A boilermaker is a trained tradesperson 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.[1]
Although the name originated from craftsmen who made boilers, 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. The involvement of boilermakers in
the shipbuilding 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.[2]

Contents

 1Application
o 1.1Domestic boilers in the United States of America
 2Training and certification in the United States
o 2.1R Stamp Welding
o 2.2Power Piping
 3Trade unions
o 3.1USA and Canada
o 3.2UK
 4Notable boilermakers and former boilermakers
 5References

Application[edit]
Boilermaking, welding, 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.[citation needed]

Domestic boilers in the United States of America[edit]

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.[1] Sometimes these boilers are referred to
as pressure vessels. Generally, a pressure vessel is a storage tank or vessel that has been
designed to operate at pressures above 15 psi (1.03 bar; 103 kPa).
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 (GTAW), shielded
metal arc welding (SMAW), or gas metal arc welding (GMAW) to attach and mend the cut
sections of tubes and steel plates.[3]

Training and certification in the United States[edit]

Boilermakers usually go through a formal apprenticeship 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.[4]

R Stamp Welding[edit]
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.[5]

Power Piping[edit]
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.[6]

Trade unions[edit]
USA and Canada[edit]
The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers
and Helpers is a labor union for boilermakers in Canada and the USA.

UK[edit]
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[edit]

 Barry Arterton - father of actress Gemma Arterton
 Omar N. Bradley - first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of USA
 Richard Carroll - American politician
 Billy Connolly - Scottish comedian
 Dave Charnley - boxer
 Fred Cornish - rugby player
 Horace Elgin Dodge - Dodge Motors founder
 John Francis Dodge - 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 - NHL CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins
 Leonard Oldman - father of actor Gary Oldman
 Harry Pollitt - British communist politician
 George Sage - footballer
 Alfred Short - British politician
 Barry Williams - British trade union official
 Billy Williams - rugby player
 David Williams - British politician
 Thomas Wilson - American industrialist
 Albert Edward Wycherley - father of rock and roll singer Billy Fury

References[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related
to boilermakers.

1. ^ Jump up to:a b 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)
2. ^ Reid, Alastair J. (2010-05-25). The Tide of Democracy: Shipyard Workers and Social
Relations in Britain, 1870-1950. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9781847793386.
3. ^ 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)
4. ^ Employment and Training Administration, US Department of Labor, O*NET Online,
Boilermakers, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/details/47-2011.00 (visited
January 23, 2014)
5. ^ "R Stamp". The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors. Retrieved 2019-
08-11.
6. ^ "ASME B31.1 Power Piping". ASME. Retrieved 2019-08-10.