Welder to Welder — Comparing & Sharing on Social Media

If you’re not a welder, you might be surprised to learn how active welders are when it comes to sharing their work online. If you are a welder, you already know the respect that welders give and get from one another for a weld, a project and a career well done.

Sharing and comparing in the world of welding

There are few skilled trades or professions where the product of the craft is so often shared and compared. But the beautiful weld is something welders on social media and forums love to debate, discuss and praise.

Whether it’s the search for the perfect weld, the thrill of a project well done or the quest for rebooting a career, welders rely on each other in online forums and social media sites like Reddit.

We sampled two welder-to-welder conversations in our listening series, and share them below — for welders and non-welders alike.

Tools make the weld

As with any skilled trade, the pride in great work is reliant upon the tools. Welders, as much as any trade, know the difference great tools make in the resulting weld.

We found an interesting thread on — of all places — a woodworking forum, where one forum regular recounts his branching out from wood to metal in this post, aptly titled “Not wood, but I still made it.”

One of the first and most important lessons our newbie welder learns is how the right helmet can make the difference between failure and success. In response to one commenter who praised his choice in a “self-darkening helmet”, the new welder thanked the commenter and explained, “I started off with a static lens in my helmet … but I couldn't see where to start my weld and getting a spark from a rod was hit and miss and most times, I just stuck the rod to the metal because I couldn't see. I got an auto darkening lens and have been away to the races ever since. I can actually see now when I am trying to strike an arc instead of guessing where the metal is. Love my auto darkening lens.”

If you are new to welding and find that some of the tools have made it challenging, consider switching it up to find what works for you.

Hitting the wall in welding

Our last thread was kicked off by a welder in Ontario who posted to a welding subreddit that she was self-taught and finding it harder and harder to compete with welders that have formal educations or are willing to work for less money.

Once again, we witnessed the community of online welders offering a range of supportive and helpful advice, like these commenters, urging the self-taught welder towards more formal education and certifications.

“If you’re looking to improve your earning potential go through everything they offer some even offer getting your licenses. If you’re just trying to hurry up and make more cash then go for TIG.”

“Go to school and get certified, getting your red seal should be priority number one.”

But another commenter suggested this: “Would strongly suggest taking it upon yourself and turning your welds into harder welds. ...for example, turn your flat welds sideways and weld them vertical. Or leave them in a fixed position so you have to challenge yourself more to fill in the weld.”

If you are looking for work in welding, or are in need of career advice from one of our expert recruiters, get in touch by checking out our current job openings and make sure to keep your resume up to date.