Welding is definitely a niche service. You have to have a couple of years' training and a license as a welder to do all the things welders do. Once you have reached that point, you may be wondering where to go next. A lot of welders decide to go into business for themselves, and they do rather well at it. If being your own boss appeals to you, the following business ideas will start you off on the right foot.
Pipe Weld Stress Relief Services
This is a business idea that has you providing services to gas line, sewer line, and water line companies. You may even provide services to oil/petroleum lines and companies, as well, if you live and work close enough to these lines. The pipe weld stress relief service is one that alleviates the stress pipes have while under pressure to deliver the contents running through the pipes. Sometimes this means patching the pipes to reinforce them where they might be the weakest, and sometimes it means finding a way to incorporate metal structures and additions to the pipelines to help alleviate pressure.
Metal Repairs
If the idea of working on just pipes all day does not sound very appealing, maybe metal repairs in general are something you would want to do. You would be handling repairs on everything from industrial machines, to car frames, to cast iron gates and fences. The variety of objects you may be called in to repair is quite vast and may prove to be very interesting from time to time. Additionally, you can set your own estimates and prices for the repair work based on what the job is and the time constraints given or implied.
Custom Welding Work
If there is a bit of a creative streak in you, maybe you can satisfy that creative streak and make money, too. Custom welding jobs involve clients/consumers coming to you to seek a solution to their metalwork problem. They ask you to design something that will suit their needs, and you create it. Of course, this may require repeated testing and failures of each project until you get it just right, but a lot of custom welders find this work very emotionally satisfying. Job and paycheck security are a little trickier because of the nature of the job and the work, and because you will have to be proactive about getting paid, but it may be exactly what you want in a job otherwise.
