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The old adage "get a bigger hammer", is not always important in welding. Sometimes a little hammer and a little finesse can achieve a better result than a big hunk of a hammer alone. There are several hammers used in the welding business, including traditional peen hammers, sledge, and even body working hammers.

One of the first things you'll wish as a welder, is that you were born with an extra hand or two. It just seems that being able to hold all the parts, the torches, and the filler at the same time is impossible. Indeed, it can be. Welding clamps can help solve the dilemma.

You'll always find that at the center of any welding shop or home garage that has a welder sitting around, is a good welding table or two. It is not even a "wish" item. It is a necessity. On many forums, you'll find countless threads of fancy welding table projects posted. Some are made with drawers, some with wheels and even some with additional electrical sockets.

Gaining customer loyalty is important to long term success of course, but there are other relationships that you must have to make things a success. A good relationship with a bank is a must if you plan to operate with lines of credit. Credit is almost a necessity in the welding business. Many times a job of sufficient size will tie up cash resources that need to be used for payroll or even basic maintenance or repairs.

A good way to get your name out there in the welding business is to start with junk jobs that no one else wants. This is something you probably have already figured out in your research, but it is worth discussing in further depth. Taking stuff on that other people refused because it wasn’t worth a big shop’s time is a good way to build customer loyalty as you grow. Customers remember the small things you do, and will give you more work if you meet their expectations. It also helps with cash flow.

If you have taken stock of all your needs and weighed them out and have decided you have enough equipment and resources to get your business off the ground, you need to realize that most successful businesses require at least 3 years of operation until a true profit can be realized. That doesn't mean you can't survive, but it does mean that you need to be prepared to spend more than is coming in at times to keep building your name and reputation. You’ll no doubt discover that at some point you’ll need to have a wider stock of consumables than you ever thought.

Once you have investigated the different possibilities that may exist in your local market, the best thing to do is to plan out your strategy on a piece of paper. Assemble all the information you have gleaned, and simply write it down. Look at the different possibilities, and try to use this information to determine any additional equipment you will need. This is a key step. Getting half way through a project, and realizing that you have to purchase something to complete the job is not a pleasant issue to deal with.

Don't get discouraged if you come up empty when you investigate the local welding businesses, if they give you little information to go on. There are other avenues to investigate as well, of course. Look around at art shows, and craft shows, and even flea markets to find out what kind of "handmade" product is selling. Go to local businesses, ranging from automotive repair shops to furniture stores trying to find out if they have any welding needs. You never know.

No doubt a great many men and women who make their first purchase of a welder have in mind recovering at least part of their investment cost by doing some welding for others, or by at least making something with the welder and selling it. However, good many buy before they have a firm grip on the local market and even before they are fixed on what they will build or sell, and the welder ends up sitting on the shelf collecting dust, or it is sold after interest is lost.

Somewhere along the way, a welder eventually needs to know how to read and use a tape measure. Whether its fabricating a new project for a customer or simply double checking to make sure a part is in spec before welding it up completely, at some point a tape measure will be required. I have talked to so many people interested in welding, but could not tell the difference between a 5/8” mark or a ½” mark on the tape measure.