[Millerismyname]

image.jpg (42.09 KiB) Viewed 1349 times

image.jpg (40.34 KiB) Viewed 1349 times

I'm hoping some of the business owners can help me out with this question. I've been welding these aluminum tanks for 4 months now and it's a solid acct. The question I have is what would you guys charge for building this tank, the tank is 6061-T6 all around. The top bottom and neck all have to be welded, leveled and then I pressure test each one. All the material comes to me ready to weld aside from wiping down with acetone, it takes me roughly 35-40 min from start to finish. I have a rate that I get paid at the moment but I want to get some perspective from you guys. Thanks for any help

[Superiorwelding]

There are two ways you can do it. You can bid them for a given amount and hope to make good money by getting them done faster than quoted or you can do a time and material quote. Since you already have been doing them it would be T&M. I charge $60hr so if it takes you 45 minutes, go with $45 each. Everyone's hourly rate will vary though. May I ask what you are getting for them?
-Jonathan

Edit: looks great by the way!!

[Wes917]

At 45 mins a pop I'd bid $50 per piece. If an hour I'd bid $65.

Looks good btw.

[Millerismyname]

Well see when I started doing the tanks the guy was in desperate need for someone, his welder got thrown in jail for his 3 dwi so... I picked up the same hourly rate he was at when he went to jail...25$ an hour. I know I'm not getting what I should for the work but someone would be right behind me doing it at that price if I don't keep going with the flow. The problem is I'm using my own argon and not getting anything to help compensate. Luckily I work for the LWS here in houston so I pay 13$ for. 330 cft bottle but that's not the point. What should I do guys??? I did 24 tanks this week and was paid 387.50$ for the job just as an example.

[Wes917]

What to do is up to you, your financial situation etc. your not working for him as an employee, but rather as a contractor. Is he supplying wire, torch consumables, electricity? Do you use your machine or his? I'm guessing your supplying those things if your supplying argon. Factor those things in and your not making very much

[Rick_H]

What to do is up to you, your financial situation etc. your not working for him as an employee, but rather as a contractor. Is he supplying wire, torch consumables, electricity? Do you use your machine or his? I'm guessing your supplying those things if your supplying argon. Factor those things in and your not making very much

Right on....

[RichardH]

Do you need the money, or is it folding money for toys, tools, etc.? I.e., can you afford to lose the work? If so, you can be more aggressive about how you tackle it.

Irrespective of rate, you have the challenge that a price was set when you started the work, and now you want to change it. Very understandable, but in the other guys' shoes it might not look so good. You need to help him to understand that you're not trying to screw him, just adjust to a fair rate. Even if he sympathizes, he may still look for a different welder in order to control his costs.

I'd suggest something like...
"Bob, I really appreciate all the work you're sending my way, but we need to talk about the money. I agreed to help out at Joe's old rate, but the volume is preventing work that I'd normally charge a lot more for.

"I'd like to suggest that we work out a price per piece, so we can both manage our finances - you get a predictable cost, and its on me to manage my efficiency and material costs. We've done enough tanks that you know my quality / consistency / reliability, and I've got a solid idea of the material and labor."

Then, depending on how that goes over, consider...
"As a compromise, if the turnaround time can be flexible, I could agree to a slightly lower price because I'd be able to schedule around other work. Say, 2 weeks to turnaround a batch of 30-40 pieces."

(Or whatever is reasonable for batch work. Then, consistently deliver a little ahead of schedule, but not by a huge margin or else you set high expectations, lose breathing room for "doing favors" by accelerating a batch, and don't have room to offer a faster turnaround later for a premium.)

Figuring out a price is a separate matter. Consider that the work is coming in reasonably large blocks, so you have more "billable time" than if you did a lot of one-off jobs in the same timeframe. Conversely, you have the cost of missed opportunities, power, filler rod, and gas (all factored at street prices).

One more idea... Offer to explore what other parts of the work you might be able to take on. With your connections, perhaps you can get the parts cutout at a lower cost than he's paying, which could let you collect a higher rate for the welding without increasing his total cost for the finished product.

FWIW,
Richard

[angus]

it's time to renegotiate. you are getting beat up. the fact that you get your argon so cheap does not mean he should benefit. start by factoring in argon at 100 a bottle, you, under other circumstances, would have to go get it; purchase or lease the bottle etc..

your welds look excellent and I see a lot of al welding done.

go in at a price per unit or punch up the price per hour. at some point the PPH will get soft and the guy will want a price per piece. who cares what the other welder worked for, he is a drunk and is in jail as a result of it and thankfully not out on the road trying to kill people.

go for more money, what's he going to say. no? don't think so.

[TwentyFourSeven]

Your work is beautiful. You are getting used IMO.

[rake]

Is this a cash "no tax, no tracks" job or will you be receiving a 1099 at the end of the year?
If it's a taxable job you are getting hosed. Factor in your expenses and added taxes and you are not making squat.
If you are supplying the consumables, the utilities and also paying the taxes then you should be closer to $60 per
unit. Again, it's your decision but selling yourself short not only hurts you but also the other welders in your area.
Got a skill? Get paid for it. If the customer could weld, he wouldn't need you. He needs you, get paid accordingly.

[Artie F. Emm]

Was the DWI welder getting $25 per hour on the payroll? If yes then the employer was likely providing a machine, consumables, and argon, not to mention a workspace, lights, fixtures, etc.

[motox]

i dont weld for a living but a do own and run a business
question: where do you stand with insurance and product
liability? are you covered by his insurance?
this is something important as well.

[TwentyFourSeven]

Most welders around here are $85 hr for their own shop. My welder was charging me $45 per gate and he was doing two per hour easy. Heck, I can now do 2 per hour and I just started welding a month ago so I'm sure he was much faster than I am.

[Soon2GetIt]

I suggest you send your photos out to local/regional shops and ask for quotes. See what others are charging for similar work. You'll probably get back a few of those quotes asking who did the beads in the photos. Nice work indeed.

[Superiorwelding]

I suggest you send your photos out to local/regional shops and ask for quotes. See what others are charging for similar work. You'll probably get back a few of those quotes asking who did the beads in the photos. Nice work indeed.

I would be extremely cautious on doing that. I have a friend who was doing regular work in his garage and he wanted to do the same thing.....one of those who he shared the job with ended up stealing the job from him.
-Jonathan

[dsmabe]

I'm trying to do a little welding on the side for a few extra bucks, still trying to figure out what I want to charge. From the pictures and what you described, you need to be charging around double what you are now.

[Otto Nobedder]

I'm trying to do a little welding on the side for a few extra bucks, still trying to figure out what I want to charge. From the pictures and what you described, you need to be charging around double what you are now.

Do yourself a favor...

DON'T answer the "is it under-the-table work?" question on any public forum, or anywhere in writing, ever.

Companies use "bots" to patrol the internet for negative comments. I would automatically assume that the IRS uses "bots" to patrol for posts suggesting tax evasion.

If you aren't going to tell them, don't tell us, or anyone...

Steve S

[dsmabe]

Thats good advice, only thing is, I've been too busy working to even start to get anything that could remotely be considered business income. There are no plans of doing anything "under the table". If I wanted to claim it as a business then it would probably help me get more money back on my taxes. That is because I have had zero income from it and alot of expenses (new welder, filler metals, safety equipment, etc) .
The way my normal job has been going, I haven't even had a chance to practice with it for at least a couple months now.
Now I might have to start a thread about what people claim, a hobby or a business? Certain factors would force you to claim it as a business, but if you don't meet them you could call them either.
OK enough of the thread hijacking, we know return you to your regularly scheduled thread!

[Jgray72690]

I would just like to know what this tank is used for...

Wished my welds looked that nice