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A boilermaker is a
tradesperson
A tradesman, tradeswoman, or tradesperson is a skilled worker that specializes in a particular trade (occupation or field of work). Tradesmen usually have work experience, on-the-job training, and often formal vocational education in contrast t ...
who
fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.
[Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Boilermakers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/boilermakers.htm (visited January 23, 2014)]
Although the name originated from craftsmen who made
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central ...
s, boilermakers in fact assemble, maintain, and repair other large vessels and closed vats.
The boilermaker trade evolved from industrial
blacksmithing; in the early nineteenth century, a boilermaker was called a ''
boilersmith
Boilers for generating steam or hot water have been designed in countless shapes, sizes and configurations. An extensive terminology has evolved to describe their common features. This glossary provides definitions for these terms.
Terms which r ...
''. The involvement of boilermakers in the
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to bef ...
and engineering industries came about because of the changeover from wood to iron as a construction material. It was often easier, and less expensive, to hire a boilermaker who was already in the shipyard--fabricating iron boilers for wooden steamships--to build a ship. This overlap of skills could extend to anything large and made of iron--or later, steel. In the UK, this effective monopoly over an important skill of the industrial revolution led to boilermakers being labeled 'the labour aristocracy" by historians.
Application
Boilermaking,
welding
Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as b ...
, and fitting tubes can be a full-time requirement at
power plants
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many pow ...
. Stress fractures, leaks, and corrosion demand continual repair or replacement resulting from operation at very high steam pressures. Other boilermakers might work seasonally or on an individual project such as re-fitting a boiler in a seagoing vessel or remodeling a steam plant.
Boiler repair can be a high-value, high-cost service since even the smallest steam boilers for
dry cleaners
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water.
Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent. Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), kno ...
and
tailors
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
can cost upwards of $20,000 to replace.
Domestic boilers in the United States of America
In the United States, many boilermakers are employed in repairing,
repiping, and re-tubing commercial steam and
hot water boilers used for heating and domestic hot water in commercial buildings and multi-family dwellings.
Sometimes these boilers are referred to as
pressure vessel
A pressure vessel is a container designed to hold gases or liquids at a pressure substantially different from the ambient pressure.
Construction methods and materials may be chosen to suit the pressure application, and will depend on the size o ...
s. Generally, a pressure vessel is a storage tank or vessel that has been designed to operate at pressures above .
The two main responsibilities of boilermakers are the use of
oxy-acetylene
Principle of burn cutting
Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel ...
gas torch sets to cut or gouge steel plate and tubes, followed by
gas tungsten arc welding
Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), also known as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, is an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. The weld area and electrode are protected from oxidation or other atm ...
(GTAW),
shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), or
gas metal arc welding
Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), sometimes referred to by its subtypes metal inert gas (MIG) and metal active gas (MAG) is a welding process in which an electric arc forms between a consumable MIG wire electrode and the workpiece metal(s), which hea ...
(GMAW) to attach and mend the cut sections of tubes and steel plates.
Training and certification in the United States
Boilermakers usually go through a formal
apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
which includes about four years of paid on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction. Unions and many employers offer these apprenticeships. To become an apprentice, one must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED. Attending a trade or technical school combined with employer-provided training can accelerate the learning curve.
According to U. S. Census Bureau data of 2012, boilermakers are the most male "saturated" job in the USA, having a share of 99.8 % males and 0.2 % females.
R Stamp Welding
Boiler repair in the United States is governed by the
National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors
The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors (NBBI) is composed of chief boiler and pressure vessel inspectors representing states, cities, and provinces enforcing pressure equipment laws and regulations. Created to prevent death, i ...
and the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) under a classification called R Stamp Welding. In order to perform R Stamp welds and repairs, boilermakers are tested and certified in the quality of their weld joints through a rigorous testing procedure. R stamps are issued to companies that have existing ASME code stamps issued for construction and whose quality control system covers repairs or follow the guidelines set up by ASME to obtain an R stamp. Welders identify their welds by stamping their identifying welder number adjacent to their completed weld with a set of steel stencils.
Power Piping
Welding, fitting, and installing the tubes and accessories that attach to the boiler can also be performed by boilermakers, and is governed by the same organizations as R Stamp Welding. This certification is called Power Piping and is governed by ASME Code section B31.1.
Trade unions
United States and Canada
The
is a
labor union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...
for boilermakers in Canada and the United States.
UK
In the UK, boilermakers traditionally joined the
Boilermakers Society which merged with the
General and Municipal Workers' Union (GMWU), then an unskilled union, to form the modern
GMB which still maintains a "craft section" largely for boilermakers.
Notable boilermakers and former boilermakers
* Barry Arterton - father of actress
Gemma Arterton
*
Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and over ...
- first
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...
*
Richard Carroll - American politician
*
Billy Connolly
Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...
- Scottish comedian
*
Dave Charnley - boxer
*
Fred Cornish
Frederick Henry Cornish (1876 – 27 April 1940) was an English-born rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Cornish 'Went North' in 1899 switching to rugby league, joining Hull F.C.Jenkins (1 ...
- rugby player
*
Horace Elgin Dodge
Horace Elgin Dodge Sr. (May 17, 1868 – December 10, 1920) was an American automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company.
Early years and business
He was born in Niles, Michigan, on May 17, 1868.Burton, Clarence M. ...
- Dodge Motors founder
*
John Francis Dodge
John Francis Dodge (October 25, 1864 – January 14, 1920) was an American automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company.
Biography
Dodge was born in Niles, Michigan, where his father ran a foundry and machin ...
- Dodge Motors founder
*
Arthur Dooley
Arthur John Dooley (17 January 1929 – 7 January 1994) was an English artist and sculptor.
Biography
Born in the Dingle area of Liverpool, after leaving school at 14, Dooley began work as a welder at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead. I ...
- artist
*
John A. Duffy
John Aloysius Duffy (October 29, 1884 – September 27, 1944) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse in New York from 1933 to 1937, and as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New ...
- American Roman Catholic bishop
*
Todd Graves - fast food entrepreneur
*
John Hill - trade unionist
*
Ted Hill - British politician
*
James J. Jeffries (''The Boilermaker'') - American champion heavyweight boxer
*
John MacDougall - British politician
*
Duncan McNeil
Duncan McNeil (born 7 September 1950) is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency from 1999 until 2016.
Career
Born in Greenock, McNeil worked as a boil ...
- British politician
*
David Morehouse
David Morehouse (born 1960) is an American businessman and former president and chief executive officer of Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. During his tenure, the Penguins won three Stanley Cups (2009, 2016, 2017), reached four ...
- CEO of the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
National Hockey League team
* Leonard Oldman - father of actor
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Fi ...
*
Harry Pollitt
Harry Pollitt (22 November 1890 – 27 June 1960) was a British communist who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) from 1929 to September 1939 and again from 1941 until his death in 1960. Pollitt spent ...
- British communist politician
*
George Sage - British footballer
*
Alfred Short
Alfred Short (1882 – 24 August 1938, London) was a British trades unionist and Labour politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Wednesbury from 1918 to 1931, and for Doncaster from 1935 until 1938.
Alfred Short began his working life apprenti ...
- British politician
*
Barry Williams - British trade union official
*
Billy Williams - British rugby player
*
David Williams - British politician
*
Thomas Wilson - American industrialist
* Albert Edward Wycherley - father of rock and roll singer
Billy Fury
Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known as Billy Fury, was an English singer, musician, songwriter, and actor. An early star of rock and roll, he equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s and spent 332 we ...
References
{{Metalworking navbox, cast, form, mach, smith, tool, weld
Boilermakers
Construction trades workers
Metalworking occupations