Welding on the side for extra money

[Hardrock40]

I have listed on craigslist, put a sign in my yard and I have stopped by trailer shops and other businesses soliciting my welding services. I have left my cards at these places in card holders but I just can't seem to get more traffic.

Any Ideas?

If it was mentioned I missed it, The best thing you can do for free is list a google add. You can't add a whole lot there but you can do some for free.

Most of my calls come from google. Yes , you'll be right in there with rest of the welders, list all your keywords so search engines will pick you out.

[surf rider]

need more projects

I have listed on craigslist, put a sign in my yard and I have stopped by trailer shops and other businesses soliciting my welding services. I have left my cards at these places in card holders but I just can't seem to get more traffic.

Any Ideas?

[wldrman]

I think it's cool you want to start your own business doing aluminum.

Word of warning. Doing alum repair is a far cry from doing new welding with nice shiny new aluminum. People will bring you the dirtiest, greasiest garbage you can imagine. Old transmissions. boat skegs etc. If you have never worked with this stuff you will be in for a big surprise. It takes a long time to learn how to repair these things properly. Which rod to use for cast versus billett. Which technique. What gas if tigging. Dirt is your enemy, especially with aluminum.

I am not trying to discourage you, go for it as I did. Just make sure you can do what you say!

Good Luck

[Jolly Roger]

You can make money in handrails and other ornamental and decorative ironwork, but get ready to have the squirrels fall out of the trees. I do them but don't count on them for anything nor do I really consider them profitable. I have yet to sell anyone on aluminum or stainless once they find out both cost considerably more than steel. I let my partner handle the rails. If they can handle the cost I do the artsy stuff, but it is never cheap. Surprisingly in the last year I have had maybe 10 calls for aluminum (none handrails) and zero for stainless and I live in New Orleans, lol.

I don't build trailers. I just modify them, and repair them. There is no way that I can compete with the manufacturers. I would sell decorative steel security doors, but even my supplier can't compete with the cheap crap from China that Lowes and Home Depot sell, and that is mostly all anyone around here wants. I don't mess with the iron fencing anymore. I just fix the messes these guys who don't use levels and squares make. Incidentally, they mostly don't speak english either.

Learn all of the processes on all materials, and get good at them. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is always a bad idea. I know how to Tig aluminum as well as stainless, steel, cast iron, copper, titanium, monel, inconel, get the picture, and mostly never even get approached for them. Learn to use a Mig, yes it works well on aluminum and is much faster than Tig. Speed makes the customer happy. The faster you can do it the cheaper you can do it.

Learn to use sticks. Simply because there are many many things that Tig is not well suited for, and the same goes for Mig. If you plan on making welding a career the more versatile you are the better off you are.

Give the customer excellent work and they will always use you, and most will wait until you can get to them. I have 6 weeks of work lined up right now from one customer, simply because of the quality of work I give and knowing more about what I do than anyone around.

[Taw Paw]

Extra Money

I started welding in 2000 for extra money. I started welding for the landscape, lawn care and irrigation industry. They destroy a lot of trailers and equiptment. Then i joined the Louisiana Craft Guild and started buliding sofa tables, crosses and an assortment of other crafts. I started attending Craft shows (not flea markets no money their). That lead to custom trellises, arbors, gate and small fences. At this point it is a 15000.00 a year side JOB!!! At times it is to much, but the money is good.

[tnjind]

I am not even "one of the good ones" and I am not offended. I know what you are saying.

[safetydave]

more info-extra money welding

If you have a Walmart or Mejier around were you live just ask them who they have to fix the aluminum carts they use in the store and you will be suprised they have to ship them out to be fix so if they can have them done local and no chareg for return shippment it might give you the chance to show your work and a quick turn around also,just a thought for you to think about.

I do agree with the other guys if you can promote yoour welding skills in the aluminum area go for it as much as you can becuase you'll find not many welder's can weld alum and be very good at it esp tig welding they just don't have the time or patience to do the job. I'M NOT TRYING TO SOUND LIKE ALL WELDOR'S ARE BAD AND DON'T KHOW HOW TO DO THE JOB BUT THERE ARE SOME REALLY BAD WELDOR'S WHO SAY THEY CAN WELD AND CAN'T, NO OFFENCE TO THE GOO ONE'S.

[safetydave]

insurance

Hey gearhead, just thought I would send you my thoughts on the issue here.

I have done alot of work for people on the side and professionally within the feild and have yet (knock on wood) nobody has asked if I had insurance, and the only thing I do have insurance is on my equipment and vehicle's.

I might add if you do it's really not that much, if you find a good agency.

I have been doing this for 15-20yr's now so thats my opion take it for what you feel like.

[gearhead]

I have been doing small jobs, here and there, but I have been told to buy some type of insurance to cover a fire or any general mishap. What is general thoughts on this.....gear

[welder_one]

My bad .........

? did i miss something?

[Dustyhaze75]

My bad .........

[GMAN]

i would suggest looking to a landscaper or residential construction firm. talk to them and get your name known. might even have to take a hit or 2 (freebie stuff) to let them see your work. i make more on the side than i do at my full time job building handrails, gates, fences, and the likes. my wife wont let me step out on my own full time, the pay is to sporadic for her likes... and you all know how the saying goes "when momma aint happy, aint nobody happy. when daddy aint happy, nobody cares"

TELL ME ABOU IT!!!!! When my wife aint happy nobody in the whole state is, she will make sure of it....

[Dustyhaze75]

railings

If your going to get into railings check out some of the decorative iron catalogues. I recomend making a product out of aluminum or stainless steel instead of doing metal railings(unless they're fancy fancy). everybody and their dog is welding steel. With aluminum and stainless you can do custom one-off pieces and charge more. If you're planing on going into business making custom rails, than thats a different story. hope this has helped.

Dustyhaze75

[FusionKing]

I understand you must be pretty good already at tig aluminum.
I have done nothing but tig aluminum for 11 seasons straight. I would call myself what ever name you choose and include aluminum welding in my name...ie...Joe's aluminum welding. Then if you get a biz phone when you get simply listed in the yellow pages you will get the majority of the first calls. I did it and didn't realize it would work out that way. I used to get fancy ads but with this biz I stumbled into this great knowledge...everyday it seems I get a new customer just from the phone book.

I have a Bobcat welder but I now have a Dynasty 200dx and if I was to choose only one it would be the Dynasty. Times are a changing. By sticking to tig aluminum I get a bunch of work from other welding shops/mfgs that I would otherwise compete with plus I get warranty field work from aluminum mfgs. If you spend your hard earned money on a engine drive make sure it will run a newer inverter if you wish to weld aluminum mobile. The inverter will go indoors and weld in places you would have to string leads otherwise.

Everybody knows me because I drive a junk truck hauling TOP-NOTCH welding equipment and I get all the good jobs from the guys who drive newer trucks hauling old junk wore out underpowered welders.

I also stay at the top of my game by sticking to aluminum. HTH

[safetydave]

welding on the side

Hey krazay ! jsut thought I would drop you some more info, like I said I do alot for the Amish around here by me and a lot of times it is on site work so if I was you look into a good portibale unit that is user freindly to do several procedures if you can that will help cut done an haveing extra machines you might not need. Also if you have any small manuf shops around you you could check with them on doing small repairs and charge them for time & mat, I did this for a large waste dump outfit and ended up getting a huge contract for all their dumpsters within a 100 mile radius $2000.00per week CASH just repairing the holes in them ,so just start asking around and you will get work easy if your any good and know what your talking about when they have qeustions on your abillitys (walk the walk & talk the talk) If there is anything I can help with just drop a line or pm me, just glad to help out anthor weldor in the field. Keep on welding what ever you do, it pays the bills.