
A boilermaker is a
tradesperson
A tradesperson or tradesman/tradeswoman is a skilled worker that specialises in a particular Trade (occupation), trade. Tradespeople (tradesmen/women) usually gain their skills through work experience, on-the-job training, an apprenticeship prog ...
who
fabricates steels, 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, centra ...
s, boilermakers assemble, maintain, and repair other large vessels and closed vats, in addition to boilers.
The boilermaker trade evolved from industrial
blacksmithing; in the early nineteenth century, a boilermaker was called a ''
boilersmith''. The involvement of boilermakers in the
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...
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 shipyardfabricating iron boilers for wooden steamshipsto build a ship. This overlap of skills could extend to anything large and made of ironor 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 (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, primarily by using high temperature to melting, melt the parts together and allow them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Co ...
, and fitting tubes can be a full-time requirement at
power plants. 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 and
tailors 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 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 welding or TIG, tungsten argon gas welding or TAG, and heliarc welding when helium is used) is an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the ...
(GTAW),
shielded metal arc welding
Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), also known as manual metal arc welding (MMA or MMAW), flux shielded arc welding or informally as stick welding, is a manual arc welding process that uses a consumable electrode covered with a flux to lay the we ...
(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 potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...
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 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
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers is a
labor union
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
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
*
Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley (12 February 1893 – 8 April 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He wa ...
– first
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: appointment; gra ...
*
Richard Carroll – American politician
*
Billy Connolly – Scottish comedian
*
Dave Charnley – boxer
*
Fred Cornish – 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, Dodge Brothers Company.
Early years and business
He was born in Niles, Michigan, on May 17, 1868.Burton, Claren ...
–
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 machine ...
–
Dodge Motors founder
*
Arthur Dooley – artist
*
John A. Duffy – 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 – British politician
*
David Morehouse – chief executive officer,
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
National Hockey League team
*
Harry Pollitt – British communist politician
*
George Sage - British footballer
*
Alfred Short – British politician
*
Barry Williams – British trade-union official
*
Billy Williams – British rugby player
*
David Williams – British politician
*
Thomas Wilson – American industrialist
References
{{Metalworking navbox, cast, form, mach, smith, tool, weld
Boilermakers
Construction trades workers
Metalworking occupations