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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / work in texas
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- - By sandra Date 08-30-2008 06:59
[deleted]
Parent - - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-30-2008 14:16
Chasing rigs pays better  !
Parent - - By juve11 (*) Date 08-30-2008 18:46
how does it pay better you get no O.T. amd no overtime plus you have to furnish your own rods, insurance, oxy, acetalyne  and no perdiem..
I've never worked rigs but I do know that they pay straight. Let me know If im wrong if it pays better Ill chase them too
Parent - - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-30-2008 18:54
juve11  Are you a pipeliner ? If so, what did you make last year ? and what state did you work in ?
Parent - - By juve11 (*) Date 08-30-2008 22:34
yeah, but last year I mostly worked  the plants. I stayed in Texas. I grossed about $150 not including perdiem.
Parent - - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-30-2008 22:39
I grossed 197 no perdiem, stayed in texas all year
Parent - - By juve11 (*) Date 08-30-2008 23:12
thats damn good, you  strictly worked the rigs or was that pipeline too
Parent - - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-31-2008 01:04
only rigs
Parent - - By JPWHITTON (**) Date 08-31-2008 03:35
can you tig the root & hot pass on yalls 6g test out there.
Parent - - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-31-2008 13:19
6010 root 7018 fill and cap  no tig
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 08-31-2008 14:30
Hey Cactus do you send guys out of the yard to go run rigs or do they have other guys doin that? Hows the job going? I;m still trying to convince the Dr. i'm ready but he dont think so niether does my wife i'm goin to start this week putting my truck back together i ahve 2 machines to get up to par and then just wait for the word and i'm out of here i'm ready to pull my hair out doc said my leg will never be the same oh well jus gotta watch my a## is all
Parent - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-31-2008 14:37
Shad,
We are not chasing in the field. We are working for a manufacturer and most of these rigs go overseas
Parent - - By juve11 (*) Date 08-31-2008 04:28
how much would you say you spent on consumables.
Parent - - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-31-2008 13:19
about 10k
Parent - - By JPWHITTON (**) Date 08-31-2008 16:11
im riging out will be ready to go to work in november.Im building my bed and working singlehand now. Do you have any advice on tools i mite need.And will you stile be needing welders in november.
Parent - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-31-2008 23:09
I am sure I will still be needing welders. Tools are easy. You need them all. The more you have the easier your job will be.
Parent - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-02-2008 12:31
get a couple torches,at least 4 jack stands but 8 is better basic hand tools like it or not you will turn some wrenches it all pays the same a good machine and prolly a good back up there will be break downs chasing rigs beveling machines do help you dont need 3 or 4 of them at least a 2-4'' and a 6-12'' and you're covered a wrap around like cactus said anything and everything you can think of to make the job easier even if you dont use it it's on the truck when you need it a 4'' and at least a 5'' grinder a 7'' is better just big and bulky and at least 4 owygen and 2 actylene bottles the list goes on and on once you're hooked tool buying becomes a bad habit like drugs lol
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 08-31-2008 14:26
I dont know about the others but when i was chasing rigs time started when the phone rang and didnt stop til i got back home my 1st year i made 90k in 9 months my second year i made 120k and the 3rd was around 100k i only worked with 1 company and they had 5 rigs there were 8 welders working for them and i was always the last 1 called cause i lived further away but they knew i would always go the inspector was the tool pusher and most of them dont know nothing about welding it's good money and easy most days some jobs take a few hours and some take a few days just becareful theres dangerous stuff out there like flesh eating diseases that can kill ya i know i'm still healing from 1 that almost killed me
Parent - - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 08-31-2008 14:30
Shad,
You are so right ! Chasing Rigs is very different and dangerous. You might be on the Crown or in the Cellar or anywhere in between. Your phone never stops and your social and private life goes straight in the toilet. But, other than that, You can make ALOT of money !!
Parent - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 08-31-2008 14:34
It's also alot of fun if you get on a good rig with a good pusher,driller and ruff necks just gotta keep an extra set of clothes in the truck for the trip home lolah the good ol days chasin rigs and puttin heads on damn i miss buring rod
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 08-31-2008 23:18
i did the math and working 7/12's at 55 an hr no perdium the gross is 238,000 in a year wow only in texas huh cactus lol it sucks to see what i'm missing out on might jus tell the doc and the wife to kma and go to work anyway but my legs get real hot with all the wrappings feels like they are on fire  maybe in late october if i'm lucky
Parent - - By up-ten (***) Date 08-31-2008 23:34
Jeez man, I don't know much about that Flesh eating disease but is there a cure for it?
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-01-2008 05:22
the only way to cure it is to cut it out they skin you like a deer literaly i didnt know i had til 4 days after my accident and man you think you have the flu and nothing gets rid of the yukky feelin in your gut i laid in bed for 2 days drinking everything i could get my hands on and finally called my mom ( my wife was in the hospital with ryder) i was concerned about my leg it had red blotches all over it she took me to the local hospital ( last time i go there) they sent me to methodist main in S A they started the surgeries there where they told me they neede to take my left leg i told them to take it from there they sent me to brooks army medical center ( i was knocked out and dont remeber nothing) 3 weeks later i came off the drugs wow they were good some real good stuff makes you do all kinds of things when i came to i saw i still had my leg and thats when they told me i had 2 hrs left when i got there ot i'd be dead they skinned my leg from the top of my foot up to my waist around to the middle of my back and across to my right side i had skin graph surgeries every 3 days for 2 months what ever you do dont ever let them take skin off your back major pain they told me i had a heart attack and an irregular heart beat i have to take 6 pills a day they cost 130 once a month it sucks man really sucks if you go to the off topic section of this forum look for bored and go to it theres a link in there explaining what all happens and where it starts and the area where it starts is true i almost lost the family jewels and probably cant make any more babies but they say i'm lucky and still alive the part that sucked the most was i missed the last 2 months of my sons life by the time i got home he had went to sleep and never woke up this year has been a real B!*&% but i keep pushing on and trying to get back in the saddle so i can get back out there and get us back where we are use to being just the hospital stay was 300k thats not counting surgeries and dr visits or drugs you dont want to catch this stuff it is very deadly if you cut youself wash it immediately with peroxide make this a mandatory tool on your truck this stuff is mean and moves very fast
Parent - - By up-ten (***) Date 09-02-2008 13:53
WOW! Man, my mouth went dry reading this. But I see the cure is one tough son of a gun by the name of Shad. My hats off to you!.  Bob.
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-02-2008 23:26
i dont know about a cure but i dont let nobody or nothing knock me down for very long just the way i was raised they start a fight you finish it i just wish Ryder was still with us been missing him alot this week
Parent - - By up-ten (***) Date 09-03-2008 03:51
We lost a little fella 13 years ago and I still choke up when we visit the grave. I know what you mean about missing them.
Parent - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-03-2008 04:20
i've been 1 time and thats the last time i wanna go he's burried next to my dad and i've been to see my dad maybe 3 times and i was 16 when he died and i'm 40 now it's just to hard to see you dad your grandparents and your 10 month old son all burried next to each other
Parent - - By djm1987 (**) Date 09-03-2008 04:33
so where did u get the bacteria, from welding on the rigs??? Or was it a different welding job? Or do u know? An electrician i was working on the same job with got it , fortnatley they got it within the first 24 hours but he was still in the hospital for along time. Man u have been through hell. You are one tough man.
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-03-2008 05:09
dont know where i got it from maybe the rigs maybe from hangin iron for 8 years or it might have been the 10 years i spent in body shops who knows as far as bieng tuff i dont know about all that i was born and raised the cowboy way dont take no lip from nobody and never take nuthing lying down so like i use to tell ryder just grab a hand full lean back and ride it's been 1 hell of a ride this year has been pure hell you name it and it's happened to me and i'm at the bottom again but like i ws before i'll be back on top yellin down hey look at me quit is not in my vocabulary when ya get bucked off get up dust yourself off and get back on show them whos boss i've had lots of time to polish and sharpen my spurs so yall look out i comming from behind to take the lead

LIVE FOR THE MOMENT YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT MIGHT BE YOUR LAST
Parent - - By RANDER (***) Date 09-03-2008 05:46
Shad,

You have a great attitude and thatll help get you thru anything. 
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-03-2008 05:52
grab life by the horns and flip it on it's a&* i'll be honest the physical therapy is getting boring i have 6 more trips and i'm done with that i'll prolly never ride again but oh well i'll just get me a motorcycle lol
Parent - - By snuffman (***) Date 09-03-2008 06:11
Let me no and we will build ya a big trike with a spot for the dog to ride
Parent - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-03-2008 06:20
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah with a 4 bolt main 327 or 350 onb the back end that would be sweet to ride with my lil wiener dog lol
Parent - - By WELDINROPER (*) Date 09-03-2008 12:51
Hey Shad, yall might like this little sayin I seen the other day----Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadsides, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "HOLY S***, WHAT A RIDE!"
Parent - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-03-2008 12:57
theres also "hold my beer and watch this" or "your friends will bail you out of jail but your best friend will be sitting next you saying that was f*&^%$# awesome" and ye si agree why live life being careful not to hurt yourself and missing the ride when ya can just ride like hell and have fun doing it i've had my fair share of fun lots of it lol but my best friend was never sitting next to me in jail lol
Parent - - By 52lincoln (***) Date 09-04-2008 03:48
thats cool ,i love it LOL!!
Parent - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-04-2008 15:43
will ya be my best friend Vern lol
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-04-2008 15:41
i forgot to add my body is far from preety after all the surgeries i've had hell it's hard for me to look at they really tore me up and no i wont post pics dont need a bunch of people feeling sorry for me becaue of the way i look
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 09-05-2008 03:56
No point in worrying about how You look, some people were BORN ugly. At least You had 40 years before the ugly caught up to You. :-)
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-05-2008 04:00
thanks alot dave leave it to you to look at it a different way at least i can cover it up and my wife tells me i'm still hot so i guess i'm ok i was really scared she was gonna leave after i got out of the hospital just keep in mind a skinned deer and thats pretty much what i looked like when i got home but it gets better everyday
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 09-05-2008 05:28
Just be sure to treat all that new skin really easy. You are recovering pretty well by the sound of it.
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-05-2008 05:34
yeah i know doc frowns at me when itell him i'm ready to go back to work wife tells me i'll never run rigs again or weld think i'll jus get rerigged and sneak out in the middle of the nite lol i'm goin crazy this house work stuff is for the birds enough about me hows your health dave it's been a while
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 09-08-2008 06:27
      I have been on a chemo break for 3 1/2 months. I had CT & MRI the other week, no new tumors in My lungs, but the old ones are a little bigger. I havn't heard MRI results, the tumor in My liver showed up on MRI originally but doesn't show up much after chemo. I was/am hoping to go on a clinical trial of a new drug at Fox Chase in Philly, but the trial is out of FDA compliance and needs the paperwork revised before I can start. If that doesn't happen in a few weeks I will be going back on the chemo I have been using.
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-08-2008 14:55
gosh Dave didnt know you wre eat up with it ike that i'm so sorry you have to go thru this after reading your reply i lived Ryders ordeal alll over again wow let me know if i can help out i'll do what i can
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 09-09-2008 03:52
     Shad, I am actually in fair shape in spite of the cancer & chemo. The tumors in My lungs have grown a little every time I have had a chemo break. When on chemo they don't grow, but they don't shrink either. I was hoping to get in on the clinical trial a few months ago, before the tumors had a chance to grow again. As it stands, I feel good but tire easily, and when on chemo I feel OK 1/2 the time and tire really easily. There are new treatments under developement, My plan is to try and live long enough to benifit from them.
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-09-2008 20:34
cant they cut the tumors out of your lungs damn i hate to hear all of this keep on going dave dont give up hell they told me i'd never be the same i told them hide and watch cause i'm comming back i ran into 1 of the surgeons today and a head nurse they both told me i looked damn good and were surprised i was getting around so well i reminded them that i told them i wouldnt be down for long i'm to mean and hard headed lol the heat really gets to me so i can only do things early in the am and after 6pm it sucks but at least i can get sumthin done i got my compression clothes today man these things suck they itch they make me twice as hot man i wanna rip them off lol
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 09-10-2008 03:42
    Shad, there are a bunch of smaller tumors in My lungs, so they can't remove them by surgery. I had 1 removed for a biopsy, they folded a chunk of lung around it, sewed it off then cut loose & removed that section. If they did that to all of them there would be nothing left.

     When the Dr.s say "You will never be the same" they mean You have a long recovery, and probably will not regain all the muscle mass You used to have. A friend of Mine tore His achillies tendon years ago skiing, He did a load of excercises over the years, but that leg is not as strong as the other. He still skies. You will recover, be able to work & go on with Your life, even if You have to turn it down a notch.
Parent - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 09-10-2008 06:20
oh i know it'll never be as strong as the other it's twice as small now with all the cuttin they did on it along with other parts of my body but i'm still here alive and kickin they expected me to take alot longer to recover form this mess i shocked them all when i wheeled out of there and then 2 weeks later walked back in with a walker yeah but i was upright barely lol i wish you the best dave you are in my prayers you truly are a strong willed man
Parent - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 09-01-2008 01:38
Well Im glad to see someone finally add it up ! I have heard alot about 55 an hr is not enough. I worked steady for the last two years at 55 an hr and I made a boatload of money. I have freinds that make anywhere between 60-75 an hr. When things get slow they get laid off. AND, they work alot harder than I do ! A steady income for a few bucks less adds up to more in the end every time.
Parent - - By texasrigwelder (**) Date 09-01-2008 01:42
lol no it dont at all it dont even pay close, and wy work  7-12s when u can work 6-10s and get paid 13s
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / work in texas
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