I have had an extensive education. However, a real education means that you are indeed capable of making a judgement about something. Only pussies refuse to commit to one side or another of an issue. To demand that I ?see all sides? of an issue is a multicultural red herring.”
Pat, I would like to know about this “multicultural red herring” In all the years in Soc, I haven’t come across that term used in a non-multicultural sense š
FWIW, you bring up some good points, but I’d like to make the ammendment that welders aren’t inherently stupid. Rather, for some reason welding seems to attract stupid people like a moth to a light. There are a few smart ones out there and usually they are the ones that will make it past 50. The rest, as you have pointed out, find a way to weed themselves out (which is fine, as it helps keep down the old age pension payments for the rest of us).
The modern view of society is that it is a sin to have an opinion on anything. That’s right, a sin, and to confess and repent from that sin you have to espouse both sides of an issue. This is a preposterous idea. Only modern day sociologists use the red herring or distraction from the issue at hand, to say that unless both sides are presented about an issue, the conclusion is automatically wrong.
Welders are stupid sir. You want to sugar coat it to say that only stupid people are attracted to the welding career, but doesnt this just mean that welders are stupid?
Also, you seem to take heart in the fact that welders die young due to stupidity. This is also wrong. I have never rejoiced in the death of any welder, and to suggest that it is okay because there is more pension money for the rest of the crew is stupid too.
Welders should be replaced by robots whenever possible. Welders should be trained in robotics and engineering so they can make their jobs safer.
Only politicians embrace that great a form of fence-sitting. If being strongly opinionated works for you, then so be it. I agree, the general populus is being raised in an unopinionated state. As J.S. Mill pointed out, people without differing opionions are worthless to the overall integrity of that society.
I did not intend to paint death of any person in any profession as a reason for rejoice. But, if you are looking at facts, you can paint it whatever color you want, the fact still remains that stupid people will weed themselves out of society. Hopefully they will take as few innocent people with them as possible. The punk that drives 120mph and t-bones a family on their way to church is stupid, hopefully he dies. Simple. Punk weeded out.
If you want to look at real stupidity, start looking at some of the other occupations out there. For example, the noble police officer, who via numbers found through a report done in conjunction with the police and PhD Plecas, lives an average of of two years after reaching mandatory retirement before succumbing to heart disease. That in its own form is stupidity. These officers are chasing that carrot (often in the form of a gauranteed retirement pension), working the best part of their lives away until they have nothing left but medications, medical bills, and often mental illness in the latter stages of their lives. A trades-person’s occupation seems pretty tame when compared to that.
While replacing welders with robots seems ideal, it is at this point and time not feasible and still economically unwise (on a national scale). The increased unemployment rates alone may very-well outweigh the cost savings of unmanned labour. Also, I am not sure that society can realistically be confined to a protective bubble that prevents people from engaging in potentially harmfull activities.
Stupid Welder, Dead welder. And he took his welding shop with him. From a Texas news site: http://tinyurl.com/m27le
Stupid Welder leads against Cherry Picker controls and kills himself.
Stupid Welder, Dead Welder. And he took his buddies with him. This time, it was welding a tank on a massive Oil Tanker. Boom. Bodies floating at sea. From here: http://tinyurl.com/mbfsu
Stupid Welder, Running Around on Fire Welder:
Another welder works on a supposedly empty tank which then explodes. This welder runs around on fire and would have turned to ash if not for the quick thinking of his neighbor.
From an Aussie Paper here: http://tinyurl.com/olfug
Stupid welder burns up his legs at a Chicken Factory. Of course he does. From the Herald Sun: http://tinyurl.com/jkpwq
Stupid Welders engaged in illegally manufacturing gas cylinders caught a tank of paint thinner on fire. BOOM. Dead welders.
Sammy Hagar knows welders are stupid. He is donating cash from ticket sales to benefit a burn unit where a friend died after catching fire in a welding accident.
http://www.dailynews.com/music/ci_3889195
Welders working on a tank. Big explosion. Dead welders.
It seems that the most popular accidental death from welding is explosions. Explosions happen when welders fail to clear the area of explosive materials, or worse, weld on a tank that used to hold explosive materials.
From an Alberta News station here- http://tinyurl.com/rt368
Lots of welders plummet to their death. Here is one such case, sadly:
http://tinyurl.com/e5vn4
Another Welding Explosion- From the Anchorage Daily News at
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8039274p-7932244c.html
Man welding killed in fuel tank explosion
A 48-year-old Wasilla man was killed in an explosion Thursday at a Wasilla boat building shop, according to the Wasilla Police Department.
The accident occurred just after 4 p.m. at a shop on Railroad Avenue in downtown Wasilla. Krill said the man and another employee were doing welding work on a fuel tank on a 24-foot fishing boat when the explosion occurred.
Crain said the two men appeared to have taken the appropriate safety precautions, including making sure the tank was empty before working on it. But, he said, some remaining fumes may have triggered the explosion.
this is a very informative page.. keep up the good work. i have taken a few welding courses, but “woke up” before i could actually enter the trade. what is the real deal about only having to work 8 months out of the year, and still bringing home 70- 100,000+++ dollars a year??????? is all that true??? peace!!!
Most welders do not earn that type of salary, James. Maybe some real specialized welders do, like underwater welders.
Oh my God. Some welders are stupider than others. I write often about welders blowing themselves up. Usually welders explode because they weld on fuel tanks or other containers with explosive gases inside. Rarely does it involve dynamite or other explosives.
This is a case in Maine where a man was welding with blasting caps sitting on top of his workbench. The blasting caps were sitting there forever because they never bothered to throw them away.
From MaineToday here:
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/3009087.shtml
you mention welding for 5 years. does the smoke and fumes really get into your lungs. the only welding i have done was in a booth at school, with a vent sucking the smoke, or something like that. On the job, is there any kind of protection for your lungs? did you notice any respiratory changes in yourself?
James,
Welcome to the Blog!
Yes, the smoke and fumes really get into your lungs. But from your minimal exposure, you shouldnt have any problems. My health problems came from “metal fume fever” which is the inhalation of some heavy metals in particle form. Once I stopped welding, I stopped having these symptoms. I have no idea what, if any, long term effects it may have had on me. I feel great today and am in great health.
If anyone is worried about welding fumes, a respirator should be available for use.
Welder dies in yet another explosion. This time it was a Tanker Truck.
From the AP here:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/15392904.htm
greetings! how much did you earn per year, when you were welding? thanx. it seems nobody else will tell me. i am interested, because i am examining different careers. peace brother!
Hi john! When I was welding back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, I was working for a union contract at NN Shipyard. I was making about 18.50 per hour. If I was non-union, I may have been able to pull down about 25-30 bucks per hour.
Pay really depends on the type of work, the type of welding and the degree of risk involved. If you have to work for a union, you can expect less pay, but more of a guarantee of ongoing work.
Ive worked for the last 10 years as a welder, and your right about one thing. The majority of MarineWorkers, Iron Workers, Pile drivers and general Shop wire monkeys are stupid. Those are the lowest fields in the welding trade, and your bitter you because you were just a stupid weelder, working in a shipyard. I think the entrace requirement for a shipyard welder is a double digit IQ. I spent a year doing Marine repair and i hated it sometimes and loved it other times, All i got out of it was a good paycheque and scarred arms. Smart welders work in safe clean shops, Tig welding stainless and assorted alloys. Stupid shipyard welder
Another unfortunate accident. This time a man is crushed by his work. He was 59 years old. From KTVA here:
http://www.ktva.com/alaska/ci_4399582
[…] You can read my horror stories about welders in the comments section of this post. […]
A welder had his legs crushed and he died from his injuries. From the NY Daily News here:
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/484543p-407929c.html
This is an email thread from a disgruntled reader. As email, it is best to be read from the bottom up.
comment removed at request of poster.
Stupid welders cant find the caps lock either. And your first sentence, seeing if you get it straight? Wrong. I am not sitting at home collecting disability. That’s not even how disability works, stupid. And as far as finishing at the top of the welding game? Its like coming in first at the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you are still retarded.
Good luck Glenn. And the caps lock is just below the tab key. Thanks for visiting Belch.Com!
Here is another horror story of a welder. He was crushed to death by a steel plate weighing thousands of pounds. It fell off of a ship he was working on.
From the New York Times Here: http://tinyurl.com/whzyg
For those of you keeping track like me, that makes two welders crushed to death in one week in New York City. My condolences to the families.
[…] I used to work on nuke subs back in the day. I didn’t have a hand in working on the Newport News, but I know guys who did. […]
Welder Electrocuted and Falls Forty Feet
More welder intelligence here: http://tinyurl.com/yd7ys2
All you are and all you will ever be is a stupid ship welder.It sounds like you were a stupid production welder to me with no welding or fabrication skills.I would love to see you design and fabricate something like a robot that can do what i do.The only reason robots are made are for productivity, consistancy and to replace crappy welders like you.You are just mad because you couldn’t take a man’s trade.So just stay in your girly office or go stand with your mom on the corner.And by the way,do you also think firefighters are stupid for running straight into burning buildings?By the contents of this blog you seem like you aren’t very bright yourself.
Nate,
I had to edit the swearing from the comment. As far as your prognostication that “All you will ever be is a stupid ship welder,” you are wrong and are exhibiting poor comprehension skills. If you read carefully, you will see that I have left the shipyard. Years ago. I have become much more than a welder and I am very proud of my contributions to my employer, who pays me very well for what I do.
Attempting to compare welders to firefighters is a complete non-sequitor to your argument, as are your attempts to claim that I have feminine traits because I was smart enough to get a more suitable job.
So what is your job then?this whole time you have yet to tell everyone what you do for a living now.i live in northern va so why don’t we meet and talk about your view’s on welding.you can come to my shop and see what i do and then call people like me stupid.i don’t think you would do that tough because you are afraid of your opinion being wrong.all you have to go on are people you have worked with and things you read.if you feel that strong about your opinion tell everyone what you do and prove me too be a stupid welder and come to my shop.and don’t make up some bull**** job too make your self sound smarter than you really are.i’m sure you will find some lame excuse like you have moved.i will come pick your lazy butt up and drive you myself.now go ahead and start thinking of all the excuses and comments you can type back because everyone knows thats all your going to do.you sound like you have sand in your vagina to me.and yes i know your going to edit this and try to make yourself look good.GOOD JOB PATSY SORRY I COULDN’T FIND THE CAPS LOCK.WHERE WAS THAT AGAIN?
Can’t find the space bar either, I see. Look Nate, if you read my blog it will become apparent what I do for a living. And I obviously don’t need to see what you do since I know you are a welder. And Im flattered that you really want to meet me, but honestly, I’m just not that into you. And its really stupid to threaten anyone over the Internet.
good one,how long did the space bar joke take you to think of?so what the hell do you do all day???you sound pretty stupid yourself because i didn’t threaten you at all in all of that.i was trying to be some what nice to you.what is your job title now?you are starting to prove my point that you are just as stupid as everyone else you talk about.don’t go around bashing people and what they do unless you can prove your point in person.if you want a real threat i can do that but you wouldn’t have the balls to give me a chance to follow through.this will be my last post unless you want to meet me and prove that i am just a stupid welder.i think your just afraid of your opnion being wrong and failing at something else in your sad life.so good luck at quiting whatever you do now and if you ever need a good job you can come and suck on my balls in my welding shop while i do a man’s job.andthislastsentenceisjustforyoupatsyyoustupidcomputernerd.
I keep telling you that I am not that into you. For the last few posts, you keep making homo-erotic references to us meeting. Its not going to happen. Im very happily married. And even if I was gay, I would have more taste than to date a dirty, stupid welder who lives in Sterling and makes such a pitiful salary.
Face it, you wouldn’t be so mad if everything I had written wasn’t absolutely true, especially about you. Thanks for your feedback on the page. You have done well to prove my point.
Stupid Welder is Squished by a Dump Truck
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=243452
Welders the world over suffer unfortunate run-ins with their own stupidity. What could possibly happen when welders are working on a refinery pipeline? How about they burst into flames?
From the Hindu.com site here:
http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/02/stories/2007020203761400.htm
You are a stupid **@!.
Michael,
Welders in Toledo Ohio in the middle of winter are particularly stupid. Not even the welding arc can keep you warm there today. While you shiver and chatter your teeth today, think about your career choices.
This page is a hoot. I love these stories and hope you keep posting them.
The negative ‘bs’ is stale, so/but considering the source. I can filter.
I love welding cause it’s (truly) a no brainer. and a great hobby. and a handy tool at the home shop. Like when you have to stich up that old wreck, cause a welder can’t afford anything better than an impound that everyone else passed on. I’m surprised to find so many welders responding, because I have confirmed a theory that welders don’t read. Some just can’t.
Most don’t even speak this language.
Even light-duty welders manage to blow themselves up. Stupid welder was working on a gas tank of a car- kaboom.
From http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21192585-1702,00.html
Another Stupid Welder goes up in Smoke. This time, the man was 72, which is pretty old for a welder. All of his experience still could not save him.
From http://tinyurl.com/27puog
Well lets start here….i have been welding for 20 yrs…seen a lotta stupid stuff, i say it lightly. However, let me tell you, and all your wanna be’s..most of the accidents, and such, come from 1 of 2 things, lack of proper training, or not having your head on your job. Sure there’s the eager employer who will have you rush into a job, or miscommunication from a higher up, so you think everything is ready to go. This site i thought (lmao), was to be informative. how about this… I’ve caught fire several times…however, not stoned to the point i dont realise, i am on fire, and how badly, that i cant finish the weld im doing (without recieving burns).
I never took off work and recieved workmans comp for welders flu (a joke, cause ive had it), to the point where i broke a rib,tore the cartlage from 2 of the ribs, and not only KEPT working, but continued to work everyday.
I have been in the union, and as well not. My gross is $62,000 a year.
Idont sit holding my groin, when it comes to doing whatever task my employer hands me, but i do it as smart as humanly possible to help avoid accidents, something (if you were smart), helping others to do, besides pointing out how someone was killed, by a simple, NO BRAINER….people…always work safe!!!! It doesn’t mean you’ll never be injured ,killed, dis-membered, but it does HIGHLY reduce the risk.
AS for YOU host!!!!!!
SHAME ON YOU!!!!! Welding to a skilled welder is an art!!! Not stupidity!
robats will NEVER replace skilled welders…not ever…and the pride in saying i made this, or i make these….as an american a true american, as well never be replaced…even by the likes of you. Quick comments trying to dodge the bullet….shame…degradeing part od america’s back-bone…shame….and puttint the isnsult to injury of anther double shame….shame on you little man, shame…
BTW..they dont call me Megalodon, because im big and stupid….im only 5’9 160 or so lbs…they call me it, cause i have a heart….large, yet ferocious….and you called yourself a welder…..shame…..
oh… and before you call me a “stupid welder” for a few misspellings, wasnt that i am stupid, i just didnt FEEL like going back over to proof read, so i dont look stupid….like someone on this site wants people to believe….peace people, and again….work safly, and resonsibly, something our host here is “too stupid i see” to tell you š
oh ya…..i have to say it….i can no longer resist….CRYBABY!!!!
please star at the top of the page for correct heat….
1) in this reference….you might sweat a little, pending on the job you are doing. the hands do perspire mildly at times.
2) Pre-heat is required usualy in thikness of i do believe 1 1/4+”, this does give off yes, a bit of heat…your clothes , hands and gloves, with even somewhat protection, save say if it is summer, and oh…lets go 90 degrees outside, pending if you are indoors, good amount of sweat, as well as gloves….pending outside conditions, if you wear the proper outdoor gear, approximatly the same.
3) pre-heat at 300+ degrees….no your hands dont burst into flames up to youe elbows…..this must be a sic joke…truly people..if this was so….how would the welding be accomplished?…certainly it would be impossible.
Here’s what ya do….go to a searh engine….type in the word welding, methods, and equipment. That will open up a REAL worl to you as to how, and what methods,and dangers there REALLY are to the REAL welder. obviously, this fellow, hasnt done a lot of welding, and must be hanging to his mama’s teet , otherwise why such things……go to the mans web sites to learn more…leave this joker to be his own king….seriously
Mega-low-mart,
So let me get this straight- you think that you are the smart welder? The one that refuses to take off of work due to illness or injury? The one that has been doing the job for 20 years and is finally making the salary that a college graduate makes? The one that writes three angry posts full of badd grammar and misspellings before realizing that this page has humorous content? The one that thinks that all of the dead guys I have written about on here were the real stupid ones, right?
ummm duh….stupid USED to be welder…you said those poor people were stupid…not me….i think your candy ass couldnt cut it in the real welding mans world….so you feel shame…and have to call others stupid…lmfao!!!!
shame, shame, shame…….i pity your lame non-artistic ass. someday, you might actually learn something ….like what stupid means….try the mirror….btw…mega-lo-mart?……where ya get that….some cheap joke book?
as well resorting to the name calling….soooo mature mr host….oh ya…..SHAME as well…..dont forget the look in the mirror for the definition of STUPID…hahahahahaaaaaaa!!!!!!!
Look stupid,
welding is not art. There is not a single piece of “art” in any museum in any country that is based solely upon welding.
And just how many years must a stupid person do a stupid job in order to be classified as “cutting it?” 2 Years? 3? Or does it take a lifetime of doing a really stupid job to “cut it” and do a “man’s job?”
You are just angry and bitter that you have wasted your entire youth and health on a job that has very little reward and absolutely no future. Don’t be pissed at me for shedding light on this truth that welders are the least intelligent person in a room.
And just to prove how stupid welders are, they ignore the most obvious threats to their lives when performing hot work. A welder sees a barge full of crude oil? No problem, weld that sucker!
From NOLA.com here:
http://tinyurl.com/2qp4mp
without a doubt you are sooooo wrong!!!lmao again….not only is there art in a museum that has been welded, but machined, torched, as well various other methods….talk about stupid….do you know what a museum even is?….i have doubt that you do, or have been smart enough to find one.
Why did you delete the links i put on here to the GOOD, TRUTHFUL facts about welding and dangers? because you are a shameful little man….you know, as well as i do, those sites would exspose you for the idiot you are, or you wouldnt have deleted them from the post i put up…
guess that kinda shows how stupid you actually are..dumbass!!!
i totally agree with everything this guy is saying….im not a welder, but my father was. he’s retired, has a sa-weet pension…and for 70, he’s well active.
and after reading your site, and knowing, and talking to him….i would have to say, the creator of this site must have mental cramps.
what kind of person, would call someone stupid, outside of a person so stupid, he thinks he see’s his own kind, people die every day….might as well call our troops in iraq stupid, or law enforcement, oh, i know, people that die from a defect. if you ask me, i think this site is more than stupid.
bravo megalodon!!!
lay into that soaker of the taxpayers!!
Wow. This post is like cutting edge art that incites passionate responses.
Very entertaining and I can really empathize with the loathing you have for your previous career.
John C and MegalowMart- You are not only stupid you are clumsy as well. When you create a ficticious account on a blog to either argue with or agree with another of your own posts, its called using a “sock puppet.”
Both of your IP’s are 69.23.67.119, which is a cable modem belonging to Road Runner. Look dummy, if you have nothing stronger for your argument other than calling me stupid, which is a serious “im rubber, you’re glue” scenario, then give it up. Resorting to sock puppets who lie about daddies who make “sa-weet” pensions is pathetic.
Welders die every day on the job or by doing something else that is really stupid. Like charging a cop with a knife in your hand. From the Greely Trib here: http://tinyurl.com/2nawqb
fictitious account? hmm i get e-mail every day, so i have no idea what you mean..maybe all that king of the hill and other cartoons rotted your brain.
lets see….i put up what 4 links? you took them off….whats that saying?
ill tell you…its says this site is based on an idiots perception of a job he could not cut it in.
had he (you), actually thought welding was so stupid, the links for the “dangers of welding”, would have stayed, and actually, was surprised to see you didnt add more to back your claims, however, since you deleted them, shows im right. looks to me like if all you can do to prove how stupid all welders are is to exsploit dead people to try and prove a point, keep goin ….im sure some moron might actually believe you…oh im sorry, ….what 3 have, in how many years now? run forest!!! run!!!
oh….try granite wireless, for my isp…hmmmmm MORON!
Okay, I’ll show to everyone how you used a fake account. And your ISP may be called whatever, but it is still a road runner account dummy. Your IP is http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=69.23.67.119
Here is your most recent email header:
And here is the email you created to sockpuppet yourself.
Now everyone will know you can’t hold an argument unless you create a ficticious account to support your weak position. And by listing your email addresses online I’m sure that spam bots will send you lots of goodies now.
And you have to pay me to advertise your links, chump, I won’t do it for free.
well pat you are indeed the idiot here. i cant believe i even read your site with all the b.s you posted up here. obviously you have never attended any welding school or you would know that there is a vast amount of information you have to learn to be a competent welder. the only problem with a welding career is we have idiots like you who cant cut it and then badmouth the trade and/or the idiot who doesnt take the time to LEARN the trade and says”oh yea i can weld, im a welder” the problem with the trade is there is not enough COMPETENT welders vs the “idiot” which includes you, who makes us look bad. you dont know anything, the majority of what you have stated is a matter of opinion and completely false.
Sorry Mr. Tig. I did indeed go to welding school at Newport News Shipbuilding where I was certified in many different processes. (Not tig though.) And as far as competence goes, I was very competent and skilled at what I did.
And I think its very telling that no welder can specify the length of time required before one is considered to be able to “cut it” as a welder. Is it three years? Four? Fifty? I spent over 10,000 hours running beads in the toughest conditions.
The job is not challenging other than the constant safety hazards. But I repeat that only a stupid person will waste his only God-given life in pursuit of welding as a career. Smarter people dont weld. They stay in college and make a better life for themselves. Or they realize that the job is a deadly dead end and they get out when they can.
you sound completely brainwashed, everybody cant work whitecollar jobs and someone who chooses a trade is no more stupid than the person who goes to college for 10 years just to make 100k+. just out of curiosity what is your career now pat?
so a radiology job where all you do is take a fucking xray everyday is challenging? come on now, im not sayin i wanna be buring rod the rest of my life but there are endless possibilities for welders. and if you want that big money learn a specialized welding process that not any bum off the street can do.
Radiology? No, if you read my log at http://www.belch.com/blog you will figure out what I do. And you are right, the world is wide open for welders to do anything they want with their lives. The ones who waste their lives burning rods are the stupid ones.
This poor dumb welder was crushed by the 300KG frame that he was working on. For other dumb welders reading this, its about 650 pounds. It crushed his chest. For some reason, the newspaper published photos of the poor dumb bastard lying on the floor with a sunken chest here:
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=400085
This is another sad story. A female rescue worker died trying to rescue two stupid welders in a tank that was filled with argon gas. Argon gas is a shielding gas which keeps the welding operation free of oxygen. Welders are taught that argon gas is heavier than air, and they are taught that argon will fill a space and displace all of the oxygen. Welders are taught not to enter spaces unless they have been checked by air quality chemists. Because once you inhale argon, it is almost impossible to expel it from your lungs.
But welders are pretty stupid and they forget and it gets them killed. The first welder went into the space without having it checked. He dropped dead. The welder’s partner was even dumber since he tried to go in after him. He dropped dead. Then a poor rescue worker who probably did not know about the dangers of argon, went in to drag out their bodies and she died too. But I bet there were some dumb welders standing around who didn’t warn the rescue worker to not try to enter the tank.
From Canada.com here: http://tinyurl.com/yshqs4
I mention in my article above that I think robots need to replace human welders for as many situations as possible. Welding is dangerous and hazardous to your health, as I have clearly documented. Well, there is a great robot being used in San Francisco at their shipyard that does all of the sand blasting.
http://news.com.com/2300-11394_3-6163970-1.html?tag=ne.gall.pg
Blasting operations are very time consuming, both in prep time and in cleanup. Now there is a single robot that can do the job of 50 blasters with little to no waste.
This means that there are now 50 people free to find better employment. After all, who wants to sand blast stuff all their lives?
Welders are stupid the world over. A stupid Egyptian welder went to the UAE and began welding there as an illegal immigrant. He got crushed on the job and is now paralized.
From the Khaleej Times here- http://tinyurl.com/3xw38q
When Stupid Welders don’t manage to kill themselves, they manage to somehow kill large groups of civilians. In this case, a stupid welder didn’t use a standard fire watch when working in a nursing home. So he managed to set the whole building ablaze. 62 elderly people died.
From Rian.ru here: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070320/62279279.html
Pat,
Anyone can invest obsessive amounts of time in belittling a long-past line of work they couldn’t handle. You’ve amply proven that above. Most people would’ve gotten over it and moved on years ago….
If you’re as enlightened as you claim, why not develop a better, safer, smarter way of fusing and working with metals? Surely that would serve humanity better than running a site of…belch sounds. It would certainly pay better too.
Hate welding if you’d like. Wherever there’s metal there’s welding, and both are crucial to our technology and civilization. Your elite class would be pretty SOL without the food, water, electricity, transportation, buildings etc. that keep all rest of us alive. Kinda scary to think such critical services are entrusted to “stupid” people, no? Next time the heat or lights go out, it just might take a STUPID WELDER to get them back on.
Good site, if it wasn’t for this page.
Another stupid welder, this time taking a dive from a ladder. He survived, but the company was fined for not having tied it down properly. From http://www.workplacelaw.net/display.php?resource_id=8416
This welder is woefully unfortunate. He was welding in his garage. Next to a gas can. Spark hits can and whoosh! Garage Fire. Garage Fire spreads next to his gun safe. Firefighters let the house burn down rather than risk getting hit by exploding 45 calibre rounds.
There is a hilarious video where the welder is huffing and griping about the firemen letting his house burn down.
From http://www.wesh.com/news/12371068/detail.html
A South Korean Man caught fire while welding and jumped off of a boat rather than burn alive. From a New Zealand story here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4039438a6530.html
An explosion probably led to the death of a South Korean fisherman who fell from a fishing vessel off the Banks Peninsula coast on Tuesday night.
Crewmates threw the man a life-ring and raft but were unable to save him. Searchers gave up hope of finding the man early on Wednesday.
Sources said the man caught fire after an oxyacetylene hose, used for welding, exploded on the boat.
It was not clear if the man was thrown from the boat because of the explosion or whether he hurled himself overboard.
Another stupid welder laid a heavy pipe on an I-Beam over his head. He started welding and the pipe rolled off (cause it’s ROUND and all), and it hit him in the head killing him. Instantly.
From Cdispatch.com here:
This is a case where a stupid welder ignited some fumes and blew up a whole building and killed himself in the process. They even have video of the destruction here:
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5296383
[…] kid sounds so dumb he may as well start a career in welding.Ā Why would anyone shoot himself in the gut?Ā To collect $1.70 per pound in recycling fees for […]
I hear horror stories of welding in different industries. This is the first time I realized how dangerous it is to weld for the Railroads. Here is a sad story of a stupid welder being flattened by a train.
From Railway People
I was just reading through an article on this page that says all welders are stupid, rednecks, basically perverts, and tobacco user. Not to mention trash. Well, I just had to respond. Most of my family are or were welders at some point. My father began his career as a helper, then welder, now project manager for a large corporation that builds plants all over the world and by the way, I would dare you to compare your paycheck against his anyday. My husband has been a welder for 18 years and he is none of the things you claim that welders are. As a matter of fact I know very few stupid welders and I know very many. Maybe you didn’t stay in the trade very long because you couldn’t make it, you just weren’t SMART enough.
So your whole family have been welders? What color is your trailer? Ha ha, just kidding.
So your dad had to quit welding to get that big pay raise, right? He’s no longer a welder? Only stupid people stay in the trade for 18 years. If you were smart you should take a big insurance policy out on your husband. He’s about due.
And before you go off wondering how many years I did the trade, read over the comments. I’m sure you will enjoy them. Thanks for visiting, Tonya.
Not all welders are stupid asshole, stop saying that and whining about being caught on fire. Seriously. I’m a welder, and I enjoy my job. Replacing us with robots? You must be talking about yourself when you say welders are stupid, cause do you even know how much money that’d cost the business’s? No, thought so. Also I design webpages, write html, java, etc. Yes true about 80% of the welding community lacks something called “common sense” but there’s still another 20% in there you fuckin’ prick. Oh yeah, why is this called “belch” when it’s a blog about you being a pussy and not being able to handle welding? Finally, I found it hilarious you said “welders are dumb” but yet you welded for 5 years….your excuse, “I hated it”. Yup, that makes you smart right? Congrats, you insulted yourself.
I have trained my cat to code in html and java. That’s hardly a sign of intelligence. Do you make any money out there in Arkansas coding web pages? Yeah, didn’t think so.
If you had taken a few more minutes to check out the site, you would have figured out why the site is belch.com, stupid. And I will be the first to admit that I did that dangerous work far too long. But getting out was a smart move. You should do the same.
I have a bachelors degree and I am A IRONWORKER not a steelworker. (I build buildings, I don’t make steel.) I am not a lesbian and my husband, three children and two grand children consider me very much a lady. I don’t always just weld but when I do, I follow all the OSHA requirements and sugestions. I wear a respirator and have a fire watch and wear protective gear.
I also worked in a ship yard building submarines. It was as you say a very dangerous job. I left because I had an overuse injury. There is little regard for safety in a government job. They pretend to follow safety rules but if you don’t work their way they will fire you.
I am now in a union where I have a say as to my safety. I enjoy welding, I can see what I have accomplished at the end of the day. I tried to work in an office but I didn’t feel as if I accomplished anything. I have heard welding described as an art. This may be true because no matter how hard a person works or how many welds they attempt, some people can weld and some cannot. Anyone can run a bead. It takes some special talent to make it not just visually but structurally sound. (and capable of passing inspection)
There are alot of stupid people no matter what profession you choose. As I tell my children, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE ONE OF THE STUPID PEOPLE! Use your brain! If it looks stupid or dangerous, DON”T DO IT. No amount of money is worth you life.
This dumbass welder was working at home. He had a 55-gallon drum clearly marked Warning- flammable and a blow torch. He blew up his home and put himself in the hospital. This hilarious story is here:
http://tinyurl.com/2oj5hv
LEBANON, N.H. – A Plainfield man was listed in critical condition today at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. where he is being treated for a severe head injury suffered in a bizarre welding accident outside his central Vermont home late Saturday afternoon.
Mike Holt, 37, was reportedly using cutting torches outside a home he owns on Harvey Hill Road at approximately 4:30 p.m. when Fire Chief Patrick Martin said something went terribly wrong.
There were torches being used and, though the flames had āblown outā by the time volunteers led by Deputy Chief Gary Graves arrived at the scene, propane was still spewing out of them.
Holt was using the torches in the vicinity – if not on – a 55-gallon drum marked āflammable.ā āIt was the 55-gallon drum that exploded,ā he said.Detective Sgt. Russ Robinson of the state police said that appears to be what happened.
The ensuing explosion rocked Plainfield over the holiday weekend.
āAt first I though it was a cannon,ā said Beverly Gray, whose Brook Road home is more than a mile away from where the accident occurred.
Holt has been listed in critical condition at the hospital since the explosion.
Great site! This happened last year, near my home. Not sure if this guy was a welder, but surely from the same breedstock! LOL
from: Muskegon Chronicle, Mi.
“A man whose power saw ignited oil residue in a crude oil tank was killed Wednesday when the explosion blew him more than 700 feet away, one fire official said. Jessie Hernandez, 38, of Bear Lake, was cutting pipes from the tank to dismantle it at 3 p.m. in a Cleon Township oil field, when heat and sparks from his saw ignited fumes and residue inside, said Jason Vess, fire chief in nearby Maple Grove Township who was at the scene.
The top of the oil tank was found 200 feet away from the oil…”
I am writing regarding the post in which you called Anthony Laraby a “Stupid Welder.” I want you to know that “Tony Laraby” is my brother, and your arrogant rantings were actually read by his father after his death. Tony was a good man, a hard worker, and his father, after traumatically dealing with the death of his child had to read you… for no reason other than to sound like you have any idea what you are talking about… say his dead son was stupid. I hope you feel good about the evil you do. I dont give a damn about you or your idealogy, but I do know that God isn’t gonna give a damn… when you reach the pearly gates… about what you GOT out of this world… but what you put in. And, Pat, dont discount yourself.. what you put in was breaking the heart of people who were already heartbroken over tragety. Kudos buddy.
Sunny,
This hapened over a year ago, and you are just now googling his name and finding this page?
I re-read the story and Im sorry to report I think what your deceased brother did was- pretty stupid. Did he forget to set the parking brake? Was he even qualified to operate the cherry picker? Why wasn’t there a fire-watch or safety person operating the cherry picker while your brother welded? Your brother took the risk to do that job, and he knew that his life was on the line.
Im sorry for your family’s loss, and you can complain that this page is evil, but this page also discourages a lot of men and women from becoming welders, which is the point of the page. So don’t be mad at me. I didn’t tell your brother to take a highly dangerous job for a career. Since 1998 I’ve been telling people NOT to.
This is a sad case where a welding supervisor was handed a screwdriver and told to fix a drywall shredder- while it was still running. Now a smart person would have shut the machine down and disconnected it from a power source- oh, and also have been trained to carry out said repairs.
But stupid welders brainlessly comply with asinine requests like these. The end result is Billy Parker is now going through life with no arms. And people get angry with me for calling welders stupid. Hah!
From the Kentucky Courier Journal here: http://tinyurl.com/yuqfnj
One welder who embodies intelligence and honor cancels your whole arguement. You spent ample time creating this website, seemingly with malice as motivation. I am a proud ironworker who can see the skill in the trade, the honor one can see in joining of two. It shows one that becoming one is not easy and does require suffering, but when an individual see’s the finished product a sense of honor rushes over me. I see the analogies that welding provides me. Suffering is part of life that must be embraced and transformed into fruit. Can you see a flower in a vase in all its forms? One should be able to look at a rose in a vase as: garbage, fertilizer, and Co2 and nitrogen etc. Maybe you should do some self reflecting and read some Thich Nhat Hahn, Albert Camus’ THE STRANGER to remind you to live in the present moment, not in the past or the future as most do.
Josh,
Or maybe you should quit waxing philosophical about what a crappy job you have. It reminds me to add self-delusional to the list of things wrong with welders.
[…] used to be a welder, and I collect stories about how welders do stupid things to get themselves killed.Ā I know, its macabe, weird, probably […]
In this instance, a welder had his Motorola Cell Phone in his front pocket while he was welding. The heat and sparks caused it to explode, taking hunks out of his chest and killing him.
From the Reg here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/04/exploding_mobile/
Even when welders are not doing overtly stupid things, the job finds ways to kill them.
This is a story about a stupid welder who had seven previous charges for DUI. On his 8th, he killed 5 people. Somehow this scumbag lived.
Tragically, this story is from here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07191/800601-85.stm
This “scumbag” was a gentle, kind, young man who was tragically injured in an accident when whe was a teenager. He spent months in coma and rehabilitation. He suffered irreparable brain damage which left him without the normal abilities to reason or control impulses. Because he was an adult, at least chronologically speaking, his parents were unable to compel him to get treatment for either his disabilities or his drinking. In spite of their pleas to the court system, the State of West Virginia continued to turn a blind eye to this young man’s disabilities and returned him to society ā a danger to himself and to the community.
Before you judge so harshly, consider whether this whole tragic situation could have been avoided had the State of West Virginia heeded the parents’ request for assistance for their son who was incapable of helping himself.
Rosemary,
Brian Stone is a scumbag and you are an apologist for a murderer. It is not the state’s responsibility to keep this scumbag off of the freeway. The state followed the law.
Brian Stone repeatedly broke the law and now people are dead.
I will blame Brian Stone, the killer in this case. You can go stick your head in a bucket and blame whoever you want to, but it wont change the fact that Stone killed 5 people including 3 children.
But thanks for visiting my website.
A stupid welder blows himself up in his backyard workshop.
http://heraldnet.com/article/20070724/NEWS01/707240328
Another stupid welder manages to make it to the old age of 81 before the welding gods come to collect his soul. Welding and tractors don’t seem to mix.
http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6829515
Some stupid welders have hobbies. Some hobbyists have to weld as part of their hobby, so this means that they could make near fatal mistakes. Such as running your dragster in your driveway near your flammable gas tanks and propane bottles.
From http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=71976
Two poor stupid welders were crushed by a wall they were installing at a construction site.
From http://tinyurl.com/29hron
Poor stupid welder was minding his own business and his leg fell off!
From Florida Today here:
Another day and another stupid welder bites the dust. This time it was the business owner of a welding shop. Just ’cause you’re lucky enough to get your own shop don’t make you smart. Stan Locklair did a really stupid thing- he performed cutting operations against a 55 gallon drum with an unknown flammable gas inside it. The explosion killed him.
From Paradise Post here:
Another stupid welder goes boom. This time the welder was working on a container of biodiesel- which I guess means this welder made himself go “carbon neutral”
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/latest/lat_082107_mankilled.shtml
Well Pat I see from the replys here that you hate welding. Thats cool the job isnt for everyone. The clippings that I saw where from people who where not properly trained in safety, in my book I call these people amateurs.I also see that you included alot of news clippings from papers from around the globe. What you do not to relize is that safety in almost all 3rd world countries leaves alot to be desired. It also goes to show most people of how stupid the information that you are spreading is.
I have been a welder for almost 18 years, I make any where from $25-$35 an hour. When I first started I was not making even half that amount. I have my health and my lungs are in great shape, I see about as good as I did when I was 18, I have all my teeth, my knees are in good working order, and I own a new car which I trade in every 2 years. I have my house that is almost paid off after having a 10 year morgage on it. If this qualifies me as stupid then so be it. I also have all my body parts and have had very few burns in my life from welding.
The fact that you say that union jobs pays less money is false and needs to be revised. Most union jobs pays more than regular places pay. They also have better beneifts. The down side to the union labor is that 90% of the time you will have to travel to get the work. Not all unions are good unions, but the ones that have been around a long time are very goods ones and have great labor benefits. Boilermakers, Ironworkers, Millwrights, Electritions, Labors, Operators, Plumbers, these are strong unions.
I trully enjoy what I do, and have been properly trained in ALL aspects of my trade and the safety that goes along with it. Normally I would not even waste my time reading a blog like this but yours really got me thinking. Thinking that your parents did not teach you how to respect others. It irritates me to think that you a self proclaimed welder,would even have gone out of your way to insult me and the other men who work in the welding trade. Yes calling me and proper welders stupid is insulting and degrading. I understand that working in ship yards is hard work, and it is not for everyone, yes I have been there done that and did not like the work either, and that you are allowed your opinion. But dont insult what I do for a living.
Every thing we do in life is bullshit.
But we must all choose a line of bullshit to believe in.
Sam said, “Every thing we do in life is bullshit.” Spoken like a true welder. Sam, you may have wasted your working years on a dreary jobsite to give you the attitude that everything you do is bullshit, but the opposite is true for most people.
And you may think that the people who died welding were “amateurs” or 3rd world lowlifes, but if you tell that to the widows and orphans they leave behind, you can expect to be chastised. In fact, most welders die through no fault of their own, except for the fault that they stupidly continued to do a dangerous job. And no matter how safe they were, death manages to find them.
Take the case of poor Sam Mazella. He wasn’t even welding at the time and he was crushed on the job.
From WTOV here:
The site even has a video.
Here is another genius welder at work. The explosion nearly takes his fool head off.
http://www.break.com/index/explosion-nearly-decapitates-welder.html
Great page! Keep it up so I can use it for safety reference examples of what NOT to do.
I weld (in conjunction with being a mechanic) and agree that _many_ of the people who end up as welders ARE stupid, and the exceptions should not have ANY snivels about your page.
The people who are encouraged to enter welding school are often not the brightest, which doesn’t do much for the collective gene pool.
BTW, the macho idiot who thinks metal fume fever is a joke needs to go weld hot-dip galvanized sheet without a respirator, inside a closed ISO container.
All you “smart” welders, do you or YOUR CO-WORKERS WHOSE STUPIDITY CAN KILL YOU ALONG WITH THEM do anything resembling the posted dangerous behaviors? If you tolerate STUPIDITY, guess what that makes you? Be smart, be safe.
Sobac,
Thanks for “getting” the page and for the comments. I hope everyone can use the material I collect to enhance safety and “smarten” up.
hmmmm….welding does indeed fall into the top 10 most dangerous jobs. has been proven. been welding 21 years. had an employer tell a fellow, 2 days ago, the locking device on a plate clamp…”didnt need it”, this was the owner of the company.
but are these men/women actually stupid, or doing what some say is a calling?
think about something for a minute…what about thse offices you work in,cars you drive, and the equipment thats makes everones day more pleasant? those things would not be here today without the welder. the man/woman, who toils day and or night to make a liveing, feed his family, and most of all..likes to do it, not because its the only thing he/she knows how to do, but likes to do.
kida funny this site. it doesnt actually have any REAL (notice there i did take the time to use caps) safty info, just how a welder died. hmmmm
ive been a mechanic in my spare time, done rough constuction, roofing,still do computer repair spare time, and other things…not all grunt work. being a dad, ect.
but ive never, seen or heard anyone, but host, say welders are stupid. i do heavy construction..welding, in and out of shop. dont do it cause im stupid, i do it cause its what i like to do, like a computer geek,mechanic,and whatever feild you can toss in there. im a welder…mean im stupid, by all means no…lol.
To sit and mock someone who gave his life to what he likes to do, even if it was in dislike, doesnt mean he/she was stupid, or arrogant, but was doing what they had to do, and was getting it done. you can work in any position,doesnt make you smarter, or dumber than a welder. ive met a lot of people with college, and doctorates, but when it comes to being smart, if it isnt on paper….well lets just say….they are not smarter. so cry about how you didnt like to weld, and then to make a point, pick on those that gave you what you have. but the metals industry…..will always need a welder…if you are not a welder, and do plan on looking into it, dont let this site make that choice for you. lots of great people who work for a liveing are welders, and i do implore you, work safely, even if your boss says its ok. safety is #1 in this feild. also….in most aspects…welders read prints, weld symbols, and follow dimensions, some MUST go to college to learn a few, not all diffrent methods, procedures ect. and those that take enrichment in host’s ramblings…..well best you are not a welder….and i advise you to stay so far away from welding, that you dont rub off on us, for being so smart, ok?
Those horrible California fires of 2007? Yep, a stupid welder caused on of the fires, the Magic Fire, which burned almost 3000 acres, and endangered the lives of firefighters and residents.
From TheSignal.com here:
I hope they find the culprit and put his stupid ass in jail.
More dumb welders go boom.
From here.
A stupid welder in Saudi Arabia gets 28 people killed and causes a rise in gas prices.
From here:
Sometimes stupid welders rain down from the sky.
From Las Vegas Now here:
Why do you say welders are stupid? Is it because you were a STUPID welder!!! I have seen it where engineers of a company tell the welders that safety is of no concern do it anyway, i have seen the weders telling the engineers it wont happen. When they refuse to do it all those STUPID wedlers get run off a job. Why? Because they stand up for themselves. The next crew that comes along dont want to piss off the SMART engineers & do it, thats when someone gets hurt. Surely if the engineer says its ok, then it must be ok. Pipe line welders are niot stupid peope. Just becaus there was an ACCIDENT, maybe it was just that, an accident. I do like the web page it gives people the seriousnss of becoming a welder, if someone reads this & they say hey maybe this isnt for me, then they dont need to be out there. Yes it is very hard work. You work in all types of weather, work all over, always away from home ( if you travel for it). But welders arent stupid!!!!!!!!!!
Suebd,
Welders are stupid. Thousands of dead welders can’t be wrong.
i am a welder from england a hve just read your site. while i agree with a lot of the things that you say aabout the safety f welding, it can be a good career. dont be put of by other peoples stupidness. as long as your safe it can be very rewarding…. or you dont know what your talking about, it appears to me that you have justread a book and trying to sound clever….
I don’t know anything about welding, but I do know that you are a prick. I personally knew the man from your Nov 28th post and he was a great guy with a wife and two young kids one of them so young that they will never remember him. He wasn’t stupid, he was just trying to make a living and provide for his growing family and i’m sure was twice the man you are.
Sorry about the loss of your friend. And deepest condolences to the widow and children. I’m sure David’s motions on that tall platform were those of the purest genius, right?
No, I think that the “purest genius” is to talk shit about people that whose lives were tragically cut short and families that were ruined.
If you want to stereotype a profession that’s fine, but to specifically target people that have lost their lives is cowardly.
Then complain to Google. They are the ones who notify me of any and all news stories about “welding accident.” David perished in a welding accident that was likely his own fault. Pursuing a career that puts your life on the line, especially when you have a family at home, and then not following proper safety procedures is not smart.
Its stupid.
Don’t worry though. Another welder will die today and then another one tomorrow. He will be in good company.
See, unlike you I only say things on the Internet that I wouldn’t be afraid of saying to someone in person.
But take comfort in the fact that you are a coward and you have the Internet to mask your insecurities.
Don’t you find it the least bit ironic that someone that has a burping website is calling other people stupid?
Ironic? Or even more deeply hurtful to stupid people to be put down by the webmaster of a burping website?
I don’t fear saying what I do to people in person. But in David’s case, I would probably need a shovel.
Is this the part where you level a threat against me?
Why would I level a threat against you? I’m sure you’re anxiously waiting for me to threaten you so you can come up with another witty retort that you would never have the balls to say in person.
As for the “I don’t fear saying what I do in person” garbage, come on kid….you’re dumb but not that dumb.
Your shtick is played out, but carry on clown. I’ve wasted enough time on you and your played out nonsense.
Pat, you sure have a knack for pissing people off.
I had a friend years ago who worked at the Newport News shipyard building aircraft carriers. He got out of welding for the same reasons you did, but even after he got out of welding, he still wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack. The last time I saw him, he was selling cars… and his fingers still hadn’t grown back.
Welding is definately a dangerous job, not for everyone. If a person gets into any occupation (Iraqi occupation included) without taking the time to learn ALL the risks involved… that qualifies as stupid. If you take safety shortcuts, that too qualifies as stupid. So… bottom line, in any dangerous occupation, the stupid and careless don’t last long, unfortunately, they have a tendency of taking out a few of the good ones with them.
Here is another example of welders being stupid. Doing ship repair in a small tank without ventilation. Then leaving a torch hooked up in the space and then returning from lunch and sparking it. BOOM!
From signonSanDiego here:
Sadly, another welder rained down from the sky, leaving family behind. Was it smart or was it stupid to climb ten stories and work with a faulty safety harness? I’m going with stupid.
From Philly.com here:
A five story swan dive onto a rebar grid. Egads, that sucks.
I’m welding tubes 4 the Lord,
With him on my mind I never get bored,
I drop my hood and strike an arc,
& a conversation gets its start,
I pray about my mom & pray about my dad,
Ask forgiveness 4 when I’ve been bad,
Lift up my friends & enemies too,
& I steady keep praying that this weld will “shoot”,
I thank Him for the job & all generosity,
In the name of Jesus I rebuke porosity,
Let me tell ya-
From the shoulder to the holder I’ve been golden blessed,
I don’t have to take a break cause in Him I rest,
If I have a little trouble while I’m burning wire,
I don’t get frustrated its just trial by fire,
So when people brag about the way I burn rod,
I don’t let my head swell give the glory to God!
“but are these men/women actually stupid, or doing what some say is a calling?”
Those two things are NOT mutually exclusive!
Safety matters ALL the time, and cavalier neglect of basic safety is STUPID.
Nice people can be stupid. They and their accident victims (if any) are just as dead or injured as if they were nasty and stupid.
“No, I think that the āpurest geniusā is to talk shit about people that whose lives were tragically cut short and families that were ruined.”
They didn’t care enough about any of the above to avoid accidents by being PROFESSIONAL. If I’d repaired OV-10s/F-4s/F-16s in an equally careless manner and one dropped on your family, would you not “talk shit” and rightfully use it as an example of what not to do?
This site reminds me of the old-school ring safety posters. They often had a picture of a hand, with separate fingertip along with the ring that got caught and snatched it off. Some folks object to the gore, but most get the lesson. Wearing jewelry around a shop…is stupid no matter how long before it catches up with the stupid wearer.
Platinum Pete, I love the welder’s prayer. Thanks for posting that.
Sobac, thanks for the comment. If there is any other site on the internet that documents the deadliness of this line of work, I would like to see it.
Who is stupider? A welder who dies going into an argon-filled tank or the four friends who each die in turn going into the tank to rescue the previous victim?
This story about welder lemmings is brought to you by Santiago, Chile.
The article says it was carbon monoxide, but it is much more likely it was argon, the shielding gas used in welding operations. The tank lacked adequate ventilation and the other dead workers had no idea they were climbing down to their doom, although the bodies piling up in the bottom of the tank should have been what is known as a “clue.”
Very funny site…my mother in law was an welder for 27 years in Romania…one day she did a medical checkup and the doctor said: Stop smoking, your lungs look like Schwitzer cheese…but she never smoke in her life…was just an…welder
Dear Pat,
Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking the time to warn others of the dangers of welding. I appreciate the effort, and while I wouldn’t have chosen to do it in the manner in which you’ve chosen to do it, it’s certainly effective.
I’m a twenty-four year old female, and I welded in high school. I was the only girl in my auto class, and when it was time for the practicals, I was told, “Go work on invoices in the office. You’re a girl. You’ll never get hired to work on cars.” The only time I felt any joy at all in that hateful class was during the metal shop, where I excelled at welding and braising. My senior thesis in the class was to build a life-size replica of the human skeleton out of spare car parts and pieces of desks. He came out very well, and I named him Bob. That has nothing to do with the subject matter, really, except to say this:
I’ve wanted to get back into welding ever since I graduated. I figured, there’s such a high demand for them, I’ll certainly get paid more welding than the six dollars an hour I get working in an arts and crafts store, and I enjoyed it so when I was making Bob. After reading about the various dangerous positions that various stupid people get into, and the inevitable pain and sorrow that follows even a tiny, careless mistake – the lives that mistake costs, both in the welder himself, and in the lost time his family and friends suffer – I think I’m rethinking my career goal.
I never thought about welding as a dead-end job before reading this page. I always imagined that I’d learn to weld more completely than I did in my auto-shop class, and that I’d make metal sculptures like the ones that line the streets in my home town. I didn’t think about explosions that might decapitate me or huge planks of metal crushing my pelvis. I’d like to have children some day, and a pelvis crushing isn’t exactly conducive to baby-having, assuming I’d live through it.
I may still go on to be a welder, though if I did, I can tell you with certainty that I’ll avoid the industrial aspects as much as I can. I’d rather work with my friend Bill and make iron fences for rich bitches living in houses that could easily contain seven families than fixing ships or deep-sea welding.
Thank you for painting Welding in darker colours and reminding me that even though I may have safety in mind, those around me may not.
– M
Megan,
It sounds like the type of welding you want to do is the fun artistic metal crafting. I hardly ever hear of sad stories tied to that aspect, but safety of course is still a factor.
Most deaths occur in structural welding, recycling, fabrication, and maritime welding.
But remember you have your whole life ahead of you and you are a great writer, so I know you are smart enough to make good decisions about your future. I’m glad I could make you think.
Be safe and have fun!
Stupid Welder blows up 150 Year Old Winery and kills a member of the Australian Parlaiment. As a wine lover, I find this particularly tragic.
A stupid welder blows himself and his buddies to Kingdom come, and takes a chunk of the ship he was working on with him.
Cram 30 stupid welders into a room. Mix in Terrine gas. Stand back and watch the boom.
Stupid Welder swan dives from Deep Sea Oil Rig. I guess safety lanyards are optional on his job.
Pat or may I refer to you as “On Line Hater?
I find it offensive you referencing to our son as a “Stupid Person” and getting his “stupidity” from his mother. You do not know me or my son for that matter, or the depth of my concern for my son. Your comment makes it sound as though I have no regard for hissafety.
We are very involved in our son’s activities and supportive of what he does and believes in. Our son battled back from his near fatal moto-cross accident where he suffered a tramatic brain injury and is one of God’s true miracles in this world. We watched him fight for his life, battle back from a coma, learned how to walk,talk, and struggle to learn all over again, things that we take for granted. Through all this he witnesses to everyone he meets how God and this experience has influenced his life.
Everything in life has risk associated with it, and activies that our son participates in are no exception. To tell you the truth, basketball, baseball, softball, football, soccer are riskier sports than what Jeran participates in. Driving your car is more dangerous than Jeran driving his Jr Dragster, actually there are more deaths in car accidents in a 6 hour period than 6 years of drag racing.
Saftey is the key. Saftey equipment and everyones faith in God is what saved Jerans life.
The big distinction we have taught our son is to look at the good in every situation and experience, in contrast to your view of life where everthing and everyone is “bad and Stupid”. You must live a miserable life by having so much hate in your heart.
You should not make such broad statements of individuals you know nothing about.
Secondly our son has a passion for welding and understands the implications that go along with it but will use knowledge and safety equipment to minimize risks.
We are also thankful he is a sensible, sensitive, non-judgemental individual, who thanks to God has a second chance at life and will not waste lifes precious time , slamming people that he DOES NOT know and being critical of the life they live.
We are proud of our son, Jeran, in EVERYTHING he does. He appreciates and respects the second chance he has been given, but most of all he respects other people , this is a lesson you might want to do a little studying on.
In conclusion, some points you make on your website have valid points. The way they are presented and the tone they portray is what is so offensive. Everyone in your eyes is “STUPID” , get away from the computer, meet some friends and get a life!
Jeran’s Parents
Boy do I understand where all of you are coming from. I trained as a weldor back in the early 1960’s and as to safety items there were none we were told that you drank milk to counteract the zink fumes when welding galvanized. I went on and learned tig and mig welding eventhough back then there were called a “sissy” form of welding, they put me through college. and into a excellent job.
Here in SC we have a great many stupid weldors, or idiots who THINK they are weldors. We had a shop burn to the ground awhile ago seems they had emptied the gas tank into a pan then cut the tank straps with a torch… tank blows up and catches pan of gas still undeneath on fire and presto! southern style bar b q’d repair shop.The local fire dept listed it as a workplace “accident”.
Seldom a month goes by without some sort of fire, explosion, or such but the SC Gov sees nothing wrong, except having any real publicity item. It seems to me that the inmates are running the asylum.
Southron,
Wow, I had no idea they used to tell welders to drink milk to counteract toxic zinc fumes. What kind of BS is THAT?? And when I began to study to ditch the dangerous job of welding I was also told by other welders that I was doing “sissy” work by going to college. Just more proof of my point.
Congrats on using the job to get you to a better level!
Jeran’s Parents: Congrats on raising such a stupid child. Your lack of good judgment and refusal to criticize your precious little snowflake’s bad career choices is likely going to lead to tragedy. Its not smart to stay silent when you know that your child is doing stupid things. And not being smart is called being stupid. I was correct in my original assessment.
HEY PAT,YOU’RE SUCH A HUMBUG SCUMBAG PERSON I EVER NOTICED.I’M A WEB DEVELOPER AND AS OPF NOW I’M UNDERGOING TRAINING TO BE A SHIPYARD WELDER OR A SHIP FITTER WELDER.WHY?ASK YOUR STINKING BUTTHEAD.I’TS ALL ABOUT EARNING FOR UR FAMILY NEEDS.GET A LIFE WILL YOU?CRITICISM ARE LIKE HOMING PIGEONS THEY ALWAYS COME BACK HOME.
Temujin,
You of course have to take care of your family. But your IP suggests you are in Manila Philippines. You can’t get a job that is safer and pays the same? Even bartenders make more than shipyard welders.
You know, its sad when welders do something stupid that gets them killed. Its much sadder when they die because someone else didn’t do their job right. In this case, scaffolding was not strong enough to hold welders installing a water pipe beneath a bridge.
From the AP here:
Hello, Was the Anthony Laraby( Ironworker Nut Tree killed, April 29, 2006) an accident by the operator or a misfunction of the equipment? Thank you
in response to Patty boys comment,”So your whole family have been welders? What color is your trailer? Ha ha, just kidding.
So your dad had to quit welding to get that big pay raise, right? Heās no longer a welder? Only stupid people stay in the trade for 18 years. If you were smart you should take a big insurance policy out on your husband. Heās about due.
And before you go off wondering how many years I did the trade, read over the comments. Iām sure you will enjoy them. Thanks for visiting, Tonya.”
and this follows suit to the rest of the reply comments patty….
ive noticed in every negative response posted, you shoot a quip in there about someone posting it. not to mention, someone read a post about you calling their relative “stupid”, that had died, and you have the tardness, to cut them down? get a fuc**** bit of respect will you?
perhaps ill hack your site, find you, and see how smart you really are. nah…hope someone does tho, i think you can be a lot smarter, after a few good lessons, from a few good welders….there’s holding your ground and all when it comes to things like your site, of that is a joke, but you cut down people who cant see the light thats in you dim eyes, and yes, i cut on you, for all the cuts you take on those that dont see welders as stupid….btw…how smart is a person to devote so much time into a site, just to call someone stupid, that can be put to a real use in life?…..hmmmm stupid pat, wasted my time doing this, i coulda been taking a nap, and spent that time more wisely…..eh, ya got me…ya sure did!!!…hope you walk next to a building and a welding machine falls on ya, now that would be classic porn justice….lol
Another stupid welder with hurt feelings Kesserdick? I think perhaps yes. And while you are over there wishing for things, why don’t you wish for a better job?
So today’s dead stupid welders will be dedicated to you, Kissyurdick. From Tass here, is the hilarious story of what happens when two welders become roommates. The dead lady in the flat below them didn’t die laughing, however.
Thonway1: Im not sure what the root cause of the accident was. I think that those cherry pickers have the controls in the overhead basket. So the welder was likely operating the bucket and accidentally squished himself.
More proof that welders are stupid, regardless of where they come from is courtesy of Dawn.com here:
Only a welder would be stupid enough to buy a bomb and then try to cut into it. Dead welder parts were strewn over a whole city block.
One stupid welder blew himself to hell today by getting the bright idea to weld on a giant biodiesel tank. The explosion was so loud it shook a factory across the street.
From Canada.com here:
You must have come home and found your wife in bed with a welder!!!! You are just a pussy.
On the contrary, Seville. Most self-respecting women like men who don’t stink, aren’t dirty, and make enough money to take care of them properly. That pretty much excludes welders.
You must have never met a fabricator. And making almost $100,000 a year i think i am able to take great care of my woman and could take care of yours too. And have you ever heard of soap and water that takes care of the dirt and stink. You have heard of bathtubs.
Last year I started a small business to sell my art work. I do plasma cutting and welding to create steel sculptures. Although I love creating the art and am starting to make a bit of money at it, I find that, even with the respirators, ventilation and safety equipment I feel lousy the next day. I’ve tried to find new ways to work so that the process won’t effect me, but even if I don’t feel sick, I can tell that my body is stressed out and fatigued. I have to face facts…. Welding is hazardous to my health.I HAVE to make the decision to quit, but hate to. Unlike you, I enjoy it (WORKING 8 HOURS A DAY FOR YEARS MUST HAVE BEEN TORTURE!). I feel really good when I create beautiful art work. People love my work. Also, I spent a lot of $$$ on equipment and don’t have many options for making income.
I looked on the internet for scientific studies about “Welding Dangers” as a way to convince myself that I HAVE to give it up. There are plenty of studies that link welding fumes and magnetic fields to short and long-term diseases. Unfortunatly, it’s still hard to make the break.
Luckily I happened upon your site. I enjoyed reading the World Wide Welding article. It was entertaining. The tragic stories highlight the nature of the dangers of welding. You certainly give a good argument against welding. Actually, not an argument, which implies a two way conversation, more of a butt-headed one-way position against welding. But I agree with you on a lot of things, so I guess it’s Butt-headed, but helpful. thanks.
Lady of Steel,
Thanks for writing. Its a real shame you have to give up your art because of your health. But after trying everything and still feeling poorly, yeah, you may have to give it up or take a long break from it to let the heavy metals you absorbed settle down.
Contrary to everything posted above, I did enjoy welding for the same reasons everyone else that does it enjoys it. But the risks just aren’t worth it in the long run.
You can take some computer aided drafting classes to design your artwork on a computer and contract it out, or switch materials completely. Try sandstone sculpture or working with marble.
Good luck!
Stupid welder gets pinched like a sausage:
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/05/16/14014_news.html
Stupid welder blows himself up in a bio-diesel plant. Even the newspaper calls him stupid by blaming the explosion on “operator error.”
http://www.wmdt.com/topstory/topstory.asp?id=3478
ummm operator error…..well lets see, that could mean anything, someone “BESIDES” the welder might be at fault. Sounds like maint. forgot to lock out/ tag out, or someone opend a valve, just about anything is considered operator error.
perhaps something to reflect upon with your so brilliant wisdom?
I don’t have a web site because i don’t want one.
i just read one or two of the items on this web site and i think you are a idiot you know nothing about welding in the real world
Hey Pat,
Great website I really enjoy it. I chose welding as a career why..because I did something stupid when I was 19 and now have a non-violent felony conviction on my record. I tried for 3 years to find a job in the IT industry, no one in IT will hire a felon. I know HTML, PHP. Javascript, Unix, Linux, Windows, Novell, C#, C++ and still cannot get an IT job. After 3 years of working at low paying, back breaking jobs I could not take it anymore. One day at the gas station saw some guy w/a dually truck w/ welding equipment in the bed and asked him what that was for. Told me he was a welder, mentioned to him I had a felony and needed work. Started working for him 4 days later as a helper at 12 per hour. Learned more about the business, went to night school at the local community college, got certs. Now I make 63.23 per hour as a pipe welder working 60 hour weeks. Am I stupid? Yes for getting a felony. Stupid as in dumb? I don’t think so, I studied multivariable calculus, differential equations, chemistry for engineers, statics and dynamics. Had a 3.7 GPA in college before I got a felony. I am living good now, will try to get my case expunged and records sealed in 5 years. Until then welding will have to do, because I have very few options. This one seems to pay the most especially for someone with a felony.
Felon,
Great story, and thanks for sharing. Hang in there and stay safe.
What happens when you mix welding and pig shit? Explosions and death, of course.
From KOLN here:
i am a mig welder 3yers exprience
[…] I’m guessing they are smelling the remains of all those welders that keep blowing themselves to kingdom come. […]
Another Stupid Welder used his job as a means to try to launch himself into orbit. He didn’t survive the experiment.
This one is sad. The stupid welder couldn’t see or hear all of his coworkers yelling at him to “Look Out” for the crane that was falling on him to squish him.
This is skilled labor being a welder. Maybe you would rather stare at a computer screen than stare at a bead, but c’mon PAT, a little more red blooded and a little less American. Either that or move to Canada or something, gosh.
your just a pussy who does nothing but complain cause your a lil bitch who cant handle the heat. If you dont like it why dont u go sell some hotdogs u chump!
I’m A Union Boilermaker and alot of my work consist of welding. Reading your page just shows me what a PIECE OF SHIT you are. Getting workman comp. because of fume flu, we call it flyash flu. Anyway, do you know what a respirator is? That might have stopped it, DUMBASS, and you call welders stupid. By the way I happen to have an IQ of 140. What’s yours, I’ll bet it’s about 50. There’s no reason to bash welding just because you couldn’t handle the job, PUSSY.
Boilerat,
You are too stupid to get a safe healthy job and even dumber by giving away a portion of your pay to a union that only keeps your wages and benefits down.
Well, let me ask you this, Pat. How much did you make per hour and what kind of benefits did you have working rat? I’ll bet my pay rate is better and I know my benefits are better, Dumbass.
You are the type of guy who likes to compare dicks in the shower, aren’t you? Fact is you’d make more as a freelancer, out from under the thumb of a union who takes your pay to prevent you from getting a raise when you deserve it. Wise up.
hi what are the best most highly paid tig welding jobs to be had? and what are the best codings to have? Where is the best place to look for work? Sorry I must be really thick, but I do consider what I do to be an art in a sense. Mainly because no matter how much you know there is always more to learn. I know what a beautiful weld should look like and always aim to achive that. I see alot of welding everywhere, good welding, sufficient welding, crap welding, not much beautiful welding. Machines can do it, but you can’t get a machine to halve the stuff a welder fabricator does in a normal production environment. Correct me if I am wrong, but if a weld is really beautiful, you will want to touch it, I have noticed that people always want to feel my welds. I have seen master welders and what they seem to have is an inherant sensitivity. Take for instance producing a perfect 6m total welding on a structure covering 1.5m cubed. material thickness 1mm. welding at 30 odd amps. Penertration between 70%/90% slow and steady, the ultimate meditational experience? 1mm tolerance both ways.
Mad thing is you always have some arsehole telling you to hurry up!!!!!!
beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep………
cheers. cant be all bad.
Pat?? Patrick or Patricia…either way you’re an idiot!!!
I’m going to respond to your post date 12-30-07. I happened upon your sight randomly while looking up a family name.
Let’s just say…get your facts straight before you make a post and draw a poor conclusion. First of all Drew fell 10 floors to his unfortunate and untimely death. Second… to call a welder “stupid” for putting on safety equipment, tying himself in the way he’s supposed to, take all the safety precautions he’s supposed and then fall and have the haress (that’s supposed to save your life in these cases) fail. I’m thinking your the idiot for drawing such a conclusion. Drew was a welder for over 25 years…you don’t stay alive that long in that industry by..as you call it…stupid!!! He did everything he was supposed to that day and the equipment that he was supposed to rely on failed by no fault of his own. Would you call a poiceman stupid is the bullet proof vest he was wearing failed? Or if the gun he was firing to defend himself backfired and blew up in his face?? Or how about the teacher that gets shot because the metal detector failed to detect the gun a student brought in.
Do me and the rest of your reader(s)…voice your opinion but voice an informed opinion and not some half a$$ed opinion based on half a$$ed information and smear the name to a good, safety conscious welder!! Just because you’re less of a man or woman or both and couldn’t handle what it takes to be a welder…don’t voice a opinion you know nothing about!!
He should have looked closely to what he was tying off to. Stupid move.
Again…making idiotic comments based on what…what the heck to you know about the situation? Did you read anything else but the little bit you put on this site?? Or do you have trouble with that to. It had nothing to do with what he was tied off to…it was harness. If you read anything I wrote the first time you would even agree your comment is idiotic!!! Let me just be clear again since your comprehension seems to be that of a 3 year oldā¦THE HARNESS FAILED!!! A piece of equipment supplied to him by the construction company and by all accounts of those who were actually thereā¦looked to be in working order. So againā¦do me a favor and you readersā¦get all the fact before you draw a conclusion.
He should have inspected the harness for defects. Another stupid move. Nothing changes my conclusion.
He did asshole…there was nothing visibly wrong with it. Again…nothing changes my opinion of you either. You couldn’t handle the job so you’d rather cut down those who could. Only 2 words sum up what you actually…COWARD and WUSSY!!
Even if you had proof that what he did was not his fault, which you can’t provide because it doesn’t exist (link to news article, court ruling), he was still stupid for welding for so long. He was going to be injured or worse eventually.
And how many years do you have to be a welder before you consider someone able to “handle the job,” Perry? One thousand years? 50? Getting a better job makes me smart, not cowardly.
Since I have more proof than you seem to have (your web link to a supposed news article and court ruling is missing) I know he checked everything he was supposed to and did everything the way he was supposed to.
And you thinking your smart…in your opinion…your entitled…but calling someone stupid for doing something you couldn’t handle…that’s cowardly too!!!
Do you call a policeman stupid because he\she does a dangerous job and will eventually get hurt??? Do you call Fireman stupid because he\she will eventually get hurt??? If you do (which is exatly what you’re implying)…then you’re even more cowardly that I first thought!!!! I find it interesting that you completely avoided these types of comments in my first post but I’m not surprised you don’t have the backbone to address them.
Do me another favor…next time you walk into a tall building or a hospital or a school or pump your gas or cross a bridge…think about these people your calling stupid and how the risk themselves so everyone eles lives can be better.
I have never heard such ignorance in my life. You never did answer my question about you I.Q.. The more I look at this page the more I feel sorry for you. At least someone took the time to show a mentally challenged person how to turn on a computer and start a web page. I think they need to dangle some keys in front of you to get your attention, that way you wouldn’t be putting this horse shit on the internet.You didn’t answer my question about your pay or benefits either. I think your just trying to avoid the obvious. You didn’t make SHIT compared to me on either one, you’re jealous of the people who are welders, and you couldn’t make it without getting a handout. A PIECE OF SHIT, welfare recepient, is all you are.
After reading this article I take it that at one point in your life (possibly still do) you liked nascar and chewing tobacco? You FUCKING WHITE TRASH HILL RAT!!!. I am a welder/maintenace mechanic in a dirty foundry. I use my wages to pay for college, I manage my money and am not a ignorant hill rat! Not all welders are stupid. As for that porn, porn, porn comment, we all know every man loves porn!
A 22 year old welder was really stupid for welding a water tower with an approaching thunderstorm. In his rush to finish his job, he took a 130-foot dive to his death.
From the Tuttletimes here:
And Perry, the difference between firefighters and police and welders is too numerous to go into here. But suffice it to say that welders are not heroic people who put their lives on the line for the safety of others. Are you saying that every dead welder made the “ultimate sacrifice” like soldiers? If so why aren’t they buried alongside the other heroes in Arlington cemetary? Because they are regular people doing menial labor jobs, albeit one that required a modicum of hand-eye coordination.
Just the welders are stupid, not the cops or firefighters. And you too for not realizing that I was asking YOU to post a link to the news or court case that shows I’m wrong.
Wow – I’m going to have a field day with this one.
Oh where to begin…since my intelligence level is no where near as low as yours…how could I possible know you were asking for a link from me…talk about a stupid comment. But I can guarantee that as soon as the case is settled in his favorā¦youāll be one of the first I let know just to prove even further what an asshole you really areā¦not that anyone who reads your crap needs more proof!!!
And since your concept of a hero is so narrow minded to think that the only people who are heroes are firemen or policemen or soldiers or that you have to be buried in Arlington cemetery to be designated as a hero, again, just more proof of how incredibly narrow minded you are and how your rhetoric is the simple ramblings of cynical coward. How about you stop being a hypocrite and if you truly think these welders are stupidā¦then stop driving your car (welded together maybe mostly by machines but some parts arenāt) or stop using your appliances at home (welded) or stop walking into buildings (welded) or stop going to grocery stores (welded) or stop pumping gas (welded) or stop relying on refineries to produce that gas (welded) or stop letting your kids go to school (welded).
Because if you really believed welders are stupid than you wouldnāt be doing the above, along with so many other things. If you do think theyāre stupidā¦then everything you do and every place you go is hypocritical. You trust them enough to do these thingsā¦but think their stupid people. How could you possible trust them to produce safe products or buildings or bridges orā¦help me understand that!!! You know whatā¦donāt help me understandā¦.like I said aboveā¦youāre just a simple narrow minded cynical asshole!!!
Heroes aren’t just those who protect and serveā¦if you truly think thatā¦youāre the stupid one. These people who do this kind of work are the unsung heroes in everyoneās lives; the ones that donāt get the recognition they deserve; the ones you take totally for granted!!!
Welders are stupid. Get over it. Just because they are stupid doesn’t mean that things shouldn’t be welded; I never said that. I said “But I must say that if there is ever any occupation most deserving of replacing its workers with robots, it has to be welding.” All the things you mentioned could be manufactured by robots and it would be fine with me. Stupid guys that waste their only lives at risk of falling to their deaths or exploding in balls of tobacco juice and grease can instead choose to live their lives doing another menial task- like recycling paper and plastic at the city dump. Like other stupid people do. And no, those guys aren’t heroes either numbnuts.
I just wanted to say, as a woman, that I think pretty much everyone here, including the owner of this web page, is taking welding as a job pretty much completely out of context. (1) There are many different types of jobs that require welding, and they are not all horrendous. I worked in a Wisconsin factory for three summers that did welding on ATV mufflers 10-hour days, and the job really wasn’t all that awful all the time. Yes, it was hot in the summer. We had fans. No, it wasn’t that bad in the winter, especially since it was the North. Yes, you get sweaty. Whoopee. There are about a hundred other jobs I can think of that people do around the world where they get sweaty. People are being forced at gunpoint to mine diamonds in Africa while I write this. People are working on dangerous, filthy oil rigs. People in countries with no labor-safety laws are working 16-hour days with cancer-causing chemicals. Thus,
(2) There are an awful lot of equally bad or worse jobs that people take in order to make better than minimum wage, and welding, comparatively, offers pretty excellent wages and opportunities. Yes, there are “nice” jobs like child care and selling jewelry, which are mostly filled by women and, not coincidentally, pay crap wages. Unfortunately, people generally can’t make a living on these jobs. So my point is, shut up and stop feeling sorry for yourselves.
(3) Different people may dislike different aspects of any given job. For example, I preferred working in the welding factory over having a crappy customer-service job where I had to deal with whiney customers all day. Factory jobs gave me time to think. You don’t have to take the job home with you at night, like with other human-services jobs.
(4) Welders and manual laborers are not “stupid,” nor are janitors or people doing menial work. Many brilliant people and artists worked factory jobs or other crappy jobs to pay the bills while writing or painting on the side. These are necessary jobs that have to be done. Some people enjoy doing manual labor and weren’t cut out to go to college (such as my father, an auto mechanic), and it’s nonsense to insult such people when they’re often as intelligent and perceptive and witty as someone with a bachelor’s degree who sits in an office all day. I worked with many intelligent men at the welding factory.
P.S. Welders are pretty hot. Sometimes especially when they’re dirty.
And I’m pretty sure your whiney essay about how much welding sucks says more about how stupid you are personally than welders in general. What a joke of a web page. If you wanted to make a page that was comprehensive and decent, you could be objective and start open, non-confrontational discussions instead of using gross generalizations, ignorant stereotypes, and ad hominem attacks.
[…] all welders are stupid.Ā But the Chinese ones are extra […]
I have just a few things to say to the ignorant asshole that created this site. I started my career as a welder (ten years). This pointed me in the direction of metalurgy where I started creating some of the most diverse metals used today, which are used in some of the U.S and canadian military equipment. Alot of my reserch and trial and errors were revolved around welding (if you cant weld it it’s a useless metal). Now I can only assume that your Dumb ass is American.To think that all of this, my lifes work helping to protect you , unfortunatly. Why Don’t you do us all a favor and shut done this web site before you make yourself look even dumber than you already have. P.S. No tank,plane,boat,building will ever be able to be welded by a robot, stupid ex welder who probably got fired/layed off because you could not weld. waaaaaa!!!!!
Paul,
You don’t create anything. Your fantasy that you are helping forge the world with new materials created with your lame-ass career is a common one among welders. And yeah, most ships and many other types of military hardware are assembled by robotic welders.
Just found this site.
I’m a pipewelder…what you said on here is the truth. I think welding sucks..lol but, I’m too old to get out of it now š
I would like to thank you for the information you posted on this website about the safety of welding. I do not agree that because a person is a welder makes him stupid. Add the danger factor to that and it does not help. I did notice you have a search engine that informs you of all accidents in the welding industry. It is a proven fact welding is a dangerous trade as is firefighting,policework, or even driving on the highway. But just because we do those things does not make us stupid. I have been a pipe welder for 31 years, have done some supervision work, as well as some odd jobs along the way. I have provided well for my family and am in pretty good health for a man my age. I would like to suggest to you since your website is about world wide welding that instead of listing all that is wrong with the industry you should list ways to change it. Robotics will not work in every situation and we will need skilled craftsmen to perform quality work. One man told me years ago ” Don’t tell me the problem unless you can also tell me the solution”.
booo hooo get a job as a wiatress with some women you might be able to handle that
[…] If I ever give up on this computer thing, I’ve decided not to become a welder. […]
Another Stupid Welder croaked.
From the Daily Post of North Wales here:
Electrocuted while working on the trailer is a popular way welders croak.
hey you dumb ass find a machine that can do what i can do and youll be a millionare crawl in a fucking hole and patch that yea right a fucking machine its a thing called skilled labor and apparntly you aint skilled labor ill post this site somewhere else and it will be run over with hate mail and very rude remarks to you and this stupid shit website ohh im not computer smart but ill bet you i can show your dumb ass a thing or few
I HATE THIS MOTHER FUCKER …… where you at ????
PAT
Welder123456g,
I am no where near Indianapolis where you live. And thanks for proving how stupid welders are.
IM NOT THE ONE HIDING PAT>>><<<<<MMM
i’m sorry you weren’t happy in your work. as for me i love every minute of it. i’ve been welding for about 35 years. i started in a fab. shop then went to structural ironworking and for the last 22 years have been doing maint. welding at a prison complex in nyc. 51 bucks an hour buys lots of happiness!
Another stupid welder has gone to the great slag pit in the sky. This one fell to his death.
Pat,
you really sound like an obnoxious prick. Once a welder always a welder. Or now you have climbed the ladder to just become an elitist puke.
another would be welder finds it easier to bash the trade than to make a living at it. those who can’t cut it envy those who can. last year i made well over a hundred grand and i took off a month besides. remember, nobody likes a crybaby!
I have a really great welding company that did my fence. I love custom welding designs.
I understand you don’t like welding but I think you should are taking welding so out of contex it is laughable.I can only imagine what kind of junk yard welder you were when you were welding.
Yes there are some bad places to work like shipyards(I worked three of them).But there is also some high paying,high tech,places you can end up working.I worked for a company for 3 years that had robotic welders.You want to talk about big money?Try being a welder contractor for the Military.I’m making more than most people in my neighborhood.
You don’t want to get burned wear the right gear.Leathers will stop the hottest slag out there.I weld all the time and you are not going to find any burns on my body.
You don’t like smoke?Wear a respirator or get a blower to remove the smoke.
I get regular physicals including blood tests and my health is just fine.My eyes,hearing,and everything is is normal.
hey! the navy is looking for a maint. welder at pearl harbor, hawaii. it pays 68 grand a year. remind me again why welding is such a lousy job?!
This Pat guy is a FUCKIN RAT BASTARD IDIOT!!!!! Not all welding is the same so not all pays the same!!! If your a RAT or a SCAB you make a shitty wage but grow a back bone join the UNION and stand up for something with PRIDE and you will make 120,000+ a year not only that but you also have a CRAZY bunch of brothers on your side that will FUCK up RATS like yourself just on general purpose
OH yeah and just to add on your ignorance of saying Welders are stupid… When the World Trade Centers were attacked on September the 11th NYPD and FDNY relied on the IRONWORKERS/WELDERS to cut and remove steel gurders and columns to free fallen firefighters and any survivors because the IRONWORKERS/WELDERS were the ones who had the extensive knowlage behind the skilled craft to know what to cut and when.. If you were ever a welder than you should know that when something is in a bind you cut the wrong piece that releases that presure and its goodbye… With this being said your makin your self look like a fuckin idiot on your own website and for everybody else check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFxdzvP4D1g&feature=related
you sure know how to piss off all the people (WELDERS)that work hard to earn a living in their chosen field myself included.my opinion of you is a monkey can be taught to type so where does that put you in the I.Q range ??? i calculated it to be about minus two !!!!!!!!! P.S. how is my grammar,YES I AM WELL EDUCATED SO THAT MEANS I AM NOT A STUPID WELDER !!
HEY PUTZ:
WHEN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER WENT DOWN, THEN GOVERNOR PATAKI CAME ON TELEVISION AND ASKED (BEGGED) FOR VOLUNTEERS FROM AMONG “IRONWORKERS” AND “WELDERS” TO MOUNT A RESCUE TO TRY AND FIND SURVIVORS. WHEN THE SPAM COMES OUT OF THE CAN, WHO ARE THEY GOING TO CALL? ABSOLUTELY NOT WOULD-BE WINERS OR CRYBABY QUITTERS THAT’S FOR SURE! HISTORICALLY, WELDERS HAVE BAILED OUT THIS GREAT COUNTRY MORE THAN ONCE
Another Stupid Welder proves that he’s not fireproof. From the Duluth News Trib here:
Hey all you stupid welders- stop drop and roll still works. Also, be sure you know what burning cotton smells like as opposed to burning steel. That’s clue number 1 that you might be on fire.
WHO IS THIS SELF LOATHING LOSER WHO HAS NOTHING BETTER TO DO THAN TAKE CHEAP SHOTS WHILE HIDING BEHIND AN ANONYMOUS WEB-PAGE? MY FRIEND AND FELLOW WELDER,JW MACAW WOULD LOVE TO DISCUSS THINGS BEHIND THE IRON SHOP.
if you never want to work a day in your life do something you love! my apprentice school teacher said that while trying to beat the trade into me. he was so right and i often light a candle to his memory. the feeling of accomplishment from repairing a twisted & mangled piece of equipment or machinery is truly priceless.
This happens to every welder eventually:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/717862/
hey rat, oh excuse me i mean pat:
we would so like to give you the opportunity to do just that except everyone on this page knows you for a sniveling, backstabbing, crybaby, lowlife scab who has to hide because his mother spawned an incompetent, impotent, impostor of an alleged human being!
Clark don’t be stupid.
At least this welder in this next news article was performing work at the funeral home when he stupidly tried to kill himself.
And clark, you still working at the prison? What’s that like? You sneak cigarettes to the inmates? You’ve been a welder for 30 years, but when did you give up your dreams to choose this crappy life? 1984? This page is certainly written for the likes of you.
listen my loquacious lout, my membership in mensa begs to differ
You don’t have a membership in Mensa you loser. There are so many demented welders who like to salve their broken dreams by pretending that they have special abilities, including memberships in mensa, that the bragging just gets silly after a while.
Face it. You are a piece of shit welder with a high school diploma (maybe) who works in a prison and needs part time work to make payments on his crappy Dodge.
If you are in Mensa Joe Stoll, or clark, or whomever you are claiming to be at this point, I’m sure you would be happy to provide your membership ID. You don’t have one of course.
But Im sure most MENSA members do welding for the NYC prison system or some other menial labor job like cleaning toilets in the bus station. AmIright?
i needn’t prove anything pat, but if you want our next event, 7/25 at 328 w. 28th.st. at 2pm meet me out front and bring a first aid kit.
nothing new on the web-site pat? i’m thinking nobody reads this but you and me. pat why don’t you get a real job. how much can you possibly make being just another internet parasite with a web page no one knows about! oh yeah, speaking of having special skills, say hi to the ex.
Another stupid welder died on the job.
It fell because someone stupid was welding on it. The article went on to state that an autopsy would be required. I think the coroner will simply write “squished.”
this is the most unread and boring blog on the net, rat. maybe you should consider giving up your day job as internet parasite and work for osha. you seem to relish posting welder’s obituary’s. i can’t wait to read yours! give my love to the ex.
Another stupid welder dies, this time by blowing himself up by welding a tank filled with flammable gases.
From CBS Denver here:
patricia;
when are we going to read your’s? will that put an end to the internet’s most boring, un~read and useless blog? did you ask the ex. about my special skills yet?
patsy;
it looks like it’s just me and you buddy. all the welder’s who weren’t killed on the job were (are) bored to death reading your childish,illiterate and ignorant blog. it’s a proven fact that welding has contributed much to every aspect of our civilization. we’re well rid of you!
patty;
your obit~ R.I.P. A**HOLE!
You are such a sad, self-absorbed, bitter elitist loser. Seriously, if you had half the depth of thought and intelligence you purportedly do you would understand that much as the world doesn’t run without supermarkets and repairmen and firefighters and cops, there is simply no way to replace all of the skilled labour necessary for the purposes of construction. Sure, your choice to leave the trade may one day have saved your life. Hell yeah it’s dangerous. Yes, people die and yes it is preventable. No, it is not for everybody as, every body is different. Practically speaking we do not live in a vacuum and some shit is going to happen. Welcome to the real world. But if you seriously want to voice a conscientious objection to human beings working as welders, get out of your car because that fuel will never get to you without us. Stop heating your home because gas is piped to refineries built by us and subsequently to your bitch ass. Stop using bridges, never set foot in a high rise again, hell, even throw away your bike, because many welders are process technicians.
Face it you stupid fucking spineless dipshit trash-talking ignorant asshole, the world doesn’t really operate the way it does in your little fantasy bubble where nobody has to risk their safety to keep arrogant little pukes like you warm and safe and immersed in a happy world of technological benefits such as, oh i dunno, the military, and basically the entire energy industry making modern life possible.
Im sure it is so easy for you to judge people for doing something dangerous but to somehow regard them as lesser beings simply because they made a different career choice than you and paid for it, whether or not it was due to a lapse in judgement, is goddamn pathetic. Pull your head out of your ass and get a better hobby, or waste your time shitting on people for doing a trade that actually pays quite well (I make six figures as a b-welder in Alberta and love it, so there you self-righteous little prick) for those who show excellence in it, and many of whom despite your denial of convenience really do enjoy it. Either way i could give a fuck less, and the sad part for you is niether could anyone else. The saddest part yet is that for all your ranting and moaning and parading under the false pretense of educating would-be welders of the hazards of the trade, your view is disgustingly biassed and as such is a moot point. Nobody gives a fuck.
Or maybe all of us welders couldnt hear you over the sound of our own stupidity. All generalizations are false but to call you ignorant is not only a statement of fact but a drastic understatement. Either way let me summarize it to the size of your needle dick so i can stuff it into your narrow mind at the center of your massively inflated head.
Everyone reading this knows you are a fucking idiot. You are so egotistical however that in your own mind you will always be right. You would die in the oilpatch for opening your mouth and i wish you would. You make me sick. Now get to work on picking apart my grammatical errors as a platform from which to argue against my own intelligence before your feeling of misguided superiority and thoughtful self-liberation begins to quail in comparison with the cold hard logic and real human can-do and compassion shown by these many humble welders who have thrown you a bone by trying to educate you in some small way about reality, regardless of your blatantly apparent bigotry. Heh… and yes we can read.
I hope the families of the honest and decent welders who died on the job you trashed read how i ripped you to shreds just now and laugh, knowing that not everyone on the internet is a foolish little worm like you. Fuck you and goodnight from Alberta. Faget.
way too much time and thought went into that previous response. to tell the truth, it’s wasted here. patricia should change the name to, “flatulence.com”
he a great disappointment to me also.
The best part is it took me five minutes. Goodbye all, won’t be visiting again. Real life beckons. Have a field day i could care less
hey w.p.y.a.s.case:
i’m right behind you. this place is nowhere!
Wow!!! I was about to enroll in school to be a welder, until i came across this site. Thanks dude for the insight on welding. Sorry for the loss of life but i hope that you can start a crusade on safer practices or laws to pass on even to own these torches like a owning a weapon not anyone should be a welder.
Some stupid welders manage not to die. They just lose a limb somehow instead.
http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/august/132367/Mans-arm-severed-in-freak-accident
You are a jerk.
Safety begins by yourself .I Weld over 30 years and most off the time I like my job from steel to titanium it was every time a chalenge specialy to learn young welders to become a better welder . Piet from the netherlands
There are no schools or universities anywhere in the world
who give diplomas or degrees in common sense.
Some of the most stupid people I have ever met have doctorates.
Some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met never finished
high school.
To look down at someone because of their chosen occupation in life
shows a very narrow mind and a hindered reasoning process. We are
all pieces of the puzzle that make up the great picture of life.
You may look down upon the garbage man but,
the fact that the garbage man goes to work everyday enhances your life
in way that you cannot comprehend….at least until he stops and the
streets are filled with garbage.
This blog/website is 100% fail.
I don’t look down upon garbage men. Only stupid welders.
IQ 132 BITCH!!! and i’ll weld until it fuckin KILLS me!!! Fuck you, and fuck you hard and raw you worthless, miserable fuck. I’ll GLADLY weld your fucking coffin when your finally thinned from herd. FUCK YOU
But if you were a garbage man and ended up hating it (and it seems you would), you would call all garbage men stupid for doing that line of work, wouldn’t you?
Garbage men never find spectacularly stupid ways to kill themselves on the job so no I wouldn’t call them stupid.
I do not know who is responsible for these little comment. But the person that your bashing on about being a “stupid welder” was my uncle! He was not a stupid welder if you could only see how artistic he was and all the things he made by welding youd be amazed. People make mistake but how DARE YOU call him a stupid welder..
Monique,
Welding next to a fuel tank might be a testament to ingenuity in YOUR family but to everyone else, its a pretty stupid thing to do.
Sometimes stupid welders like to go out of this world in pairs. Like these two who had to work on a leaky oilwell:
can we meet in person PLEASE?? I promise i won’t physically assault you, only because it’s against the law and i’d much rather raise my boy to be a real man than injure a worthless fuck like yourself. It’s just not worth it to me, although if i could do it legally you can sure as shit bet i’d break your ignorant ass in half. I just want to meet you and here you speak. I HAVE to meet the absolute worst that human evelution still has to offer. i don’t even have appropiate words for your kind of viscious ignorance. All i can say is PLEASE let me there when you lose whoever stupid enough to be close to you, so i can find fault in their stupid way of dying…once again, fuck you you fuckin fuck….be thinned from the herd quickly please, our gene pool can’t withstand the virus……….
Pat,
Absolutely ridiculous! It’s SO VERY PAINFULLY obvious that U couldn’t cut it as a welder. Doesn’t mean others can’t handle it as u couldn’t. However, none of us would’ve known that, if u hadn’t made this site! (To no doubt make yourself feel better in an abnormally, unusual, aggressive, non-humorous way.) U yourself made it known to the world by making this site, that u couldn’t cut it & no one cares! U spoke of not being able to find a welders site, meaning I assumed where welders could come to talk. Compare stories, battle scars etc. That isn’t what you’ve created. This sir, is just a site based on your opinions only, & that’s not what sites or forums are about. This is only a site u came up with with, topic being “Welders are stupid”, & U… mouthing off to every welder who you’ve offended, insulted, & challenged as far as welder knowledge goes! Mouthing off to every welder as though u learned more than them, some of them having welded all their lives & are happy with it! Those who are still welding, u know, (the ones who were cut out for it.) U have only embarrassed yourself with this site, just a suggestion for your own sake, u should convert it into a welder sharing site, or take it down to avoid embarrassing yourself further. NO ONE will change their job because u said their stupid, or u don’t approve of their line of work. Right! SO WELDERS… HERE YOU HAVE IT, TAKE IT FROM PAT, DO NOT WELD! OR U ARE STUPID. U WILL DIE, OR U WILL END UP LIKE OUR ANGRY, MAD, FRIEND PAT! THE 5 YEAR ONLY EXPERIENCED WELDER KNOWS MORE THAN ALL U 10-40 YEAR EXPERIENCED WELDERS! PAT KNOWS SOMETHING YALL DON’T, THOUGH WE HAVEN’T FIGURED OUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN IT SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF HIM, REGARDLESS WE SHOULDN’T BE WELDING, BECAUSE HE SAID SO! I’ve seen many a site, good & bad, I’ve seen awful, THIS SITE is just useless, pointless, poor, tasteless, tacky, it isn’t educational, isn’t interesting, it’s based solely on YOUR OPINION that frankly sir, no one gives a damn about. This site serves NO purpose what so ever, other than to piss people off so you may throw childish temper tantrums with them. Take out your anger some other way, like go to therapy! Go to church, ask God for forgiveness for the shame you’ve brought to yourself, for the shameful tasteless way u have made fun of the deaths of many humans that have died horrible painful deaths just making a living. U know what I think your angry about? I think your angry not only because you couldn’t cut it, but because with your IQ, it was probably all u could do to make that kind of money! Your jealous of the money these welders make! & they make some money, most of them. Do not flatter yourself… True hardworking welders did not seek out your site, they “STUMBLED” across it accidentally, as I did, looking for welding equipment/supplies, minding their own business as u should be. U INVITED EVERYONES comments, did u not sir? They comment & u argue with them, WTF??? (& u do so in a child like manner), That’s it, that’s the cycle! That’s all there is to this site! No depth, rhyme or reason. this site is nothing more than a your very own site to publicly throw your temper tantrums & verbally attack some of the hardest working, bravest men & women in the field of labor. & may I add sir, I am a full grown woman, mother of 3, divorced, heterosexual, I’m not lesbian, & I am following in my brothers foot steps, after completing my courses, now on the job training, as a welder! (& I sir, am no lesbian! I like MEN! REAL MEN! FULL GROWN HARD WORKING BRAVE MEN! The money turns me on, I’m a woman with 3 children , single, but want a mans pay check to give my kids the best I can, things are tough these days.) Thanks to a wonderfully intelligent friend of mine who has owned his own welding shop successfully with no deaths for 18 years! The mere fact that you refer to some of the hardest working men in America, dieing the worst death one could only imagine, the worst kind of pain, & in the worst situations, “as stupid”. It says a lot about u. Stupid sir was putting up this site. My advice to you is maybe u can come up with a more meaningful site. But I doubt it, judging by this site, don’t think u are creative enough. I doubt u understand what I’m telling u. This site, your words, shows your way of thinking, your lack of intelligence. Or u wouldn’t have started out as a welder in the 1st place right? If you had a higher IQ… if you weren’t “stupid,” & was truly interested in making a site dedicated to welders, u could’ve done something like… with your 5 years of experience, u could’ve made this a welders friendly site, welders speaking to welders, u speaking to other welders about all of your interesting past experiences as a welder, & how & why you’ve moved on, u don’t have to hate welders just because your no longer one of them! U could have very friendly like shared stories with other welders, this could’ve been a place for welders to come share their stories, good/bad, talk about work, lost fellow workers, this could’ve even been a place where some welders may have expressed their pain in losing a friend in a welding accident, that could’ve been a kind of therapy for them. But your site doesn’t offer any of that! All u offer is your mouth! Think about it, change this site, & your attitude, & it may not be too late, to instead of insulting your past job, & past fellow welders, u could’ve helped them, not only by talking to them, but by giving them a place to come to vent, to bitch about their boss or long hard days work, or share info, learn from each other, ask questions, new welders just breaking out, could have asked YOU advice, in 5 years of welding I’m sure theirs something u could’ve taught them! Think about that! Much more creative than bashing them, arguing with them, because make NO MISTAKE, U are not above them, your no better than them, no matter what your doing now. Other than that, TO ALL U HARD WORKING BRAVE WELDERS… I encourage u to ignore this mans site, no matter how it angers you, or how wrong he is, or what point it is u feel u need to make. There’s no getting through to him, he wants to argue, don’t give him the pleasure! Just ignore him, move on. When he has no responses, no one to argue with, he’ll get bored with his very own STUPID site, he is no doubt angry, mad, maybe more than we know. I am a sister of 3 BROTHERS WHO ALL WELD! They are some of the finest welders, highest paid welders! They are all still alive, & healthy today, they are also living very well financially! Aren’t afraid of their jobs, & their proud, they can read & write, their very smart, brick homes not trailer parks, I respect them tremendously, as I do all welders & any other hard worker in any occupation, the only worker I do not respect is a non worker! All jobs can lead to death, yet this man has chosen to attack the IQs of welders to get u all fired up to argue with him, he must not have a life or unable to hold a job. I bet he got fired from his welding job! Truth be known, that’s the case. Tune in, in 6 months after he gets fired from another job & we’ll see who he thinks is stupid next! LOL! God bless the welders! Just joking! Don’t tune in, let’s never come back to his stupid site!
PS.
PUSSY!
I LOVED ALL YOUR COMMENTS!!! WHAT A LOSER!
Tina in Louisiana,
So cute to see a butch welder vent her spleen. Wanna know how much two of you are worth in the eyes of the Government when you welders assplode on the job?
From OSHA here:
Being a welder I know you can’t add so to help you out, it averages out to about 115k per dead welder. Small potatoes for these energy companies, but there are tons of stupid welders lining up to fill those smoldering boots. You should apply for a job there.
Keep up the good work and yes i am a stupid welder. But im trying to get out of it
This guy is a complete idot and should be hung. He is made becuase his balls have not dropped yet and could not hack the welding career , and my friend welders are just as smart as pepole with BS degrees. I would love to see pepole read prints and create something out of nothing welding is art. I know pepole including myself who own there own rig and make about if not more then 100k a year, your ass was just to stupid to see the real side and the skill side of welding. so with that said go kill yourself and stop complaing.
if a person, may it be a female or male,who wants to be a welder,so be it,do your job safely and use ya head,don’t know ask someone who knows,wear the proper gear for the proper job,foreman once said thats gonna turn ya in to a old man some day,he’s right,i my self been welding for lil over 11 yrs,put food on table,pay bills,pretty much whatever i own is because of it,hard dirty work with some very good people who i call friends,welders are not stupid,every trade or profession has a few boneheads,so what do we do now line them up and mow them down,dude chill out,you don’t weld anymore stop knockin the rest of us,we are still here.
Where in the hell do you get of putting trades men down. I am a welder and have no need to do anything else for money becouse i live very comftorbaly I also have my HVAC certs. but went back to welding becouse I love it You office dwelling punks in this country of ours are the reason for all the bull shit what is wrong with going to work and actually working if you couldnt hack it like so many others i have seen come and go thats ine its not for everyone you actually have to work to be a welder but dont make a whole web page based on knocking the trade if it was not for wqelders you would not have most of the luxeries in life our army could not have what they need to protexct our country anything you own metal is more than likely welded some where on it from skyscrapers to trailers that haul good acrost the usa to cars and boats all the way down to your kids bike so stop and think if no one got in to welding ever again where would you be plus you dont find a tighter nit group of friends than welders who work together or even know each other so keep your mouth shut putting down my trade
TA, you should look into a little part of the English written language called “punctuation.”
Today’s dead welder is dedicated to T.A. Barnes who doesn’t know how to use punctuation. From Cornwall is a dead stupid welder–
I must agree with your ideas, but not your thesis.
If dying spectacularly makes one stupid, how do you feel about astronauts? Have you seen the explosions involved there? Lots of lives lost by people who went through a ton of school, training, and the limits of human tolerance. You can not be “stupid” and climb into a vehichle designed for space travel, there are standards. They know the risks involved, and are willing to take on the job for any number of reasons from income, to glory, to personal satisfaction.
I can think of many famous deaths that made quite a spectacle, but the deceased was far from stupid.
Here’s my view:
Welding is a pretty crumby job, not unlike many crumby jobs that make this world run smoothly. It carries high risk and typically low reward. People who take this position may have many different motivations. Some have limited options. Some have a desire the accomplish things that people like you think are crazy (welding underwater, upside-down under a bridge, or where it’s 140+ degrees), which is not much different from any thrill seeker. Some like the accomplishment of seeing and touching a product actually assembled by themselves.
These things don’t make them stupid, they make them unfortunate at worst, but occasionally, this career makes people happy.
So, if you want to group anyone who dies via fire, electrocution, crushing, or suffocating into a “stupid” category, this page is valid. I think, however, that a person’s intelligence should be measured not by how they died, but what they thought of while they lived, and that view is absent from your page.
Conclusion? I agree welding is one of the less pleasant jobs a worker in this day and age can take- But I have less respect for people who go out of their way to insult workers who seem to be content with their way of lives.
Be nice and respectful, and your arguments will carry more weight, though I admit you’ll get less replies.
-P.S. To anyone replying to argue the point, please make sure you can spell and punctuate at least enough to get your point across clearly, otherwise you are bringing a knife to a gun fight, and that IS stupid.
uh ya I’m just another stupid welder from Alberta that used to make over 100k a year before I decided to move to a poor developing nation in west Africa to open a trades school. Just another stupid welder doing his part to spread the stupidity. What are you doing to make a difference in the world. Let me guess, warning people to not become welders . So from one stupid welder to a washed up stupid welder get a life and a job.
I think most of the welders that are whining like crying babies have not understood that not because you are a welder you are stupid but rather you are stupid because you are welders. This means that dead welders are stupid because they didnt realize or think about safety first and like a teenage boy they thought: oooohh this is never going to happen to me.
Anyway, I really think Pat is not the one to blame here, he has his own point of view and he thinks a welder is stupid for keeping a hazardous job for a long time not caring about safety and mostly because sometimes they have family and little ones to take care of. So yes, they are really stupid not not to think first about the loved ones and just stupidly think about enough wages or paying college or mortgages.
Welders I do Thank you for what you do, YES you are stupid for considering your own safety and for not thinking on wives and kids before welding a gas tank or whatever. You welders arguing about IQ and anual incomes should think that Pat are calling you stupid because YOU DONT REALIZE THE DANGER OF THE JOB and THINK LIKE SAVAGES WILL THINK THAT A MAN’S JOB IS TO ENDURE PAIN AND SUFFERING (PHYSICAL) AND LIKE SUPERMEN…NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO THEM ‘CAUSE THEY ARE SUPER WELDERS….UUUGGGHHH STUPID WAY OF THINKING NOT ONLY AFFECTING WELDERS BUT SONS OF WELDERS.
Please not only read but understand that, Welders are stupid because risking their lifes over nothing, not stupid just because you are welders.
stop killing yourselves.
and pleeeeeeease, stop being proud of being a welder and saying you have a hugh IQ. YOU DONT, otherwise you’ll have another job. And for those stupids that after reading this will think “I’m doing this because i like it/love it” you are the real beasts.
To the extent of one’s genius to the extent of one’s idiocy, I have found most welders to be able to think outside of the box, Welding gives you skills to explore outside the box. I left the slave shps and became an artist, check out healthsciencebikestands. I encourage others to do the same.
[…] man doing? Sure these kids are all in this school because they aren’t smart (they’re welders after all), many of them had likely been disciplinary cases, but still, faking a school shooting is beyond […]
There is an awesome new video showing a welder blowing his dumbass self to kingdom come. And the safety board wanted to make it an object lesson to everyone else. Be sure to go here to watch.
[…] heard about this horrible accident up in New Hampshire and instantly wondered why someone was welding on an empty beer keg to cause it to explode? Turns out it wasn’t welding. Pressurized air caused the keg to […]
YOUR A DUMB ASS FAG THAT TALKS OUT HIS ASS
I have owned a tank manufacturing company for 25 years,stainless steel and carbon steel tanks.
reading all you bullshit is funny.
facts: wear protective clothing,use a welding helmet,protect your eyes,use gloves,use a dust mask.
all this will protect your self.
all who has been injured ,this is lack of training and direction.
im proud to see man made welded products gives me pride to be involved in building Americia,all you cry baby’s go back to kindergarden.
Dakota, hope it wasn’t you who stupidly blew yourself up this past week in a welding accident:
WHAT THE FUCK DUDE!!! Not all welders are stupid. That is insulting, have you every thought that they may actually like it … Just cause you didn’t doesn’t mean others wont. People might actually like rolling in the god damn dirt!! Put the FUCK up with it!! Your the one who picked the career … Find out all the FUCKING facts before you do it!! And as for the heat PUT UP WITH IT !! In your little blog you sound like such a FUCKING wuss … Like grow some balls ASSHOLE!! This welfair, lower middle class, trailer park, redneck shit … That’s BULLSHIT!! So what if they don’t live in a penthouse … They don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of stupid stuck up FUCKING snobs … How do you know they don’t buy nice stuff, maybe you didn’t. I plan on it !! … Not all chicks that go into the job are lesbians … Like what the FUCK!!! A girl that is straight can like the trade too! I do … Like really dude? FUCK your and ASS!!
FUCK I HATE YOU!!! You really know how to piss people off … STUPID FUCK!! š
LOL. Elly-May, I hereby dedicate this freshly dead welder to you. From this article here:
YES YOU ARE RIGHT STUPID WELDER ( YOU MEEN STUPID AMERICAN WELDER ) i have been a welder for over 24 years and everything you say is a load of shite, we enjoy our job and are proud to be welders, all you want to do is be lazy ( and claim compensation ) so you can sit on your ass and do nothing, and welders are stupid ( are they ) billy connoly was a welder, and is now a world famous comedien, and we dont live in pent houses, no i live in a 6 bedrom house, over looking one of the best beaches in brazil,i drive a jaguar, and have a wonderfull life, WHY BECAUSE I AM A HARD WORKING WELDER, not a lazy, big headed twat like you, ( and if you dont know what a twat is ) look it up
WOOHOO go allen !!! Pat can you answer me one thing … why do you americans hate trades so much ? really answer me that ?? i’m canadian and idk but we think that welders and trades people are great!!! ohh and thanks for that story … like really?? yes maybe 1 out of god knows how many die a day … really like fuck … the ratio is low!
Allen and Elly-May, I present this fresh corpse of a welder who died doing what you say is awesome:
From Stamford here:
Elly-May laughingly thinks one dead welder per day is just fine.
PAT can you please coment on this how meany twats die every year, by didapearing up there own ass holes, but you would make a great comedien some people come hear to sit and think, some people come hear to shit and stink, ( not me ) i come hear to scratch my balls and read pats writing on the walls TO ENEYONE WHO IS THINKING OF BECOMING A WELDER DO IT its a great job, and you will never meet a better set of blokes in your life, unless it is PAT
All that he says here is true. He actually is holding back….I have been teaching the stuff for years now…
Allen, thanks for proving welders are stupid. You seem to have the vocabulary and spelling ability of a 9th grade dropout. The world needs ditch diggers and welders. Thanks for doing your part.
I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO SPELL PAT but at least i can blood dame weld, witch is a lot more than you could ever do , where you a welder pat, or just someone who tryed to be a welder and faled, i have worked around the world contract welding for oil , bridge, and ship building companies for over 22 years, and not one of the welders i know would stop the job they enjoy doing, ( not 1 ) maybe you where stuck in a workshop PAT. ( and if it was you where never a proper welder ) or it did not sute you, but ( WHY CALL WELDERS STUPID) we come on this site for entertainment, at the things you say and do by printing reports of all accidents, ( how meany people die in road accidents every day) how meany people have heart attacks every day ) a hell of a lot more than welders dieying on the job every year, and the real welders on this sit know that you are just a worthles peace of scum. ( who is to lazy to work to provide for his family ) please tell me PAT how long have you been claiming benafits, how much compensation did you get or are claiming for,( COME ON PAT ) I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ) BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY I CAN HOLD MY HEAD HIGH AND BE PROUD THAT I AM A WELDER DOING A JOB I LOVE,
AND ON YOUR LAST COMENT PAT a welder died when a beem came into contact with an electric wire from a light fitting, ( so he was not welding at the time ) did not set himself on fire, did not die of lung disise . he died because a beam was electrified by a whire sticking out of a light socket, so now please tell me how meney people die every day from electric shocks that are not welders, a lot more than welders diying in a whole year, see pat maybe you are mad because you could not hack it as a welder ( it dose sort out the men from the boys ) a man can weld a boy packs the job in and gives up.
-.- …. i didn’t say it laughingly … i said it like it’s not as big of a deal as you think it is … don’t get me wrong i do feel sorry for the welders that died. But i think that you just go over board … like yes okay i will agree that it has it’s dangers but people who like what they do should take the risks … they shouldn’t be persuaded by some asshole who failed at the job…
I started welding when I was 20. Worked as a welder-millwright, at Atomic energy in the Ironworkers Union and at a machine shop. Later on in life I switched from working for people to working for my own projects, the last twenty years I have been doing artwork that has been copied throughout North America. My artwork has also allowed me to travel to Europe and the States. I’m now 63 still using the skill. For sure welding is not the healthiest of trades and employers need to be hit with a sledge hammer in order to provide proper safety equipment, a mask with an air filtration system is my recommendation to all welders. It becomes a great trade if, when you are young you gain the knowledge of others and focus on safety and your health. When you are older take control of your life and do what you want to do.
PHIL well sed, at least you aprisiate your skill, PAT faled abd has been left frustrated
A question for all you welders, How far does the slag fly (the very farthes you seen) I know it flys some or drops but, can you tell me how far in feet it will fly? Thank You
Wow check out this idiot (Pat). Don’t know bout you guys, but up here in Canada we have what you call Safety Regulations. We can refuse any work that we feel is unsafe and most companies wouldn’t even offer a job to someone if it wasn’t safe, welder or not. I’m 26 years old and have been welding for 8 years. No doubt welding isn’t good for your health, I knew that when I first started. It has open many doors of opportunity for me in different industries as well as trades. By the sounds of it Pat’s panties bunched up and he couldn’t handle it long enough to see the positive aspects of the trade. I have been looking to get out of welding only because of the possible health problems, but to think of all the career possibilities I have now is nearly unmeasurable. Alberta spits out kick ass welders all the time and just cause you haven’t changed your Maxi-Pad doesn’t mean you should rag on EVERY welder out there. Your stereotyping Welders just shows how closed minded and Pussy-Like you really are. Pull out your Tampon and get a life, rather than ranting about shit you are scared of and got out of so long ago. Just cause you have a First Amendment doesn’t mean you have to use it.
P.S. Canada Kicks Ass
I do NOT appreciate any of the uneducated idiots on this website calling my father a “dumb or stupid” welder.
Some DUMB, uneducated and uninformed person made a comment about a person that died while working on a tanker truck. That person is my DAD. My dad did everything to make sure he was safe. He welded everyday for over 40 years and because one greedy company wante to falseify the wash out of a tanker truck and it caused his death, does not give any of you uncaring, unknowing, uneducated idiots the right to talk of him like you know what happened. I respectfuly ask you to remove it from your website. God doesn’t like haters and he definitely doesn’t like those you speak of others in a negative light, especially when they are deceased and can’t speak for themselves.
Lisa, I’ve had a stellar education, and your Dad was stupid. Welding on a tanker truck full of explosive gases is a stupid thing to do. Trusting someone else to empty that tank prior to welding on it is also kinda stupid. Welding for 40 years might just be the stupidest thing of all.
Yeah Tyrone, those Canucks are real good welders, except for the stupid ones that die.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/07/19/ott-school-explosion-welding-ban.html
At least Leighton died while in welding school, saving him the suspense of a long tedious life behind a shield. And he was stupid.
YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! I am very sorry Lisa for your loss… He wasn’t stupid! I’m sure he did a lot of great things in his life š PAT YOUR A STUPID COCKSUCKER!!! FUCK!! Do you not have any god damn respect … okay maybe not for us welders but you should at least respect her. Like really dude? How hard do you think it was to write that … or how hard it was to see you say her dad was “stupid” and then she asks you politely to remove it idk if you did… but you don’t just say “your dad was stupid” … like your fucking heartless if you do that!
My goodness! I’m ashamed to know their are such people whom can say such awful things. Exspecialy the shipyard looser who started this untrue jealous poet. I am a welder and have been for 15 years. I am know making $250,000 ta $1,000,000 a year. I have loosers like you whom work for me and I here them cry constantly just like your doing here. Fabricating, welding and working hard is a heritage hoss, you are no more than a cry babie that I probably pay for to sit home and draw gov funds. May God Have Mersey on you for these things you”ve stated. O, and yes sir wintergreen is my choice of tobacco, sure would like to spit in your face. Sissy Boy
JJ you are a lying ass about your salary. And if it were true, you should spend some of that cash on an English class so you can learn to spell. Thanks for proving how stupid you welders are.
Is this how Lisa’s Dad met his destiny? This sure looks like the way most stupid welders avoid collecting retirement checks.
Pat, I only finished 8th grade and bet my salary is more than yours!! Your so stupid Pat!!! I didnt need a doploma/degree, all I needed was a bag of welding rods and a can of wintergreen long cut. Funny thing is, used to when I met pussies like you Pat! I would wait till time waz right, put my dip in the welding glove, down the paints, or whatever I wanted too. According to your poet, you are a real stupid dude. Need to look me up when in South Georgia, show ya what a real country ass whooping is boy
Pat, are you a sociopath????
JJ, welders are stupid, but you are retarded. Keep proving all of the things I’ve said here. I really do appreciate it.
Whelp, this will be my last post to the one & only 2 fat Pat! Some of the things you say about Miss Lisa, you’d better watch out! People like you are the ones that gets T-Boned at intersections for making stupid comments like these. You remind me of Hannibal Lector with you’re comments. You’re probably so fat, all you can do is drama online, can’t weld or do anything for that matter! Who has time to do this drama. Go clean the penthouse floor you live in, or do something that matters you fat fuck. If anyone ever looks up the definition stupid, 2 fat Pat would be a perfect example. You stupid, stupid of all stupids. Good luck to ya 2 fat, & and fuck you!!!!
(IP: 98.17.183.43 , h43.183.17.98.dynamic.ip.windstream.net)
E-mail : Joshualong46@yahoo.com
JJ, nice way to threaten someone’s life over the internet. Yet more proof how stupid you are. Joshua Long from South Georgia. I’m publishing your full name, email address and IP.
Not a welder, although looking into the trade. I am not dumb by far, excelled ahead of my time. I have a BS in Information Technology. However it has been tough to find gainful employment. Therefore I must seek another venture to support my family. It is not the occupation that makes a person less knowledgeable. Fact is safety precautions were not followed, people were hurt or killed. The lack of common sense played a major role in all these accidents. There are quite a few smart people, with flawed common sense.
Pat, Please do tell us what you do for a living. Jerking off in your parents basement on welfare and/or unemployment doesn’t count.
Aww, Becky, I make a fortune betting on the deaths of welders. Vegas odds pays me around 50 bucks every time a stupid welder dies by crushing, fire or suffocation. I earn upwards of 100k per year on this fantastic bet.
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i am a welder and i dnt think its all that bad i really love doing it and it pays good money and i would do this for the rest of my life
hey pat a living is a living. You call welders stupid but we all think you are the stupid and petty one.
2/21/2006 to 11/2/2012…Bravo Pat, for still stringing along the uneducated who still haven’t realized what you’ve been doing for the past 6 and a half years; ladies and gentlemen I present to you a true troll at work. Bitter and insecure, these creatures of habit somehow subsist solely on the seemingly unending stores of negative energy scattered across the world wide web. Why you ask? The natural assumption is that at some point the object of their aggression must have beat them up and stolen their lunch money, correct? Nope. Does he really believe the things he says, and does he think that what he’s doing is in some form productive to society as a whole, that these diatribes and lazy copy-paste links to industrial accidents are actually going to keep some poor soul from making the horrible mistake of getting his hands dirty for a living? Again, that’s a big negative, Foreskin Falcon. In all likelihood, his insecurity drives him to write smug comments behind the anonymity of the internet designed to anger a large group of people whom he considers easy prey. With a smug grin peeling his lips back, he takes a noisy gulp from his jumbo mountain dew and steeples his fingers, waiting like a greasy, pimply spider for the gullible to somehow find his page on Google while looking for “Nascar sites, Guns and Ammo, and Porn, Porn, Porn.” And when the flies start coming with their spelling errors and inexperience with the caps lock, he crawls right in for dinner, imagining himself as the King Shit of Turd Hill, envisioning spittle flying from their lips as he heroically denounces their poor grammar. You sir, are a cunt.
WelDurHurHur, AKA Josh from Northwestern (Thomaston) Connecticut, whose email address is Exodus1080@gmail.com, with an IP of 24.128.151.108, born in 1985 and still pipefitting at the ripe old age of 27: Get off your dipshit ass and stop playing video games long enough and do something with your sorry life. I had already quit welding when I was 25, realizing it would put me in dangerous situations. Or maybe its your marijuana habit that is holding you back?
Seems to me like I nailed you real good Josh. You live in the backwoods of CT, are a motorcycle and racing enthusiast, like to smoke dope, tobacco, and you like porn, porn, porn. Did you drop out of college to take a shitty welding job Josh? Why you lashing out at me dude? I got the hell out of that shithole industry, but you still wallow in it. GTFO while you are still young enough to do something with your life. And stop making it so easy to track your dumbass down on the Internet. Oh, and enjoy the spam you’ll receive when the bots crawl this webpage.
[links redacted per Josh’s request]
Oh, and hey, another dumbass welder won’t live to see his retirement pay:
[…] the overhaul, crawling through the catapults, hanging suspended below the flight deck, and mostly learning to hate welding. But I was proud of the work I did for that vessel, the Big E. I am really excited and happy that […]
Welding’s not for pussies and dumb assess. It’s a cool way to make a living and it has always paid me well. I generate $75+ per hour everyday for my labor and I love it. It’s hard work but it is extremely enjoyable and it is an art. You are right about one thing and that is some people shouldn’t be allowed around dangerous things. Nature has her way of fixing stupid. Being a rig welder is the greatest job in the world. I’ve been at this for 40+ years and can not imagine ever retiring. Thanks and stand up for America’s Constitution and god bless us all.
I am a welder and proud to be one it makes me sick to see you bad mouth a trade that has been so crucial in the construction of a lot of things, it also makes me mad how you say it sucks and how welders are stupid where is your proof? just because they don’t have a degree? i would love to see you tig weld critical aircraft parts or weld on a oil pipeline, it’s tough work for a reason they get paid well for a reason!
Pat, what got you into welding in the first place? Also, thanks to you I have stopped wasting my time in welding courses and have started on my BS degree.
I was a welder at Newport News Shipyard also, 1982-1997, and left for a welding job at Ford Motor in Michigan because I too, hated N.N.S. Whats your name, I may know you.
Dave Raines
Jim, I was out of high school and didn’t have many other prospects. Once I learned that welding simply kills welders, I went back to school for a nice degree. Good to see you doing the same.
Dave, good to see you are happy elsewhere other than the shipyard. Your name doesn’t ring a bell. I was only there for 5 years in the early nineties.
Hey pat, you really seem to have an attitude problem bud. Usually the ones who try welding and then get out of it, is because they aint good enough and don,t make the grade, or simply can,t handle real work, You probably fall into one of those categories. Well i made the grade and carried on till i retired at 50. The reason i retired was because i had earned enough money to retire on. i,m 65 now and in good health playing golf 3 times per week and spending UK winters overseas at my holiday home in south Africa or the one i own in Spain.
You probably wrote this article because you couldn’t hack it or maybe other issues, but either way for someone to write an article like this must be quite a sad individual.
So to anyone else reading this. Being a welder is an honest trade. A trade that if you are good at it can make yourself a lot of money that can provide a good standard of living for your family.
Pat has obviously failed, and maybe not just at welding.
Nice grammar John. Proves my point.
Yet another stupid welder blows himself skyhigh by welding on a fuel tank. From grande Prairie Alberta:
I am a FABRICATION WELDER in Manitoba, Canada, The stuff I build powers the citys around the world, being a welder isn’t just about watching a puddle in the dark, its about perfecting something that not many people in reality can accomplish, obviously you were unable to perfect this which would make you hate your job, so get over it, because you obviously can’t handle it. I can lay any bead perfectly and i am talking 30 foot welds without stopping, I definatly can say I love my job
I also forgot to mention I am a girl lol you may be cut for a telemarketing position but there are alot of people that can do really well in the line of work
just because you cant handle it means that you went into the wrong career or you just cant handle a mans job. it would help you alot if you would just stop blowing shit out your ass. Your the stupid one yea welding his hard and dirty but some people dont mind and plus the pay is better than most
Enjoy your satirical site — you’re The Onion or The Daily Currant of welding. Keep up the good work!
Pat Jones ” The Author:
Dr Jones owns Belch.Com. He is a cyber-security expert and lives just outside the beltway in Washington DC. He has worked for the governmentās Department of Homeland Security in the cyber division, and has worked at the State Department, the DoD, the FDIC and several private companies, both large and small.
Jones used to be a welder until he smartened up and got a better job. He worked for five years helping build Aircraft Carriers and LA Class Nuke subs for the Navy.
If you are in the DC region and you are driving around and see some asshole in a yellow Chevy SSR riding your rear bumper, be sure to wave. Its him! but i could be wrong , after all i’m just a stupid pipe welder
Dr Jones, when u feel like chatting with real pipe welders https://www.facebook.com/groups/228217503935745/
Why on earth would I want to chat with stupid pipe welders? Boooooring.
Firstly, I think these sorts of posts are a great idea. Showcasing online based businesses doing it right is really valuable content.
I look for welders for Alberta-Canada. All kind. Specially pipe-fitting welders. From $15 to $40 per hour depending on experience and expertise. minimum 3 years of experience. Must to be willing to be certified by Alberta government. Send just your resume to info@empleoseurousa.org. Please, do NOT send certification, ID, photos, etc. Just your resume.
pussy
Usually I remove job spams, but hey, welders keep dropping like flies, so I’ll let the above stay. Did you hear about the stupid welder working on a sheetmetal roof who took off his lanyard to get a better grip? He fell and died.
Stupid welder. Dead welder.
I’m sure that you have heard it before, but my teacher likes to say that if we were any dumber we couldn’t weld, and if we were any smarter we wouldn’t. But I would like to point out that yeah, you’re pretty much right about welders being kinda dumb, but I have a 130 IQ and studied philosophy for a couple of years before it hit me that a philosophy degree wouldn’t be terribly helpful. So yeah, we’re all kinda dumb…
More stupid welders in the news. From Canada this time–
Stupid Welder. Dead welder.
WARNING:
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS.
Pat,
I have sat here at work at my desk and read almost all the comments till I couldn’t take it any more. I can say over all the years growing up being someone that has worked in about every field you can think of, gone to school for a couple different degrees (I have my own beef with the education system) which brings me to the point….I am now feeling like I have just dropped 5 points of IQ from this site. lol……I have been a welder when I was 18, My father worked for GE as a welder. I got out of it, because not that the people were stupid, but because the mentality of the boss’ I had to put up with. They (not all) can be some of the most desiring of mentalities to work with. My beef is about you right now……You do nothing but call people names like someone in the mentality of youth these days. To solidify my point you have an icon of a Southpark character. The only people I know; and believe me I don’t “hang out” with them, that watch that show have a very little IQ level in and of themselves. Not to mention they are like +/- 12 years old.
How about helping society instead of acting like a special interest group with an agenda based on anger resulting from narcissism carried over from God knows what.
Gavin,
Sorry, nothing you said proved welders are not stupid. But glad you got yourself that nice desk job. And no, helping society is not a goal of mine, unless you count salvaging the unused carbon credits from welders that die young as helping society. Wanna buy some carbon credits to use on the upcoming Al Gore carbon exchanges? Discount prices.
Pat,
There are over 90 different types of welds. Being a skilled welder requires the understanding of Chemistry, Physics, and engineering. I fabricate, and weld hydraulic boat trailers designed to load and carry over 60,000 pounds. The most important step in the process of making these trailers is the welding. Without airtight tig, hardwire, and fluxcore welding these trailers that cost 10’s of thousands to make and even more to purchase would be completely worthless. You sir, have obviously never created anything in your entire life. I am an artisan, and you are an idiot.
There is nothing more rewarding than creating something from the ground up. Obviously there are stupid welders, but there are also stupid news anchors, stupid politicians, stupid actors, stupid police officers, and just stupid people everywhere in general. You seem to be no exception to the rule either.
Just because some people see past the fiery hot bead of steel and envision what they are in fact building doesn’t make them stupid. Would you call an astronaut stupid because he/she has a chance of dying at any moment during his/her endeavor into space? No.
Don’t be so ignorant, Pat. That bridge you just drove over had to be welded together. The building you live in may or may not have beams that were welded together. You should hope that the men or women who welded them weren’t as stupid and ignorant as you, but rather someone like myself who takes pride in creating something that’s built to last longer than I’ll ever see.
listen in a Sr in high school i have about a 2.8 gpa i farm helping my father and plan on going to a welding acadamy and i hate the fact that you say welders are idiots wouldnt you technically be calling yourself an idiot. the thought of replaceing people with robots is idiotic that kind of what happened to farmers the started myeing bigger better tractors then needing less farmers most lost there job thanks to being replaced by technology. i have been welding in shop class from 9th to 12th grade sure ive been burned but thats part of the job and if you cant take the heat get out of the kitchen you pussy
Anyone having carrier related to the welding must visit this website, because it is a source of all the useful information regarding it.
The fact that this writer clearly identifies welders as being dumb and dirty is totaly subjective and makes himself look stupid. First off, I wonder what job you have now that makes you so cool to put hard workers down? seems to mee that you are a girly type yuppy that prob lives in conneticut. I am very surprised that you in fact made it ship building for 5 years rather then 5 hours. If everyone thought the way you do, we would all go live in a cave for fear of being hurt. I would say that driving you car to any job, is far more dangerous that an 8 hour day of welding. Considering how bad you hate welding and welders, I’m thinking you must hate alot of other things too in general, and prob fully racisist as well. I it wasnt for welders, you would still be living in a cave, though you clearly still are in your own mind. The only thing that I learned from this blog is what not to do when welding obviously, and what a moron that you are. I am a fully certified welder that builds sculptures. I get dirty as shit, then dress up and present them at galleries. As far as welders being dirty slobs, let me ask you one thing. Do you date beautiful women in you awsome newer job? I make porn videos as well as welding and making art, honestly I love both. Not all welders are fat and dumb, lets face it I must be smarter and better looking then you to be with hundreds of models, all the while being a welder. Think about it???
Congrats Paul. I think you were the first to equate calling welders stupid to “racist.” You must love Obama. Hey, this welder’s death is pretty much your fault I think. http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2013/11/08/shropshire-welder-killed-in-barn-roof-accident/
Stupid welders think they can be doctors.
Ive been dreaming of the day when these people were exposed to the real world. Ive been in the industry for the last 25 years as electrician / welding technician (welder babysitter / councelor) In my honest opinion Ive never came across such a bunch of egotistical primadonnas. I became a welding inspector and now have the enjoyment of rejecting the poor standards these guys often turn out. Offcourse theres not one of them ever had a reject before……. Keep up the good work on this page, fact based and honest and only highlighting the truths about what has to be the largest bunch off A**holes the industrial world has came across.
PS Loved the way you put NATE back in his corner……. Class.
LOL. I have no idea what must have happened at your job, but I am honestly shocked. I have always loved welding and always loved my job. With all due respect I do believe you are a PUSSY. Nate you hit the nail on the head back in 2007. What you do not understand is that not everyone in the world is a coward like you. Some people like heights, like the adrenaline rush. Just because you have the courage of a 3 year old girl doesn’t give you the right to bash welders. Also to some people there is more important things in life than money. And by the way I already know your going to reply with some stupid smart ass coment so don’t bother
Also I am dumfounded by the way you speak of the deceased
After reading your article, I can say that most of the welders are careless while performing their task. I hope that this blog will be helpful for the welders to use precautions.
Started welding when i was 16, Came out of my time 21, Straight on to pipeline welding on and offshore for the next 25 years, Retired at 50, I earned more money than some of you welder bashers could dream of. I found the ones that cant make it usually end up as inspectors. the rest usally ear bash the welders coz they know we always called the tuned and demanded the most coin and got it. Enjoy life boys coz i certainly do drinking wine playing golf in this here sunshine.
WELDER HATER, YOU ARE! YOU ARE JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO STUPID TO MAKE IT IN THE INDUSTRY.
HOW MANY THAT MET THEIR FINAL FATE, WERE UA LOCAL 798 JOURNEYMAN PIPELINE WELDERS/
You write like a retarded Yoda with the caps lock on. You prove my post. Thanks for playing.
[…] No word on whether this young man signed up for Obamacare. And his Xray is just the ultimate selfie, AmIRight? He should try welding next since he has the aptitude. […]
Pat, why are you so biased against welders?
Hey Pat
If you feel the people writing you are stupid (wielders) And you spend your time responding to them
what does that make you.??????? I came to this web site by accident .I was trying to show my kid that wielding is vary dangerous and he would be better off doing something else ! But for the people that make wielding there profession
. I respect you for your choice, and yes in some cases its an art . Without wielding the world would be really flat , just stop and think of a world without wields !!!!!!
Richard
what a fucking joke this guy is and this webpage you obviously haven’t worked or been in a fab shop or a sky rise building for that matter!
it takes a lot of no how to be able to take a pile of sheet metal or tubing and actualy build something with it.
You are a fucking pussy. Please don’t assume my “swearing like a sailor” is because of my “below average vocabulary.” I did very well in school, in fact, graduated at the top of my class. I could have gone to a very prestigious university if I wanted to. But you know what? I don’t want to be stuck working in an office cubicle as another arrogant white collar worker. I find that type of work to be extremely boring and I would not want to live my life that way despite my academic inclination to excel at this type of white collar work. I CHOSE, yes, CHOSE to be a welder. Why? Because I enjoy it. It is a passion of mine to weld and fabricate, and I do not find it boring, I find it fascinating. I would find filling out paperwork and doing things that I cannot physically see what I have created to be extremely boring. So before you go ahead and run your mouth and place your judgements upon other people, remember, we are all created differently. IQ has nothing to do whatsoever with what you enjoy doing, and if you can find a way to be happy with how you earn your income as I did, that my friend, is truly living. Good day.
Though I don’t agree with your opinion about welders, I have used your site a a reference on many of my pages so people can see another opinion about welders. MANY of the things you say are true about the conditions. Its not a trade for everyone. Everyone has to figure out what they want to do. Don’t believe the positive or negative hype about something until you have tried it. Do it because you enjoy it. Again, thanks for keeping this online all these years. I referred to this most recently on one of my website at http://weldertraining.org/index.php/welding-core-knowledge/about-welding-trade/ . Love to hear some opinions about the trade.
Hi, i am from the uk. Welders in the uk are mostly dumb as bricks because welding is an aspirational job for lower working class people. Nowhere else could someone with poor education, literacy etc earn the money they can as a welder. They are very happy being a welder. NOT ALL welders are dumb, only the happy ones!
Hi Pat,
I know how you feel. You made a stupid decision in becoming a welder just like I did. You weren’t happy doing it and neither was I. I chose welding as a career because of circumstance. Money was the biggest determining factor in becoming a “molten metal manipulator”. I also wasn’t keen on spending another 3 years in school for advertising/graphic design- what I wanted to do. Lastly a majority of my friends were going into the trades so I kind of just said “Meh” and followed the herd.
In the last 17 years Ive made alot cash as a welder. In the Oil Sands I was grossing just over $6300 a week. But money doesnt matter when you hate what you do it’s time to get out. I hate it. Im finally make a career change.
On a final note a majority of welders are dummies but if they enjoy what they do doesnt that make them smart?
I have been welding for about 6 years now, and honestly I like this page because I can relate to a lot of the problems you talk about. Especially the sweating. I do hope to one day get into weld inspecting and I realize you probably think I’m stupid for what I do. But, I assure you I’m not. There is just this unexplainable love I have for welding. I know the dangers and the drawbacks but I truly do enjoy what I do. I’d say I’m less stupid and more crazy. Anyway I know how you most likely feel about me, and that’s your right. I don’t need you to respect me, but I do ask that you show more respect when posting about welder’s who have died. More specifically, saying dead welder, stupid welder. It just honestly hurts me to think of how their families would feel if they read some of the posts. Again you have evey right to do and post what you want. I just ask that you consider their families. I don’t know if you’ve ever lost someone. I imagine you have and most likely will again. And I’d hope that the same respect was shown you your lost ones. I know you’re gonna critique me and possibly insult me for grammar or whatever else you find. I just ask that while you criticize me you just take away the message I’m trying to get across. Good luck.
I have been welding and fabricating steel/aluminum for more than 30 yrs. From this I have become both rich and famous. I also have made and continue to make tons of money. Your website appears to be filled /w holes ,misconceptions,and half truths. Because of this you give yourself away too easily. Hence the reaction of others. Being rich and making lots of money are not the same. Neither is being dumb the same as being stupid. Through all of your bickering and drama though you have furnished a stern warning for both new and old welders to always take safety as top priority. For this you should always keep this website alive,always checking your surroundings as you do. Go back under a welding hood and take a look at whose in the glass just in front of you. Thank You.
I’m sorry. I mean,Take a look at who’s in the glass just in front of you. Thank You. P.S. I’m still rich.
Your section about being a “course breed” is quite the pile of crap. My husband has been a welder for over 10 years, has an extremely high IQ, and is quite the opposite of everything you described welders to be. He also makes over $70k a year and will soon take over the company once his boss retires. You’re obviously extremely ignorant and must be a white trash hillbilly if that’s how you think all welders are. Why don’t you get out there and meet some real welders who make good money, don’t spend it all on beer, and are actually smart. If you left the trailer park, maybe you actually would.
YOU ARE AN IDIOT…….
Aboard ship, welding is one of my responsibilities. ANSI Z49.1:2012(latest) which is Safety in Welding, Cutting and Allied Processes has endorsed by the American Welding Society. Safety starts with the person himself. Familiarity with the factors that contribute to untoward incidents must be observed heartily, consistently and presence of mind.
Some of the stories above had indicated the the presence of dangerous issues like fumes, electrical grounding, etc.
Things like over-fatigue, emotional and mental stress will make a person vulnerable to unsafe practices.
No one is perfect in this imperfect world. Every one is prone to commit errors.
There must always be a second or third party present all the time to check and eliminate the dangers, and emphasized to the welder to work safe. Perhaps some kind of materials will arise as substitute to metals as prime necessity to many industries. Then welder as an occupation will become obsolete. Only time will tell.
10,000hrs and not certified in tig process. You weren’t a JM welder just a shipyard labourer bud!
Google trend shows that interests in welding jobs are definitely on the rise since 2008. It is a good career. But, it takes time to be a good welder. Also, safety first.
Safety should be the number one priority… this can be a ver risky job and additional measures should be implemented to ensure that the workers are safe.
Wow, don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this website. I suppose if you asked an accountant if they thought their job was the dogs they’d probably come up with 5 or 6 reasons why it’s not. I suppose we’ve all got our place in the food chain, yes welding can be dangerous. I started out building farm machinery which was all Mig welded, very heavy and dirty work. It was my first job and I was so grateful to get it.I stayed for 6 years and I did progress there but I decided to move on and learn to Tig stainless and aluminium. Did a bit at night school at was fortunate to work for companies making disabled equipment for those less fortunate and P and O cruise liners making galley equipment. I’ve learnt sheet metal skills along the way. Without this sounding like a CV, someone’s got to do these jobs and I would never act as if this job was beneath me, I’m lucky have this job,I’ve made some really good friends too.There are cleaner better paid occupations but that’s the way it is for me and many others, I certainly don’t loose any sleep over it.Garry.
I’ve always said that robots should replace welders. Well this one did, and then it killed a lady, who, by the way, was stupid for getting so close to moving machinery.
http://woodtv.com/2016/02/02/fine-issued-in-workers-death-at-ionia-plant/
Why did you even bother creating this site in the first place? If you didn’t like your job so be it! Find something you enjoy doing because yes work can be fun! you just have to find something you’re passionate about doing. There are so many areas of welding you can go into, it doesn’t have to be what you chose which means it can actually be enjoyable.
By basing it off of your experience of being a welder and being a complete bitch about it, clearly your the type of person that should be in an office at a computer all day.
By creating this site all you did was made a huge fool of yourself.
you can’t sit there saying welders are stupid and dumb if almost everything you see and use everyday has been welded together. Somebody has got to do this trade, you can’t just assume robots will do it better. They can only do so much. They can’t go anywhere like us and perform a job. They are stationary and are all computerized.
Anybody that agrees with you is just another bitch that can’t handle this trade.
Welders aren’t stupid we do the work that nobody else wants to do. I have no problem welding all day everyday and I do. Quit being a bitch. You can’t base a 1 bad experience on everything. Almost everything you see and use has been welded. Work can be fun you just have to find something your passionate about. I love to weld that’s my job and it’s fun. Yea I am from a middle class family but I have a nice two story house and a truck a car and a boat and some atvs. Yea I hunt it’s how I get food instead of going to the store and that’s fun. Quit being a pussy and a bitch go get a bitch job and leave the work to the real men.
Well Pat, I hope you changed to another career, and given your one-sided rant, you should have realized that during your first day on the job. So what exactly does that make you? In my experience there are basically two types of worker personalities out there: 1) those who prefer variety; and 2) those who prefer repetition. Clearly you are a variety guy. Welders by nature work in repetition, but there are endless benefits that include very high quality work and genuine pride in the results, which raises the quality and teamwork that much more. This is what America and the World are built on, and there would be no civilized world without welders. So, unless you love to walk, live in a tent, cook on a fire made with a friction stick, wear clothing you make by hand with a bone for a needle, and kill your food and clothing animals with a bow and arrow with a stone spearhead, then you are a liar and a hypocrite! And by nature of this ignorant Blog, You are a Liar and a Hypocrite! Because everything else in the world as we know it is brought to you by welding. I found this site while looking for welding-related accidents in refineries. Like you, I am a variety guy, but I chose a career field that demands variety and the unexpected. You see, I am a safety supervisor for an oil refinery contractor, and about 99% of your stories and examples are EPIC OSHA violations (US only). It is the employers responsibility to provide a safe working environment for its workers. It is my responsibility to ensure that safety policies and federal/state regulations are in compliance. In every situation, Safety is Job #1. Unfortunately, profits can conflict with safety, and some companies choose to disregard regulations and the workers usually pay the price, along with company. In the years prior to 1970, there was an average of 14,000 worker deaths per year. When OSHA was enacted in 1970, that number dropped to 2,000, and has been dropping ever since. Safety laws are there for a reason, and all of them are related some person’s death or injury doing something that wasn’t safe in the beginning. That shit you described above wouldn’t fly on my watch! Getting back to the point, I would consider any welder that operates at a Journeyman level to be an expert in their trade. Welding is an art and a science that is very specific to be successful and long-lasting. It’s also a job that requires focus, strength, patience, consistency, fortitude, positive attitude, teamwork, getting down and dirty, and being willing to do these things and many more every day without fail (How the fuck did you make for 5 years???). It’s clearly not for everyone, but it is a great opportunity and career that offers very good money, travel, and job security. As the world grows, the need for welders will always grow with it.
Very well said. Weld on brother!
Welding has been an oldest and respectable profession without which a considerable portion of today’s industry requirements could not be fulfilled. We used to work with many welder mates at on-shore and off-shore industries and they were simply awesome. Thanks to author for the above article containing meaningful content. Regards
Uhg! there’s so many things I want to say to this ignorant author i don’t even know where to begin!!! I know I won’t get it all but here goes….
Boo hoo. It’s called WORK and for good reason! this ENTIRE article comes off as someone who is
A. Afraid to do any kind of REAL work or..
B. Hasn’t done any real work before.
Seriously how do you even plant a garden without fear of pricking yourself on a thorn? How do you sit in traffic without fear of breathing in exhaust and brake dust? HOW DO YOU EVEN LEAVE THE HOUSE AT ALL!? that’s what I’m wondering! So what trade is SOOOOOO much better? You didn’t mention. A trade is a trade dude. ITS WORK and welding is an art form. Its something we take pride in. You don’t because you were never a welder. In fact I have to wonder how much of this artical actually comes from REAL experiences and not just a bunch rhetoric. This article literally has not one single source of information. So I can basically discredit any opinions within simply based on that fact.
As to some of the other points in this biasly flawed article it sounds to me like you applied and got hired at a sh*t shop with sh*t management with sh*t shop protocol. Also sounds like you were stuck in a production weld shop. You’re entitled to your opinion but don’t sit here misinforming everyone and straight up slandering us because one person (you) had a bad experience at ONE shop. that’s your fault bud. I work in a CUSTOM structural alum shop and have going on 12 years now. I build and weld out different products daily! Next time might want to be more selective where you apply.
Not to mention there’s little inventions called gloves, masks, and protective clothing that prevent everything you’re complaining about. Again what trade is going to be so much better in this aspect? Probably none. My advice to you is put a little more research in your writings and find a cubicle job. Oh wait…..carple tunnel…..never mind š
If you want to further discuss I’m on YouTube and Google plus under the username MadMetalManiac74.
AMEN! I couldn’t believe the irrdacity of this author. This article literally made my head spin. Then the whole “oh I don’t hate welders they’re just stupid” was the cherry on the ignorant cake. Guys this guy has never studied metalurgy in his entire life!
I HIGHLY beg to differ. I work in a fab shop with 6 other guys. We are probably the nicest group of guys you’ll meet! There’s a difference between union welders and non union welders. Yes most union welders as well as any union trade are gonna be ass holes. Thats just how the union goes. Most the non union shops I’ve been in……are all good people.
There was literally nothing usfull in this article besides an example of how bad a unreputsble work place can be. Thats the authors fault for staying as long as he did. The things he talks about would never fly in most places.
Pat?
Where did you go pat? Have you finally realized how dumb you are? Or even better hopfully you died. You really are worthy of being murderd by these familys. You are an absolute spineless douchbag in every aspect. You are literally clueless to robotic welders where and how they can be implented. Every engineer on this planet would laugh their ass off at you and your stupid ideology.
Aww Andy, get some cream for that butthurt. Remember, those welders all died doing something stupid. It was not my words or ideas that killed them, it was the stupid profession they chose. If their families are mad bro its cuz they stood idly by with no better suggestions for better career choices.
Andy, I’ve been saying welding is dangerous and its killing the workers. You are the one wearing the miniskirt with pom poms cheerleading on the sidelines. This Navy Vet father of two is dead now. I’m saying its YOUR fault he’s dead. http://abc7chicago.com/news/welder-dies-while-working-at-gary-steel-mill/1535405/
Pat,
I should probably disclose by telling you that your little kid act of trying to get under my skin will never work. I could take the time to get under yours but I truely do not give a shit about you. I know your game, I’ve played it before, it’s weak. So continue to post your facts I really don’t care I just posted to remind you of the whisper of reality you hear but ignore everyday. Enjoy your miserable life. I wonder how fast you’ll respond, we both know you’re eagerly waiting.
Aww Andy don’t be mad at my facts. But I think you really DO care, don’t you? And here’s another dead welder. This one got crushed by a flagpole. http://www.reporter.bz/general/welder-crushed-to-death-by-flagpole/
Uggghhhh…. This is a horrifying way to go- buried alive in the mud on a construction site.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/10/22/families-men-killed-trench-accident-friday-are-reeling-their-losses/sgQ27jQPRTC4pQX0ucjMRK/story.html?s_campaign=bdc:article:stub
Thank you for the very clever, well constructed and highly educational material! Class act fellas!
hello am. a welder. any job vacancy pls
thanks for providing this kind of opportunities
I work in a fab shop with 6 other guys. We are probably the nicest group of guys youāll meet! Thereās a difference between union welders and non union welders. Yes most union welders as well as any union trade are gonna be ass holes. Thats just how the union goes. Most the non union shops Iāve been inā¦ā¦are all good people.
There is nothing more rewarding than creating something from the ground up. Obviously there are stupid welders, but there are also stupid news anchors, stupid politicians, stupid actors, stupid police officers, and just stupid people everywhere in general. You seem to be no exception to the rule either.
My father is a welder and he is 100 time more intelligent than the panty stain who wrote this article ever hopes to be. I hope that whoever wrote this dies an excruciating early death and if the little b*tch that wrote this āarticleā wants to talk sh*t back to me, I suggest that he grows a set of balls and meets me face to face. I may be female and small but I can guarantee that I will f*ck this little b*txhās shit up.
Just going to say I’m a women and I love my job as a welder! ??
This whole article is a big douche bag cum stain some lazy liberal millennial wrote after he had attempted a week at a real true blue collar American industry profession and thatās why our country is headed the direction it is. Somebody get this man a tampon and a hurt feelings report and get back to work without him before the powderpuff ends up hurting himself or someone else on the job being and incompetent pussy excuse for a welder. It damn sure aināt for everyone
Now imagine if you had a set of testicles or even ovaries and they had the slightest bit of testosterone or estrogen in them you would actually be a man or woman but instead this author is a heartless coward that has a weak heart and his mommas a 2 bit prostitute and heās upset cause trump made him go back to work or get deported back to lazyville brokeylvania
Hey @Kyle, spoken like a true welder. Thanks so much for proving my points. These three dead people due to a welding accident are dedicated to your lack of education. Congrats Kyle!
http://www.krqe.com/news/3-dead-another-injured-after-fire-caused-by-welding-accident/1009217585
Fuck you. Your observations on welders is crap. I donāt go down to where you work at the bus station menās room and slap that dick out of your mouth.
Foul mouthed homophobe welder ways what?
The lack of self-awareness exhibited in most of these comments is breathtaking.