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Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
Related: Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, & Systems Assemblers  Boilermakers  Engine & Other Machine Assemblers  Structural Metal Fabricators & Fitters  Welding, Soldering, & Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, & Tenders 
Industries: Manufacturing  Construction 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
    • Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
    • Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
    • Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
    • Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
    • Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.
    • Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
    • Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
    • Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
    • Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
    • Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.
    • Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
    • Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.
    • Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
    • Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
    • Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
    • Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
    • Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
    • Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
    • Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.
    • Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
    • Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
    • Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
    • Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
    • Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
    • Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
    • Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
    • Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
    • Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
    • Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
    • Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
    • Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.
    • Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.
    • Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
    • Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
    • Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
    • Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
    • Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
    • Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
    • Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.
    • Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.

    Skills

    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    Abilities

    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    Knowledge

    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    1 to 12 months on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    61730/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    29.68/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    8,730
    Yearly Projected Openings
    910

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Initiative
    • Self Control
    • Integrity

    Tools

    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Alternating current AC arc welder
    • Anvils
    • Bench vises
    • Blow torch
    • Calipers
    • Cutting die
    • Deburring tool
    • Desktop computers
    • Direct current DC arc welder
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Electrode holder
    • Flame cutting machine
    • Flow sensors
    • Forklifts
    • Frequency converters
    • Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
    • Goggles
    • Hacksaw
    • Hammers
    • Hand clamps
    • Hoists
    • Hydraulic press brake
    • Hydraulic press frames
    • Impact wrenches
    • Induction heaters
    • Jacks
    • Ladders
    • Laser printers
    • Laser welding machine
    • Levels
    • Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
    • Manlift or personnel lift
    • Manual press brake
    • Metal band sawing machine
    • Metal inert gas welding machine
    • Metal slitting saw
    • Metal stamps
    • Microcontrollers
    • Micrometers
    • Mill saw file
    • Milling machines
    • Nibblers
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Pipe or tube cutter
    • Plasma arc welding machine
    • Pneumatic drill
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Pneumatic sanding machines
    • Positioning jig
    • Potentiometers
    • Power buffers
    • Power chippers
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power saws
    • Pressure or steam cleaners
    • Protective gloves
    • Protractors
    • Pry bars
    • Pullers
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Pyrometers
    • Ratchets
    • Respiration air supplying self contained breathing apparatus or accessories
    • Respirators
    • Rulers
    • Safety glasses
    • Scaffolding
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Shears
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Socket sets
    • Soldering iron
    • Speed sensors
    • Spot welding machine
    • Squares
    • Straight edges
    • Tape measures
    • Taps
    • Temperature gauge
    • Templates
    • Thickness measuring devices
    • Threading machine
    • Threading taps
    • Tinners snips
    • Tongs
    • Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe
    • Track cranes
    • Tube bending machine
    • Tungsten inert gas welding machine
    • Two way radios
    • Ultrasonic welding machine
    • Utility knives
    • Voltage or current meters
    • Welder torch
    • Welding electrode
    • Welding generator
    • Welding masks
    • Welding or cutting tip
    • Welding robots
    • Welding wire
    • Wetsuits
    • Winches
    • Wire brushes
    • Wire cutters
    • Workshop cranes

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Spreadsheet software

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