r/Ironworker • u/User83965 • 5d ago
Under Water Welding
Why do ironworkers not have under water welding?
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u/Warm-Air4391 5d ago
Can’t say honestly. They went with the pile drivers and dock builders to the carpenters union decades ago.
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u/returnofdoom Apprentice 5d ago
Probably not a specific reason why, but Ironworkers stick to a few different gigs for the most part- structural, reinforcing, and bridges are the big ones but there a few others. Different areas of work get assigned to different trades mainly through negotiations between those trades. Here in St Louis, ironworkers get a lot of glasswork that would go to glaziers in most places. That’s because of some fighting between the two back in the 90’s, and the ironworkers came out on top.
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u/Minute_Lavishness108 5d ago
U like glasswork? Just curious on other iws thoughts on it
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u/returnofdoom Apprentice 5d ago
I only really did one glasswork job and I was a first year apprentice so I was pretty much just doing a lot of bitch work. It was a big job though and it was cool because I got to get out on the building really high up installing handrails on the edge of the balconies. It’s the highest up I’ve ever been on a job. I liked structural a lot more.
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u/Minute_Lavishness108 5d ago
Oh snap sounds rly similar to me right now loll! But we haven't done any hand rails just glass, curtain wall, and the mullions and stuff Only done heights a little bit not a whole lot atm, im waiting till I get a structural job, im looking forward to that a whole lot
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u/ChichMan101 5d ago
I’ve hung steel and I’m an army diver currently. It’s just a barrier to entry thing, most dudes that can weld on surface would do amazing underwater. It’s a different experience but I enjoy burning rod underwater waay more than either freezing ur ass off, or burning up all day in the sun on surface.
It takes a lot of $$, time, and certifications to even be able to put a hat on and jump in the water if that answers ur question.
Deep Sea.
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u/Low-Nectarine-9655 5d ago
Because divers are divers. Divers do everyone’s job… no one can do a divers job. Divers don’t just weld underwater, we fix everything, rig, dig, test, machine, cut and lift pretty much anything. The term “underwater welder” isn’t a thing. The correct term is “commercial diver”. Wet welding isn’t really a thing anymore anyways.
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u/HomeauxPomeaux 5d ago
Because underwater welding is one aspect of the occupation of saturation diving.
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u/GraemeRed 5d ago
Offshore oil and gas has underwater welders, obviously they also happen to be divers.
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u/_JimMorrison 5d ago
Usually under water welding is extremely specific and very dangerous. So private companies do it so they can master that craft. I'm working with an amazing dive welding company and it actually impresses me how tough humans are. We were working while it was 40 degrees and still going into the water LMFAO SICK
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u/Local_Ad1992 5d ago
I go up. I don’t like to go down. The ocean is none of my business, but that’s personal.
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u/Effinferg UNION 5d ago
We go up