Fair price for welding work?

[TRUST]

I called a friend's brother who I know, but not real well. I told him what I wanted to weld up and he said he would do it for whatever I felt like was fair, since I was a friend of the family.

I've never had welding work done, so I don't have a clue what would be fair. Here is what I asked him to do:

Come to my house, he is only 10 minutes away
I supply the material to be welded
I supply the grinder and wheels
I will have everything ready

He will need to make a total of aprox. 80" of beads.
He will supply the welder and all wire/rods.


What do you think?

 

[IRNCTY]

Just to be safe, and fair, offer him whatever you make per hour. Even if it's less than a welder makes, it should suit him in this situation.

 

[greenmule]

Pay him by the hour he's working,lot more to a welding job than just the inches to be welded,most times,on something like this,the welding is the quickest part of job,getting it to fit,cleaning,etc,generally is the hardest part.
It depends on how good he is to how much, semipro,well 50 an hour might be about right,beginner should do it for the beer[and the experience].

 

[EddieWalker]

Where I live, there are allot of welders becauce of all the oilfield work. Oddly, it's very hard to find a reliable one. I hate to classify all of them as drunks, but it seems to be fairly common with the ones I've dealt with.

There is one place in town that has a very good reputation and does what you ask them to. No hunting them down and trying to figure out when they will get around to doing your project.

They charge $50 an hour.

Eddie

 

[Willl]

$50@hr/$100 minimum

 

[greenmule]

The fact that somebody is having trouble finding a good welder to fix or repair little piddly things for individual people,is not a wonder to me anyways.
Country has been screaming for good welders for years now,[talking pipewelders,pipelines in oil field situation],pay is well over 50 an hour for welder and rig.
Your just left with the old part timers and those that could have undesirable working habits lets say.

Most pro's won't stoop real low[welding lawn mowers and clothes line posts]even if you paid them 100 bucks an hour,unless they knew you.

 

[DanD78]

I charge $50/hour for portable work and for work brought to me varies depending on the job. Welding is not my main stay income nor do I want it to be. What I charge probably is on the cheep side if you consider the investment for welders, support tools like grinders, consumables and gasses. I make a lot of stuff for me and it is more of a hobby job. It does help off set this compact tractor thing I have.

Also. My time starts when I leave the house. It may take time before the job to get the parts/tools for different jobs. Most welding jobs are not ones where you just show up and start welding.

Thanks
Dan

 

[Greenfield Dave]

I charge $50/hour for portable work and for work brought to me varies depending on the job. Welding is not my main stay income nor do I want it to be. What I charge probably is on the cheep side if you consider the investment for welders, support tools like grinders, consumables and gasses. I make a lot of stuff for me and it is more of a hobby job. It does help off set this compact tractor thing I have.

Also. My time starts when I leave the house. It may take time before the job to get the parts/tools for different jobs. Most welding jobs are not ones where you just show up and start welding.

Thanks
Dan

If he's reliable and close, you might start off the relationship with $100.. He may be a good friend when you get in trouble.. I always try to have my welder indebted to me, rather than the other way...

 

[Willl]

He doesn't weld for Kubota does he ?

 

[NawlensGator]

I pay $50/hr (50 min) for a certified welder at the local Industrial Supply Co. He does excellent work and saves me time. I can weld but don't have the equipment or near as much experience. I would get the guy to weld a test bead before I let him do 80" to be sure he knows what he's doing.

 

[greenmule]

Test bead is a good idea,BUT,after reading that acceptable quality thread,many don't know what a quality bead looks like[or even a welded joint],so....

 

[john_bud]

One thing you didn't mention is that he will have to unhook and load his welder to bring it to you. Then truck it back etc. That's a PITA if you have a large welder. I need to rig a nylon strap sling and use the tractor to get it into the truck.

If you are going to have lots of little things, it would probably be better to bring them to him and leave a 20 or a six pack or a 20 AND a six pack. Unless he welds for a living, then you should pay him what he normally gets.

jb

 

[LBrown59]

The fact that somebody is having trouble finding a good welder to fix or repair little piddly things for individual people,is not a wonder to me anyways.
Country has been screaming for good welders for years now,[talking pipewelders,pipelines in oil field situation],pay is well over 50 an hour for welder and rig.
Your just left with the old part timers and those that could have undesirable working habits lets say.

Most pro's won't stoop real low[welding lawn mowers and clothes line posts]even if you paid them 100 bucks an hour,unless they knew you.

My next dooe neighbor is a retired pipe line welder from our local gas company.

 

[TRUST]

This person does not weld for a living. He does it for side income/hobby. I don't know how good he is, but his brother says he will do a good job. I'm assuming that his rig is a small mig outfit which is not a big deal to transport. I have him coming to me because I don't have a truck to haul by bucket in and I want a couple of small brackets welded to the frame of the tractor. I definitely cannot haul the tractor at this point. Like I stated in the first post I will have everything ready, ground down and fit up ready to weld. I will also do whatever grinding is necessary after the welding is done and will do the necessary painting as well.

Thanks for the imput.

On another note is a mig weld suitable for the strength I'm looking for in reinforcement for a grapple mounting application. I will be having him weld 1/4" angle that is 3"x3" across the top of the bucket.

 

[dex3361]

It depends on the Mig machine and the person operating it. I prefer a stick weld to a mig on thick metal (3/16 and thicker) and a mig would be great on the thin stuff. Most of the hobby mig welders dont seem to penatrate into the metal. Make his working for you a good deal and he will come back the next time.

 

[TRUST]

I prefer a stick weld to a mig on thick metal (3/16 and thicker) and a mig would be great on the thin stuff.

Hmmm, that's kinda what I was thinking. I should probably ask him some detailed questions before I proceed. I definitely don't want to have to RE-do any of this work.

 

[MarkV]

Do you have a proper 220v outlet available for a welder or does he have a generator welder combo? If he is using a 110v mig that heavy of steel will be a challenge.

MarkV

 

[RickB]

Hmmm, that's kinda what I was thinking. I should probably ask him some detailed questions before I proceed. I definitely don't want to have to RE-do any of this work.

It doesn't take a very exotic 220 volt MIG to light up 1/2" plate like a Christmas ornament. Asking for a "test weld" is meaningless if the 'inspector' doesn't know what he is looking at.

 

[Camo]

If he's reliable and close, you might start off the relationship with $100.. He may be a good friend when you get in trouble.. I always try to have my welder indebted to me, rather than the other way...

Excellent advice!!!

 

[BXpanded]

Unless the guy has a mobile unit, moving even a small MIG unit is a hassle. Unhook the gas, load and secure the cylinder, welder, etc. then the reverse when he gets home. Make it worth his while. Keep in mind his coming to you is saving you lots of hassle as you described before. He also has considerable $$ invested in equipment.

I wouldn't insult the guy by asking for a test weld if he regularly does welding work on the side. You can always stop him if the welds don't look the way they should. Of course, that'll insult him, but at that point you'll know you probably won't ask him to do anything else so it won't matter as much.

You might consider "stitch" welding instead of a solid bead. It'll give you plenty of strength with less distortion. If you lay a bead completely across the top of the bucket, you could easily end up with a bow. Stitching will also make it easier to remove if you ever decide you need to change something to accomodate another attachment.