Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

Also Known As:

Assembly Line Brazer Brazer Fabrication Welder MIG Welder (Metal Inert Gas Welder) Maintenance Welder Solderer TIG Welder (Tungsten Inert Gas Welder) Welder Welder Fitter Wirer

Wages

Hourly

Annual wages for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in United States

Job Outlook Below Average

New job opportunities are less likely in the future

United States 2033 Projected Employment

463,800

2% Change From 2023

Explore Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers video

Tasks you might complete in a day.

Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.
Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.
Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.
Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.
Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.
Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.
Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.
Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.

Subject areas you may need to master.

Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

Strengths you may need in this role.

Equipment Selection - Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Programming - Writing computer programs.
Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials.
Instructing - Teaching people how to do something.
Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Science - Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Technology Design - Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Operation and Control - Using equipment or systems.
Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences.
Speaking - Talking to others.
Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people.
Mathematics - Using math to solve problems.
Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Equipment Maintenance - Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Learning Strategies - Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Time Management - Managing your time and the time of other people.
Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Quality Control Analysis - Testing how well a product or service works.
Operations Analysis - Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Troubleshooting - Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Control Precision - Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Number Facility - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Speed of Closure - Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Arm-Hand Steadiness - Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
Manual Dexterity - Holding or moving items with your hands.
Wrist-Finger Speed - Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Speed of Limb Movement - Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Sound Localization - Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Speech Recognition - Recognizing spoken words.
Rate Control - Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Gross Body Equilibrium - Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Glare Sensitivity - Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Peripheral Vision - Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Depth Perception - Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Far Vision - Seeing details that are far away.
Originality - Creating new and original ideas.
Fluency of Ideas - Coming up with lots of ideas.
Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
Flexibility of Closure - Seeing hidden patterns.
Dynamic Flexibility - Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Gross Body Coordination - Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Trunk Strength - Using your lower back and stomach.
Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
Visual Color Discrimination - Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Night Vision - Seeing at night or under low light.
Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
Written Expression - Communicating by writing.
Visualization - Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Selective Attention - Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
Hearing Sensitivity - Telling the difference between sounds.
Response Orientation - Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Category Flexibility - Grouping things in different ways.
Perceptual Speed - Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Mathematical Reasoning - Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Memorization - Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Spatial Orientation - Knowing where things are around you.
Time Sharing - Doing two or more things at the same time.
Finger Dexterity - Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Multilimb Coordination - Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Information Ordering - Ordering or arranging things.
Reaction Time - Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Static Strength - Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Explosive Strength - Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Dynamic Strength - Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Extent Flexibility - Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Stamina - Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Speech Clarity - Speaking clearly.
Auditory Attention - Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.