Need to find fabrication company...

Crapozo · 28-02-2006, 10:25 PM

Hello me again,

I don't know where else to post this stuff so i post it here?

Anyway, for a week or two now i have been trying to find some work experience in the light fabrication company.

The thing is, i have been searching over the internet on company directories such as yellowpages but i cannot find a company that i am interested in.

I mean i want to find a company that doesn't just make metal cabinets, fences and all that boring stuff, i want to find one which fabricates more interesting stuff such as car bodies, artistic metal furniture, custom stuff, etc... but i do not know of how i would go about finding a company that does this stuff...

Anyone got any advice for me?

Racecraft · 28-02-2006, 10:35 PM

your location?

Making cabinets, handrails and benches is pretty much a good start mate, you will learn the tools and a few tricks aswell as some contacts for the custom fab stuff

loosey · 28-02-2006, 10:39 PM

If you are in Adelaide, you can probably get work experience at my work, we make anything from tool boxes for utes to stuff with .2mm tolerence for the military. pm me if you are in Adelaide.

Crapozo · 01-03-2006, 04:09 PM

I am in sydney

Crapozo · 01-03-2006, 11:41 PM

Also i like to ask another thing,

What are the usual working hours for metal workers? i hear it is like 7am to 6pm but why is it so much more than other jobs? (e.g office, etc...)

tickford2001 · 02-03-2006, 01:40 PM

when i was working as a fabricator the official hours were 8am to 5pm, although if there were a few people that wanted to start at 7am and finish at 4pm then that was fine too.

most of us ended up working 7am to around 8-9pm because there was so much work on and not enough people looking for jobs! it was our choice though, we all needed the cash!

there is a severe shortage of people in the welding / fabrication industry at the moment so its probably not a bad path to go down. Just dont be too fussy about where you get your experience, learn the basic trade, if youre good then you will be able to walk in almost anywhere and get a job at the moment!

XR6-VCT-2000 · 02-03-2006, 02:42 PM

Maybe try a small time LAW FIRM , they seem to be good at 'fabricating' stuff ! ....lol

Crapozo · 02-03-2006, 09:56 PM

Fabricators make good money though right?

Wokkas · 02-03-2006, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crapozo

Fabricators make good money though right?

Electricians, plumbers, builders etc make more.

I'm in the metal trade (machinist/fitter&turner) and we earn a bit more than boiler-makers. If you take up my trade, you'll learn most things about welding, fab work, plus the mechanical side of engineering- machining, fitting, metalurgy etc.

If we made our blokes work from 7am to 6pm, we wouldn't have many people working for us. That being said most companies have plenty of voluntry overtime.

7:30am-4:30pm Mon-Thurs, with 7:30am-11:30am on Fridays for us. Same as most other jobs- 38 hour week. Starting times in the trade seem to be between 7-9am.

Like all things; start at the bottom and work your way up. Don't expect to jump straight into working with "artistic metal furnature and car bodies" if you can't even sharpen a drill (not that I've met a boiler-maker who knows how to use a drill, let alone sharpen one :nutsycuck :nutsycuck ). Most people who do that sort of stuff seem to work by themselves anyway.

Good luck mate.

Crapozo · 03-03-2006, 06:52 PM

ok thankyou for your helpful replies
The area i want to pursue is sheet metal and i know this can get me into alot of areas so i thought it would be good money too.

But i guess you do get good pay, just not very high pay? (e.g like doctors, architects, etc..)

P.S There seems to be quite a few people on this board who have been/are metal workers. I guess if you love metal you love cars :dj:

YuGoStaR · 03-03-2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crapozo

P.S There seems to be quite a few people on this board who have been/are metal workers. I guess if you love metal you love cars :dj:

See now that would be true, except I'm a chemistry student...so hah !

Good luck with your job hunting.

:

Crapozo · 03-03-2006, 11:32 PM

ok folks i have done some searching and i have found out

That fabricators usually get about 30 - 35 k a year.
Now that seems pretty low, is this really how much one gets?

BJ · 03-03-2006, 11:36 PM

So is your main reason the money?? if so you are going into it for the wrong reason's.

Wokkas · 03-03-2006, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crapozo

ok folks i have done some searching and i have found out

That fabricators usually get about 30 - 35 k a year.
Now that seems pretty low, is this really how much one gets?

Depends where you go, how good you are, how much expirience you've got, etc etc.

I would have said about $40,000 before overtime if you are working at a half decent place, but can range from about $25-$80,000.

The going rate for general boiler-makers seems to be about $20/hr.

But do 10 hrs overtime each week, and you'll be looking at something along the lines of $55,000.

Crapozo · 03-03-2006, 11:59 PM

Do boiler makers get more than light fabricators?
Because i am really interested in the area of light fabrication but i have the idea that its only like 20 - 35 k a year?

PS: To give u some background info,
I aint in it just for the money
I am currently wanting to change my career to light fabrication (because i am very interested in it) so i am trying to get some work exp with it at the moment to familiarize myself with it. But i have been searching on the net and it seems that these people only get 20 -35 k a year? Because if that is the case i can't be living the rest of my life like that.

Wokkas · 04-03-2006, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crapozo

Do boiler makers get more than light fabricators?
Because i am really interested in the area of light fabrication but i have the idea that its only like 20 - 35 k a year?

PS: To give u some background info,
I aint in it just for the money
I am currently wanting to change my career to light fabrication (because i am very interested in it) so i am trying to get some work exp with it at the moment to familiarize myself with it. But i have been searching on the net and it seems that these people only get 20 -35 k a year? Because if that is the case i can't be living the rest of my life like that.

Ahh, ok, your interested in being a sheet metal worker. Don't think that's even a trade. Yeah, cash for that type of work is pretty ordinary.

Crapozo · 04-03-2006, 12:14 AM

well preferably sheet metal but mainly light fab

Crapozo · 05-03-2006, 11:01 AM

Ok one more question, hopefully last one on this subject from me

I have done some searching and it seems that boilermakers/heavy fabricators only make stuff like boilers and ship hulls, is this current? It seems kind of boring?

Wokkas · 05-03-2006, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crapozo

Ok one more question, hopefully last one on this subject from me

I have done some searching and it seems that boilermakers/heavy fabricators only make stuff like boilers and ship hulls, is this current? It seems kind of boring?

Maybe in the 1840's. Not that many steam trains around these days to make boliers for, mate.

Our fab-shop's barely big enough to get a truck in, let-alone a ship hull. So the answer is NO. Any welding, bending, pressing, rolling, fabrication, whether it be a cricket pitch roller, a stainless gutting stand for an abbottoir, a trailer or a hand rail for a spiral stair case is the job of a boiler-maker.

"engineer- fabricator" is the new trade name that used to be called boilermaker.

Crapozo · 05-03-2006, 08:01 PM

oh alright then
I actually thought staircase and trailers where kind of light fabrication
I think i will get some experience in a range of areas and then persue my career as a boiler maker,

Thankyou all for your time and replies

coyote · 05-03-2006, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crapozo

Ok one more question, hopefully last one on this subject from me

I have done some searching and it seems that boilermakers/heavy fabricators only make stuff like boilers and ship hulls, is this current? It seems kind of boring?

Boilermaking was certainly a great start to my career, I worked at SEQEB (Apprentice Boilermaker )now Energex , we manufactured anything from overhead line hardware, transformers, their supports, Heavy equipment repairs, to street light fittings, Actually got to work on boilers and pressure vessels after I got out of my time, and specialised in high quality work, got to work around the mines and later worked as a sales rep for Lincoln (worlds largest manufacturer of welding products), got to see most of Australia, met a lot of very interesting people, involved in Robotics, CNC cutters, plasma, laser and water jet equipment. Far from being yesterdays trade it has evolved into an interesting feild which will allow you to branch off into many other specialities.