What is Ironwork?

What is Ironwork

Work is as native to people as the language they speak. Evidence of this is found today in people's last names, which often refer to the trade one's ancestors practiced. A family's name and the trade they practiced were identical. When you take up the trade of Ironwork the trade take root in you. And you become part of this great and unbroken chain of family, trade, and tradition. Ironwork lives in each Ironworker as each Ironworker lives by the work that the Ironworker does.

Modern Ironworker represents a melding of practices and professions that have stood the test of time. Many of them are well beyond the scope of today's most sophisticated technology. Much like the craftwork of old, the modern Ironworker uses hand, eye, mind, and heart to build structures with pride, skill and workmanship to last for generations. Very little of the built world around us has gone untouched by the skilled hands of Ironworkers. They join land separated by water, reinforce building foundations, and erect the steel skeletons that allow those same buildings to soar into the sky. The structures that Ironworkers erect stand as monuments to the ingenuity, skill, and cooperative spirit of humanity.

Harnessing the geometric and mathematical knowledge used to build the pyramids; tying together the knowledge of knots and rigging; and marrying the modern arts of metallurgy with the jargon of hand signals and blueprint reading, modern Ironwork is a collection of many skills with very deep traditions. Opportunities exist for an Ironworker to use these skills because job sites demand the skills that the Ironworker provides. In the hands of a journeyman Ironworker these constructions skills reflect a sobering wisdom about the vast possibilities and sometimes hidden limitations of construction materials and practices. The job of today's Ironworker is to transform the engineer's and the architect's vision into a concrete reality and to do so safely and effectively.


Apprenticeship

The Ironworker apprenticeship is a four-year college-accredited program that equips the apprentice with the knowledge and skills essential to practice Ironwork competently, effectively, and safely. Through apprenticeship training the Ironworker will be exposed to the kinds of work, tools, and techniques practiced by many branches of Ironwork, which include Ornamental, Reinforcing, Rigging, Structural, and Welding Ironwork. Each job that an Ironworker accepts can include some of each branch of Ironwork. Construction projects quite often require reinforced steel foundations and walls, the use of rigs to lift heavy steel construction members into position, proper fastening of these members through bolts and welds, and the finishing work of installing windows, doors, curtain walls, and some structural ornamentation.

When class is not in session, the apprentice will have a chance to practice, enhance, and expand his or her Ironworking skills through well-paying jobs acquired through the Ironworkers Hall. Apprentices begin at 60% of journeyman scale and gain 10% raises through each successive year of the program until achieving journeyman. Through these jobs, the apprentice will be earning toward enrollment in a competitive health insurance program as well as paying into an annuity and accumulating defined credits in a retirement plan.

At the end of four years, the Ironworker apprentice will have achieved sufficient mastery in the trade to achieve journeyman status. At this time, the Ironworker will earn the full scale paid for Ironwork.

Through several semesters of education the apprentice Ironworker will be exposed to and learn the  techniques and tools of the trade. Through apprenticeship training the Ironworker learns not only the trade of Ironwork but the traditions as well. The bonds that the Ironworker forms in the class and on the job with fellow Ironworkers last a lifetime. And like the bonds that are essential to construction itself, the bonds between Ironworkers strengthen their commitments to the each other, to the trade, and to the building projects that they complete competently, effectively, and safely.

Ornamental

Ornamental Ironwork encompasses the installation of glass windows, curtain walls, metal stairways and walkways, doors, fencing, railing, and building entrances. Unlike most Ironwork, which often lies hidden within concrete or behind a glass facade, Ornamental Ironwork is the closest that the trade's work interfaces with the public. The steps the public takes, the doors they open, the rails they hold, and the storefronts they behold are the work of Ornamental Ironworkers. The Ornamental Ironworker possesses a keen eye for detail and a steady hand for layout and installation. Accompanying the function of the many construction components that the Ornamental Ironworker installs is an aesthetic consideration, planned by the architect, which is carried out by the Ironworker, and appreciated by the public who encounter it. Art and engineering find greater parity here than in virtually any other aspect of Ironwork. And to the Ironworker with a keen eye, steady hand, and patient determination, Ornamental Ironwork is a way to practice those skills.

Reinforcing

Reinforcing Ironwork encompasses the fabrication, layout, installation and tying of reinforcing bars (rebar) in concrete forms, and the installation of post-tensioning systems in concrete. Every aspect of Reinforcing Ironwork is, as the name implies, for the strengthening of concrete beyond its native capacities. Steel-reinforced concrete is a distinctly modern building practice. For this reason, reinforced concrete is the basic construction element in virtually every modern structure, from buildings to bridges and roadways. Consequently, Reinforcing Ironwork is one of the most prevalent forms of Ironwork during times of building, roadway, and bridge construction as well as road and bridge maintenance. It is also one of the more demanding branches of Ironwork, requiring not only the strength and stamina to carry and set reinforcing bar of varying length, width, and weight but the mathematical skills to layout and tie steel mats and maintain crucial distances from the ground and pre-set concrete forms. The Ironworker also must possess hand strength and adeptness to manipulate wire to fasten bars to each other and to forms. In this line of work the Ironworker will work alongside and with other professions frequently. For those that like to stay busy from the minute the whistle blows to the moment the foreman knocks off work for the day Reinforcing Ironwork is a viable and prevalent line of Ironwork.

Structural

Structural Ironwork encompasses the unloading, erection, and connection of fabricated steel columns, pre-cast beams, columns, and panels for the construction of towers, bridges, stadiums, and other large building projects. The most identifiable group of Structural Ironworkers is known as the raising gang. A raising gang consists of two crews: the ground or hook-on crew and the connectors. The hook-on crew are Ironworkers who identify steel construction elements in a laydown yard according to a picking sequence and attach rigging to it to allow the crane to hoist it into position. Knowledge of rigging and the ability to determine the center point of sometimes unevenly constructed construction elements are key to safe and effective picks. After the crane has hoisted these picks into the air, the connectors who work from either preexisting erected steel or mechanical lifts guide the piece into place and fasten it. Connecting work, along with welding, have become iconic aspects of Ironwork. Body strength and balance as well as a fearless competence at increasing heights are a must for the connector who wants to earn his or her place as a cowboy of the sky. The successful raising gang is a well-oiled machine that runs on the knowledge of one's particular job, a situational awareness of both the crane's boom and the presence of pieces in the air, and the ability to use hand signals and other forms of communication to surmount the increased distance between hook-on crew and connectors. A strong and accurate throw are also invaluable. For the Ironworker who finds great satisfaction in climbing to great heights and aiding in the erection of grand structures Structural Ironwork awaits.

Rigging

Rigging Ironwork encompasses the loading, unloading, moving, and setting of structural steel, curtain walls, and machinery. Rigging Ironworkers must possess knowledge of various types of chokers, straps, and other means of rigging used to hoist and set pieces safely, effectively, and without damage. Knowing how to find the center or to counterbalance a pick through the use of multiple hoist points as well as maintaining effective communication with the operator are essential aspects of Rigging Ironwork. Every Ironworker must practice some rigging and signaling as a necessity of most construction sites. The Rigging Ironworker has the competence to unload countless truckloads of steel and tons of heavy machinery safely and effectively with an eye to its placement for future erection or movement. Rigging Ironworkers also assist the operator in extending booms and retracting crane booms, planning difficult pick and placement operations, and working closely with the operator in carrying these tasks out. Rigging Ironwork requires confidence, competence, and critical thinking. The operator's machine does all heavy lifting while the Rigging Ironworker ensures that each lift is carried out safely and properly. For the Ironworker who is good at spotting hazards, communicating to multiple people, and planning the lifting and placement of heavy objects Rigging Ironwork is an opportunity for that Ironworker to demonstrate these skills.

Welding

Welding is the process of joining metal components by heating them to their melting point and introducing a molten filler metal along their surfaces to create a joint. Welding is an essential component of steel fabrication and construction. Welding is an art. It takes time to learn, and sometimes years to master. Accomplished welders can judge the quality of their welding by sight and by sound and can often quickly troubleshoot common problems that stem from the set up of the welding machine to the condition of the welding lead and connections. The same visual cues that aid a welder in determining the strength and quality of his or her weld are often the same ones used by the certified welding inspector who must sign off on the safety of the welds that he or she puts down. The quality put into a welding application is a product of addressing the site conditions that negatively affect the welding process in order to establish and maintain an effective weld. Given the various welding processes and their varied applications the welder spends a lot of time practicing them in the various positions they will be applied. The accomplished welder has tested acquired the certification to run a weld process in the corresponding position prior to being called to out to do it for a specific welding job. The welder must have patience and a steady hand even when the process requires the welder to get into an uncomfortable stress position for long periods of time. Not all welding is inherently safe or easy. The Welding Ironworker can recognize the hazards and the obstacles to a welding application and can meet those challenges to create successful and safe welds.