Hello

[Kent]

Hi, been having a lurk a while now and finally gotten round to registering. A bit about myself perhaps? Back in the late 80s and very early 90s I trained as a welder fabricator but from that time on I shifted to sales / design and marketing in another industry and subsequently set up ran and sold on two companies of my own. Then the crash seemed to make persons like me unemployable, I see good people working in positions they are way over qualified for and earning salaries way below what they have been used to.
Last 5 yrs I haven't worked (other than re-building a big old house in the country - real rebuild down to basic four walls) . Looking now to get back into my old trade and build another company from the ground up. Had to have a removable handrail for the stairs up to the old servants quarters on the house and my joiner friend kept fretting over it so I went out and bought some kit and made my own in steel. Out on the front with just an angle grinder, tape, hand drill and stick plant ( I know have a 6x6 workshop, nice 16 speed pillar drill, bench, saws and other niceties).
Let me tell you after a break of some two and a half decades its surprising what you forget and what you don't! Currently running an ESAB 180 MMA / scratch tig (no tig bits yet though) Inverter (gosh my job might have been a lot easier back in the day with a handy potable and powerfull set like that!) After most of a box of 2.5s and another of 3.2s I am getting back the mojo on non-positional, now expecting peelers on regular welds but am still weak on positional work (spent half a day putting in uphill vertical practice runs yesterday) Started off total rubbish as I couldn't remember the "how bit" but after reducing the juice, shortening the arc, angle and weave I am just getting to a "workable weld" but still more to do before "workable" turns to "proper".
Looking at getting a decent MIG and perhaps a proper TIG set shortly as I am building things up with a few products I have designed and hopefully will start to sell, some site work and gates and railings (always preferred MMA but I have to say it aint half slow and impractical when you have a big batch of something to make). Must admit I am a bit confused by the changes in output and features of the new stuff so questions will be coming no doubt.

 

[Robotstar5]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

If you're thinking of setting up in business, might be worth reading the BS EN 1090 thread first - link

 

[Kent]

Thanks for that, just read through all 13 pages. To sum up Its another thing to think of at the polling stn. Yes Cowboys exist, it wont stop them in my experience it will help them to become worse seen it in other industries and it simply turns into a black economy. No way am I going there far easier to find a subcontractor as and when, be nice to get a clearly defined can do cant do list though. Just done my public liability and nothing was even mentioned so odds on enforcement is set to be bad to non existent for a good while

Think the only way it will effect me is stairs and handrails, if I drop any idea of real structural works (which to be fair I cant do much on anyhow being single handed and in a 6mtr x 6mtr shop, 240 volt supply and without handling equipment or help) My main line will be product, I have a new type of logging trestle just passed prototype stage ready to go out to suppliers and a dog kennel and transport boxes at early stages of development. The thing I always hated in the past was waiting for the next contract coming in or the phone to ring.

Sort of annoying though, its another cost for British business to bear and the only ones to gain anything are those administering it. The companies who will tick all the boxes and write the cheques were likely doing a perfectly good job before. Part P never worked etc.