DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Occupational Description:
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.| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Central Minnesota | 1,570 | 176 | $18.16/hr | $0.40/hr | $13.06/hr | $15.36/hr | $17.82/hr | $21.14/hr | $23.39/hr |
| Minnesota | 7,900 | 379 | $18.80/hr | $0.19/hr | $12.88/hr | $15.53/hr | $18.49/hr | $21.82/hr | $25.23/hr |
| U S | 329,710 | 2,967 | $18.70/hr | $0.06/hr | $12.04/hr | $14.48/hr | $17.68/hr | $21.91/hr | $27.35/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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Tasks for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
- Welds or tack welds metal parts together, using spot welding gun or hand, electric, or gas welding equipment.
- Ignites torch and regulates flow of gas and air to obtain desired temperature, size, and color of flame.
- Preheats workpieces preparatory to welding or bending, using torch.
- Fills cavities or corrects malformation in lead parts and hammers out bulges and bends in metal workpieces.
- Positions and secures workpiece, using hoist, crane, wire and banding machine, or hand tools.
- Climbs ladders or works on scaffolds to disassemble structures.
- Signals crane operator to move large workpieces.
- Examines workpiece for defects and measures workpiece with straightedge or template to ensure conformance with specifications.
- Dismantles metal assemblies or cuts scrap metal, using thermal-cutting equipment such as flame-cutting torch or plasma-arc equipment.
- Selects, positions, and secures torch, cutting tips, or welding rod, according to type, thickness, area, and desired temperature of metal.
- Connects hoses from torch to tanks of oxygen and fuel gas, and turns valves to release mixture.
- Guides and directs flame or electrodes on or across workpiece to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
- Fuses parts together, seals tension points, and adds metal to build up parts.
- Welds metal parts or components together, using brazing, gas, or arc welding equipment.
- Guides electrodes or torch along weld line at specified speed and angle to weld, melt, cut, or trim metal.
- Reviews layouts, blueprints, diagrams, or work orders in preparation for welding or cutting metal components.
- Selects and installs torch, torch tip, filler rod, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or type and thickness of metal.
- Ignites torch or starts power supply and strikes arc.
- Preheats workpiece, using hand torch or heating furnace.
- Positions workpieces and clamps together or assembles in jigs or fixtures.
- Inspects finished workpiece for conformance to specifications.
- Chips or grinds off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scraper or power chipper, portable grinder, or arc-cutting equipment.
- Cleans or degreases parts, using wire brush, portable grinder, or chemical bath.
- Welds in flat, horizontal, vertical, or overhead position.
- Repairs broken or cracked parts, fills holes and increases size of metal parts, using welding equipment.
- Connects and turns regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure to obtain desired flame.
- Selects and inserts electrode or gas nozzle into holder and connects hoses and cables to obtain gas or specified amperage, voltage, or polarity.
- Lays out, positions, and secures parts and assemblies according to specifications, using straightedge, combination square, calipers, and ruler.
- Tack-welds or welds components and assemblies, using electric, gas, arc, or other welding equipment.
- Cuts workpiece, using powered saws, hand shears, or chipping knife.
- Heats, forms, and dresses metal parts, using hand tools, torch, or arc welding equipment.
- Observes tests on welded surfaces, such as hydrostatic, x-ray, and dimension tolerance to evaluate weld quality and conformance to specifications.
- Inspects grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometer, caliper, and precision measuring instruments.
- Installs or repairs equipment, such as lead pipes, valves, floors, and tank linings.
- Removes rough spots from workpiece, using portable grinder, hand file, or scraper.
- Melts lead bar, wire, or scrap to add lead to joint or to extrude melted scrap into reusable form.
- Welds components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
- Ignites torch and adjusts valves, amperage, or voltage to obtain desired flame or arc.
- Analyzes engineering drawings and specifications to plan layout, assembly, and welding operations.
- Determines required equipment and welding method, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
- Develops templates and other work aids to hold and align parts.
- Melts and applies solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering iron, gas torch, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
- Heats soldering iron or workpiece to specified temperature for soldering, using gas flame or electric current.
- Aligns and clamps workpieces together, using rule, square, or hand tools, or positions items in fixtures, jigs, or vise.
- Grinds, cuts, buffs, or bends edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinder and hand tools.
- Removes workpieces from molten solder and holds parts together until color indicates that solder has set.
- Cleans workpieces, using chemical solution, file, wire brush, or grinder.
- Cleans tip of soldering iron, using chemical solution or cleaning compound.
- Melts and separates soldered joints to repair misaligned or damaged assemblies, using soldering equipment.
- Applies flux to workpiece surfaces in preparation for soldering.
- Dips workpieces into molten solder or places solder strip between seams and heats seam with iron to band items together.
- Melts and applies solder to fill holes, indentations, and seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
- Guides torch and rod along joint of workpieces to heat to brazing temperature, melt braze alloy, and bond workpieces together.
- Turns valves to start flow of gases, lights flame, and adjusts valves to obtain desired color and size of flame.
- Melts and separates brazed joints to remove and straighten damaged or misaligned components, using hand torch or furnace.
- Examines seam and rebrazes defective joints or broken parts.
- Aligns and secures workpieces in fixtures, jigs, or vise, using rule, square, or template.
- Cuts carbon electrodes to specified size and shape, using cutoff saw.
- Removes workpiece from fixture, using tongs, and cools workpiece, using air or water.
- Cleans joints of workpieces, using wire brush or by dipping them into cleaning solution.
- Brushes flux onto joint of workpiece or dips braze rod into flux to prevent oxidation of metal.
- Connects hoses from torch to regulator valves and cylinders of oxygen and specified fuel gas, acetylene or natural.
- Adjusts electric current and timing cycle of resistance welding machine to heat metal to bonding temperature.
- Selects torch tip, flux, and brazing alloy from data charts or work order.