Welding: Do it Yourself vs Hiring a Professional Welder

Are you interested in taking up welding as a hobby? While it may seem like an appealing prospect, there are many factors to keep in mind concerning potential costs, risks, and the knowledge required to carry out projects safely and effectively. Because of this, people often wonder whether they're better off hiring a professional welding service to carry out more complex and detail-oriented projects.

Similarly, there is a lot of interest in welding's value as a skillset. In the coming article, we will be discussing all of the major factors you should keep in mind when deciding between do-it-yourself welding and working with professional welding services.

The Pros of Working with a Professional Welder

First, welding equipment can be costly. Professional-grade equipment the kinds you can expert welding experts to use can cost upwards of $500. Moreover, you will also need to invest in safety equipment. This equipment is essential in preventing potentially serious injuries.

If you are a welding beginner, you will either need to purchase this equipment or rent it from a department store. While this is a slightly more affordable solution, it can still far exceed the cost of hiring a professional if you plan on renting the hardware for long periods of time. And rentals can also have their own unique expenses. If the equipment is damaged or returned to the lender in a condition they deem too far removed from its original quality, you can expect to pay some sort of repair or restoration fee. Similarly, longer lending periods may carry with them non-negotiable insurance fees. In short, these expenses can quickly accumulate in a way that makes forgoing hiring a professional a poor decision.

Expert welders will have professional-grade welding equipment by default. The equipment you rent from an outlet doesn't carry a guarantee of quality. Heavy-duty equipment, like the kinds welders use, are typically either consumer-grade or professional-grade. Consumer-grade tools are the types of appliances you would usually find lining the shelves of department stores. The standards for these products are much lower than for professional-grade alternatives, which almost always feature vastly superior durability, performance, power consumption, and efficiency.

Because professionals need to be using these devices on a day to day basis, manufacturers craft them with greater care and higher quality materials than they would consumer-grade options. As a result, renting equipment will often lead to you paying the same or more for objectively inferior equipment.

Next, by choosing to work with a welding expert, you will have a guarantee of quality and longevity with the work performed. More often than not, industry veterans will offer insurance packages that allow you to enjoy a satisfaction guarantee. In other words, if the person or service you're working with doesn't provide an end result that you're happy with, you can potentially request a refund or discount on the services contracted. This ability makes hiring a professional the optimal method for those who are concerned with quality over all else. If you are a welding beginner and damage your property, you will have no one to blame but yourself. Likewise, you won't have any way to recoup the expenses. By working with licensed professionals, the process will be significantly less stressful.

Do It Yourself

Next, do it yourself welding can be a dangerous prospect. Welding is a trade you need years of experience to consistently yield a quality final product while adhering to proper safety protocol. You can't expect to be capable of matching the form and technique of a licensed professional in a single weekend. It isn't feasible.

This in mind, by going the DIY route, you can put yourself in some serious danger. Burn damage is a given, but injuries related to electric run-off and improper handling are also common. Technique and experience are the only ways to avoid these kinds of injuries consistently. And as you may have guessed, a welding expert has the technique and experience you're going to need.

There is a high skill threshold associated with welding. It takes years of project-oriented experience to be considered an average welder. Don't fool yourself you will not be able to deliver a product relative to what a professional would provide if you don't have enough experience.

Likewise, you will need in-depth knowledge of equipment to carry out a project to completion. Factors of note include power consumption rates, handling knowledge, and much, much more. Don't underestimate the skill and talent needed to weld safely and effectively.

The Pros of Do It Yourself Options

That doesn't mean that do it yourself welding has no positives to it, however. The opposite is true DIY welding can be a rewarding and useful hobby. The key is to understand that gains will be incremental and acquired slowly. If you aren't looking for professional-quality results out of the gate and don't find the cost of equipment prohibitive, then nothing is keeping you from trying your hand at it. While there is definitely a lot to learn, there are similarly plentiful ways the trade can be applied.

In the long-term, taking on DIY options can save you a lot of money. After a few years of experience (or a ton of projects in a small timeframe), even the most large-scale projects shouldn't be a problem for you. In this regard, the sooner you start learning DIY welding, the sooner you can reap the rewards of the undertaking.

And what about the short-term? DIY welding can be an effective solution even for beginners if a given project doesn't require a great deal of precision or aesthetically sound results. Projects that value function over form, like back-end maintenance and infrastructure restoration, can be great practice for beginners. With these projects, the results can be messy, and there is plenty of room for mistakes. In other words, if your project isn't one that requires a steady hand, then a DIY solution isn't out of the question.

In summary, do it yourself welding can be a fantastic way to build experience in a gainful hobby. Unfortunately, it can also be a fast track to unnecessary injuries and unforeseen costs. If you lack sufficient experience in the area and are faced with a complex project, it is highly recommended you contact a professional, licensed, and experienced welder. Doing so will save you numerous headaches and potential damages to yourself and your property. Smaller jobs and general maintenance are great ways to build experience as a welder, however. These projects may be most valuable as learning experiences, especially if you don't need to fret over aesthetics. Ultimately, the choice is yours.