Anti Services
What are anti services?
Jobs or bids we generally avoid working on because it is either; rusted beyond reasonable repair, too dangerous to repair, or so undesirable we try to avoid them.
If the rust is smooth to the touch, it's likely repairable, if it's flakey, pitted, or has holes in it, the piece is likely beyond repair.
What does it mean to be "rusted beyond repair"? The basis of this is the simple fact that welding on a rusted surface creates a low-quality weld, or the process of welding further destroys the material, which can be challenging to repair. Rusted beyond repair would be anything that has substantial rust pitting, or even holes rusted through. Items with surface rust are typically repairable.
A request we get a fair amount: Dumpster repair. The bottom typically fails first. Let us ignore that your chosen contractor would have to lay in trash juice, it is difficult to get a high-quality weld in undesirable environments because of contaminants and other environmental factors. Next, it typically does not make financial sense to repair a dumpster. Hiring a mobile welder to replace the floor of a dumpster for time and materials would be between $2000-$3000 for a high-quality repair. For comparison, a new front-load dumpster costs between $1000-$6000 (depending on the size.) There are a few circumstances where repairing something like this could make sense, perhaps if you're awaiting a new dumpster and need something to hold you over for a few weeks.
Fire escapes and stairways are two other great examples. Stair treads are usually the first element to fail. During installation, most companies won't weld the tread plates completely, and smaller welds will fail after being exposed to the weather year after year. The main supporting posts for the attached handrail often fail as well. It can be difficult to replace just the treads, so we typically recommend the replacement of stair treads, stringers, and handrails. It can be difficult to replace just the treads in a set of stair stringers because once the old treads are removed the stringers bow inward and are extremely difficult to push back into place even with the correct tooling. Typically, if the treads are due to be replaced, the stringers are not far behind, and it's simpler and more effective to build a new staircase.
Our last example is vehicle repair. Exhaust systems often rust beyond repair, whether that be a hold of a muffler falling off on the highway. If the component is rusted enough to fail, we typically recommend installing a new part on the vehicle, opposed to repairing the original. Furthermore, automotive shops are much more capable to repair a vehicle than a welding shop. They have vehicle lifts and specialized tools for working on vehicles. There are some circumstances where a mobile welder would make more sense than a traditional automotive shop, but be prepared: it will be significantly more expensive.
