DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
49-9045 Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
Occupational Description:
Build or repair equipment such as furnaces, kilns, cupolas, boilers, converters, ladles, soaking pits and ovens, using refractory materials.| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| U S | 1,970 | 195 | $20.41/hr | $0.39/hr | $13.14/hr | $16.28/hr | $20.16/hr | $23.01/hr | $28.49/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change 2010 - 2020 | |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 7,900 | $18.49/hr | 18.0% |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 6,190 | $16.28/hr | 6.9% |
| Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 2,870 | $16.49/hr | 5.6% |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 280 | $14.59/hr | 52.0% |
| Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters | 230 | $17.59/hr | 71.5% |
| Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic | 90 | $24.26/hr | -1.5% |
Tasks for Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
- Relines or repairs ladle and pouring spout with refractory clay, using trowel.
- Dumps and tamps clay in mold, using tamping tool.
- Mixes specified amounts of sand, clay, mortar powder, and water to form refractory clay or mortar, using shovel or mixing machine.
- Installs preformed metal scaffolding in interior of cupola, using hand tools.
- Chips slag from lining of ladle, or entire lining when beyond repair, using hammer and chisel.
- Transfers clay structures to curing ovens, melting tanks, and drawing kilns, using electric forklift truck.
- Climbs scaffolding with hose, and sprays surfaces of cupola with refractory mixture, using spray equipment.
- Installs clay structures in melting tanks and drawing kilns to control flow and temperature of molten glass, using hoists and hand tools.
- Measures furnace wall, and cuts required number of sheets from plastic block, using saw.
- Bolts sections of wooden mold together, using wrench, and lines mold with paper to prevent adherence of clay to mold.
- Removes worn or damaged plastic block refractory lining of furnace, using hand tools.
- Disassembles mold, and cuts, chips, and smoothes clay structures, such as floaters, drawbars, and L-blocks, using square rule and hand tools.
- Dries and bakes new lining by placing inverted lining over burner, building fire in ladle, or by using blowtorch.
- Fastens stopper head to rod with metal pin, to assemble refractory stopper used to plug pouring nozzles of steel ladles.
- Spreads mortar on stopper head and rod, using trowel, and slides brick sleeves over rod to form refractory jacket.
- Tightens locknuts holding assembly together, spreads mortar on jacket to seal sleeve joints, and dries mortar in oven.
- Drills holes in furnace wall, bolts overlapping layers of plastic to walls, and hammers surface to compress layers into solid sheets.