Qualities to Look for in a Welding Contractor
Admin • January 1, 2017
If you have a project that requires the skill of a welding professional, keep in mind that a welder needs to know more than how to weld. Before hiring someone, it helps to know what qualities and requirements to expect when looking for a welding contractor who will do the job right the first time.
Welding Experience
Lack of experience on the part of a welding professional can lead to costly mistakes. Ask for references from previous customers. A welder who does quality work will be happy to let you know what other people think of the services he or she provides.
Inquire whether the person has completed welding projects similar to what you want done. Find out what steps he or she takes to ensure safety on the job. For instance, does the welding contractor have knowledge of industry safety standards and experience working with up-to-date welding tools and equipment, technologies, and techniques?
Education and Training
Find out if the person has been certified by an accredited welding school or the American Welding Society
(AWS). Accreditation shows that the welding contractor is a professional committed to improving his or her performance and staying informed about the latest technology and welding techniques.
Inquire whether the person has any specialized training, mechanical skills, or engineering skills that allow for the delivery of more specialized services. Welding professionals trained in a variety of techniques, including metal arc welding, stick welding, MIG welding, flux core welding, and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, are better prepared to do a variety of jobs efficiently.
Also ask if the person is a member of any professional organizations that have resources available to help him or her learn. Many welding organizations offer industry publications and continuing education events at the local, regional, and national levels.
Licensing
A local business license shows that a welding contractor has a legal right to operate a business in that jurisdiction. However, state licensing not only allows a welding contractor to legally operate a business in the state, it shows that he or she is familiar with welding codes and has been tested and is knowledgeable about welding equipment, welding processes, fabrication, and welding repair.
Capabilities
A key concern when interviewing a welding contractor is if he or she is equipped to meet your particular needs. Your first question may be whether the person or welding shop works with the type of metal you want for your project. Welding contractors usually have knowledge and expertise in working with different welding materials, including metals, alloys, and composite material.
Although the different welding processes have the same basic principle, welders generally need to know how to cut, braze, fabricate, assemble, and install metal materials. Some welding contractors also provide sand blasting and metal finishing services.
A welder must have a solid knowledge of math, particularly when working on projects in the construction or fabrication sectors of the industry. Depending on the project, welding involves calculating angles to form joints as well as taking area, diameter, radius, and volume measurements.
Not only is a welder required to estimate what materials are needed to do a job, but he or she must estimate the quantity of materials required to make things fit and bring a project to completion—often from scratch. In addition, welders need the ability to read printed or digital blue prints.
Quality of Customer Service
It's important for a welding contractor to understand your particular needs. Ask enough questions to determine whether the person is likely to pay attention to details, not get easily distracted, and focus on the work at hand.
Inquire whether the welding business specializes in certain types of welding projects and services or offers a diversity of services, including customized services, mobile welding , or walk-in and/or 24-hour emergency service.
But no matter what services you need, for welding projects large or small, the team of certified welding contractors at Sam's Welding, Inc. are dedicated to delivering high-quality and efficient welding services.
Most Popular Types of Welding
Are you hiring a welder to get something fabricated or repaired? Sam's Welding Inc. offers the following types of welding in El Cajon: Gas metal arc welding. Perhaps the most popular of them all, this method is also known by its abbreviations GMAW or MIG, for metal inert gas. It’s an average of five times faster than electrical arc methods and includes four material transfer options: spray, pulsed spray, globular and short circuiting. Shielded metal arc welding. A form of stick welding commonly known as SMAW, this process uses electrical current to form an arc between the rod and metals in production. Uses include industrial fabrication such as the construction of iron and steel structures. Gas tungsten arc welding. This method is known as TIG or GTAW and requires the most skill, as heat is continuously regulated by means of a foot pedal. If amperage is set too high, you can end up burning holes in the metal. If it’s too low, the weld won’t flow properly. It’s especially useful for combining thick pieces of stainless steel and ironless metals. Flux-cored arc welding. Unlike MIG and TIG, FCAW keeps contamination out by means of a flux. This process doesn’t require a shielding gas, can be done outdoors and is quite efficient. Working with different positions such as horizontal, vertical and tee joints requires different machine configurations. Serving San Diego, CA Whether you need several hundred pieces or just one, we’re happy to take on the project for you. We are combat veteran owned and have more than two decades of experience handling military projects with success. We serve El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, and the entire county. We have expertise with the design and fabrication of gates and fences. You’re welcome to walk into our San Diego shop or call us anytime at 619-281-2709 .
Whether you have some new projects lined up to modify and enhance your home or there are some significant repairs that need to be done to some of the metalwork, you want to have a professional metal welder on the job. There are numerous specific instances in which having welding done by a certified military group such as Sam’s Welding Inc. in El Cajon is worth your investment. Perhaps you need a car welder to perform some precise car part welding or you need to ensure the safety of a premises with some security door welding . Of course, not everything that involves metal fabrication or repair is on a large scale. More often than not, welding is needed for smaller things that see use on a daily basis, such as: Staircases Hand railings Gates Fences As far as stairs are concerned, our professionals can help with anything from a new hand railing to a completely new and complex spiral staircase. Even if the work needs to be done outside on fences and gates where the materials need to be more durable, our nearly four decades of experience in the field have given us the knowledge of how to complete jobs in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and keeps you and your loved ones safe. Serving El Cajon, La Mesa and Santee Metalwork, whether it is basic framing or a more elaborate fence job, has a large impact on our lives every day. Therefore, when the time comes in which you decide to invest in modifications, fabrications, or repairs, you’d better be sure that you have qualified people doing the work. That’s what you’ll get when you call Sam’s Welding at 619-281-2709 . If you live in El Cajon, La Mesa or Santee, ask about our walk-in and mobile services to maximize our availability to you.
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