So wut if im 16!!!!

[migwelder05]

so much wasted time but where would they hire me at my age?

[rdneckhntr]

so much wasted time but where would they hire me at my age?

No where. To weld in a shop you have to be 18 or they wont touch you. "Liability issues" is what I was told. I tried everywhere to get a job last summer.

I had one guy laugh at me to my face when I told him I was 16. He said he had shoes older than me. I told him I could pass the 6G test they were running and he said BS... I grabbed my things, said sorry for your time and went to the next shop.

[JTMcC]

Legaly you have to be 18 to work with most power tools.

JTMcC.

[migwelder05]

well i would love just to say im only 16 and im certified

[welder_guy]

well i would love just to say im only 16 and im certified

where did you get certified at 16. i am 14 and i have been welding for 4 years, i make money at it too.

[migwelder05]

I didn't, I would like to though?

[rdneckhntr]

where did you get certified at 16. i am 14 and i have been welding for 4 years, i make money at it too.

A Career/Technical school through my high school. We go 2 years and can get as many certs as we can for free. I go everyday for half a school day.

[migwelder05]

yep thats where im going next year, im pretty good with mig though.

[MTBob]

It's both amusing and encouraging to read the posts from very self confident guys that are 14 -17 years old. I love it, these guys are on their way to being very successful, and just can't wait to make their mark. So many of us probably had the same feelings many decades ago. What's encouraging is to see that there are actually guys like this that are eager to work and are willing to learn, not too common these days. Employers are always looking for people with a "Can Do" attitude. Don't take no for an answer, keep looking, you'll do just fine. If a company won't hire you, get creative. For instance, find a small one man shop that needs support and work on a contract basis (on a cash basis, not as an employee) for him.

[migwelder05]

thanks bob, for and while i knew that i wanted to be a welder pretty much all i know how to do.

[schwede]

me to

yea welding and farming are about all i know i learned to farm to help my dad then i learned to weld to fix my dads equipment and build knew equipment for him

[migwelder05]

yeah I cant get enough of farming. my grandparents live on like 5-6 acres witch was an old farm and it still has all the barns and hay and stuff but they don't farm it. My grandfather has a bunch of old tractors he collects so that's sorta how I got into farming. there still is lots of work to do there just like a farm, got to mow the fields and we got apple trees, and some mulberry bushes to.

[schwede]

farming

on the original post i posted a pic of an unfinished peice of equipment that i'll be using a lot this summer to fence in 70 acres of pasture my dad just bought. plus im tryin to save up some money to lease a peice of land to hay farm on.I was just at a sale today and hay prices have gone through the roof.

[MTBob]

Schwede: remember what I mentioned in an earlier post. Think about switching those barb wire spools to a horizontal position so you can control the speed that the wire comes off the spool. Unless you control the speed of the spool you'll end up with a big rat nest.
If you set the spools horizontal, you can place a board or piece of iron on the spool and keep the wire from running out too fast. One easy method is to simply weld a couple support brackets on each side of a front end loader bucket. Then simply lay a piece of pipe in the brackets so you have an axle you can slide the wire spools over. I've removed the brackets from my bucket, or I would send you some pics. Good luck on that fencing, and get youself some heavy fencing gloves, barb wire is not a lot of fun. If you have other fencing questions, drop me a Private Message.
Hope this helps.

[m.k.swelding]

keep it up

Don't give up on welding if you like doing it. There is money to be made at it. I have been in the feild on my own for over 5 years now, and every day is a something new. But whatever you do, if you like welding don't give up on it.