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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Exciting place you have worked (pics)
- - By KFab (**) Date 02-12-2010 18:42
Hi  my names john knox i work for raytheon polar services, sense rig welding has taken a hit iv gone back to the ice as a single hand. Ran a 4inch fuel line and built some structural supports for the front of the national science foundation south pole station. was wonder where do you all travel too overseas??.. here are some pics.



iam on the far right and my helper shaun is in the middle.
Parent - By chris2698 (****) Date 02-13-2010 02:41
raytheon polar services I've heard of them and have wondered what it would be like to work down there
Parent - By Blaster (***) Date 02-13-2010 05:35
Great picture!  Is that leather mittens?
Parent - By mooseye (**) Date 02-15-2010 22:03 Edited 02-16-2010 00:17
Not as exotic but I found it interesting. This is one of the USDA fire fighting planes sometimes based in Chattanooga,TN.

Figures, I can't find the shot. Oh well I was there. lol

Okay, found it. viola.

Forgot to mention, I was there to repair a seal on the pump that loads the red stuff onto the plane, then later to repair a pipe that wasn't supposed to freeze.
- - By Stephen32 (*) Date 02-12-2010 22:27
Thats funny John. I think you are on the left in the pic!
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 02-13-2010 05:26
Interesting photos of some very interesting work.

Best regards - Al
Parent - By KFab (**) Date 02-13-2010 22:04
if your intrested in working at pole i would go and apply at rayjobs.com  they only hire less then a dozen for the season for all of the stations. (sch 80' 6inch bell hole 6g) I was at south pole and we flew in to macmurdo station last night.. i hit the bar yes... there are 3 of them... great music and friends.. this is the only place a welder, electrician,carpenter and partical physicist  share a beer at the table.  it takes a few months for the hiring and screening... so you should come down if you can.. also you get a free trip to new zealand and if you go to palmer station u ride a boat out of chili.  I turned that job down for the winter so i can chase with some friends in Pen state.   yea thats you JOHN FLYNN..
Parent - - By KFab (**) Date 02-13-2010 22:06
ahah yea ops iam on the left
Parent - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 02-13-2010 23:32
KFAB You had better call John Flynn before you decide to go to Penn State. I think he has a different outlook now.
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 02-15-2010 14:33 Edited 02-15-2010 14:35
I just turned down a job offer from them about 2-3 weeks ago. Don't know what the welders make down there but a mechanics pay was less than what I was making up here welding. Actually could make the money they offered turning wrenches here and be warm. Sounded like a heck of an experience but have to worry about one of my clunkers at home breaking down and I'm nowhere near to fix them. When I talked to the guy from Mcmurdo station he told me the weekly salary and I told him I'd have to pass on that. He said that was the third time he's heard that today. Told him I can make better than that here and be in my bed every night, he agreed and said he understood and the previous guys said the same thing.

My wife was checking out a Japanese site and said they had a bowling alley at least, figured a guy down there for a year would have a heck of a game by the time he got back to the world!!

Cool pics though, the only one I saw was the live cam and it was blowing snow, could barely make out a telephone pole!
Parent - By KFab (**) Date 02-15-2010 18:05









south pole is small only around 100-250 people.. mac town has about 500-1100 peak in the summer. u can winter or summer.. if you lile aroras then winter but its harsh. there are 3 bars. live bands. rock climbing, hicking, skiing,( last year i taught a metal art class and i did some blacksmithing and casting...)ect and lots of things to do... buffet every day i get eggs or omlet to order.  it has its down sides... aka u wont be pipelinen every day and only 2 welding rigs down south. sad to say i favor the 70s miller air pac down here they just lay a better bead in -30.  the 400 lincons are bad ass ... start on the first try, there just not broken in yet.  they pay 10 percent more at pole... my salary is about 1300 a week.  yea u can make that at home and if u come from rigging out it really blows.  but u do get a 20 percent bounus at the end of the season... so its not bad and u save alot of money and new zealand is pretty nice.. come down for the experiance but stay if ur single or meet somone. .. hard if you got kids and a wife i have 2.        as for the pics.. 1st one is fot fuel line under the new station at pole.... 2nd is making dumplings for chinese new years me and my helper and a physics dr... and admin people  3rd is hiking ob hill 4th is at the old military storage facility taking a shot out onto the ice.
Parent - - By Tommyjoking (****) Date 02-15-2010 18:15 Edited 02-15-2010 18:20
I wish I had pics of a few places I have worked but....most of em would get you fired if you got caught.   Before Raytheon sold our division...they tried to get me to "come on over"  to the Missile systems defense side.....wish I would have taken it because they treated me and everyone else very good, the money was fine for what they asked.   If they would have offered me the job you guys are doing the decision would have been a lot easier LOL!!  That looks plenty cold, and it looks like WORK.  As far as my experience with them (direct employee), they are a great company to work for, they keep a good atmosphere and have no problem diggin in a solving issues to get the work done.  Hope yall are getting the same outta them there!! 

Best regards
Tommy

BTW  beautiful pictures!!!   How long are you stuck down there between supply runs??   I reckon in the winter it is at least a 6 month stretch?
Parent - - By KFab (**) Date 02-15-2010 23:25
your right... winter there 6 months apart.  at pole i think there a little bit more...  here at mcm they have flights going out almost every day... c 17 land on the ice from new zealand  and lhc130 fly every day to pole. in the summer.   hay has anyone here worked in kuwait... i may have job offer.. just intrested how it is over there.
Parent - - By Metarinka (****) Date 02-16-2010 01:49
an old friend and teacher did the south pole gig, worked their 18 years! 8 month contracts at a time. had many good pictures.  I'm having a name blank right now. He met his wife down there even and moved back to PA to raise his family. Does metal art right now, best I've seen with a torch.

alas I have some interesting pictures but nothing I can ever show to the public, unless I want to be looking for a new job.
Parent - - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 02-16-2010 08:42
Do you mean pictures like these??? :) :) :)

Respectfully,
Henry
Parent - - By chris2698 (****) Date 02-16-2010 10:55
Thanks for the sub pictures Henry. What is the boatyard that these subs are normally built at?
Parent - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 02-16-2010 17:50
Hi Chris!

That's the General Dynamics Electric Boat Shipyard in Good Ole "ROTTEN GROTON, Connecticut." ;) I also got a bunch of pics when I was overseas also, but I think John and Ross will not be too happy about all of the pics since they do take up some space on the server with respect to thread allocation within the server, etc., if I post them in just this thread... I'll just post a few later, and hopefully I won't put too many bytes in this thread as a result... ;)

Respectfully,
Henry
Parent - By mtlmster (**) Date 02-17-2010 18:12
Awsome!
Parent - By texwelder (***) Date 02-19-2010 23:43
dude awesome pics
Parent - - By pypLynr (***) Date 02-16-2010 02:50
...Was your recruiters name Burgess ? LOL  I have an offer for Kuwait , also . LOL
Parent - - By KFab (**) Date 02-16-2010 05:50
hay thats the guy.. u got any other info.. i havnt spoken to him just emails... were 5 hours and a day ahead ,., havent had the time yet.
Parent - By pypLynr (***) Date 02-16-2010 14:52
Yea , he called me and we visited about exp. and passport stuff. He told me he would check on my security clearance status. I havent heard from him since friday , tho .
Parent - - By KFab (**) Date 02-18-2010 16:38
hay stephen32 have we worked together ?
Parent - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 02-19-2010 20:42
You know who Stephen32 is. He is the one with the El Camino rig and the Hobart Welder.   AKA   Golden Arm
- By mooseye (**) Date 02-18-2010 20:01
Yes, way cool pics. I really like the one with the hotdog stands on it. lol
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Exciting place you have worked (pics)

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