Explainers · 2026-07-11 · Patreon guide

Patreon for welding creators: tiers, weld procedure documentation, iOS rates, and the Apple Tax in 2026

Q: What should welding creators offer Patreon patrons?

Welding creators should offer three documentation layers that YouTube cannot efficiently deliver: (1) weld procedure documentation — the specific parameters for each project weld including process (MIG/TIG/Stick), electrode or wire classification, diameter, shielding gas composition and flow rate, polarity, amperage, voltage, travel speed, wire feed speed (MIG), and calculated heat input in kJ/mm; (2) metal-specific reasoning — why 75/25 Ar/CO₂ shielding gas for mild steel MIG vs pure Argon for aluminum TIG, and why the heat input limit matters for a given base metal; and (3) real-time troubleshooting — the pattern recognition that distinguishes porosity from lack-of-fusion from an undercut defect in a weld bead. Tier structure: Viewer tier ($5–8/month for project posts plus Discord); Procedure tier ($15–22/month adding per-project weld procedure documentation and weld bead inspection notes); Mentorship tier ($75–120/month, capped 4 patrons, for live video call critiques of patron weld test coupons).

Q: How should welding creators document shielding gas and transfer mode for Patreon?

Shielding gas documentation for MIG/GMAW: record gas composition percentage (75% Ar/25% CO₂ for mild steel short-circuit and spray transfer; 90% Ar/10% CO₂ for mixed transfer on thin material; 98% Ar/2% O₂ for spray transfer on stainless; pure Argon for aluminum MIG), flow rate in CFH (cubic feet per hour, typically 20–35 CFH), nozzle-to-work distance (affects shielding coverage and spatter), and wire stick-out distance. Transfer mode documentation: short-circuit transfer (low voltage/amperage, small droplets that short-circuit at the tip, low heat input, suited for thin material and out-of-position welding); globular transfer (intermediate voltage, large droplet formation, more spatter, less controlled); spray transfer (high voltage/amperage above the transition current threshold, fine mist of tiny droplets across the arc, high deposition rate, requires ≥80% Ar shielding, flat/horizontal position only); pulsed transfer (electronically switched between low background current and peak spray current, achieves spray-like droplet detachment at lower average heat input, suitable for thin material and out-of-position). For TIG/GTAW: document tungsten electrode type (2% thoriated WT for DCEN on steel; pure or zirconia WP/WZ for AC aluminum), tungsten diameter, polarity, amperage ramp-up and taper, filler metal classification (ER70S-2 for carbon steel, ER308L for 304 stainless, ER4043 or ER5356 for aluminum), filler diameter, argon flow rate.

Q: How does the Apple Tax affect welding creator Patreons?

Welding creator iOS rates are lower than most craft niches due to the shop-floor, equipment-heavy, male-skewed audience and high desktop viewing proportion — fabrication and structural welding content has a significant audience that watches on laptops or shop monitors. YouTube welding content sees 45–60% iOS. TikTok welding content sees 70–80% iOS. Instagram fabrication photography (finished welds, project reveals) sees 62–72% iOS. A welding creator with $300/month in Patreon income at 55% iOS (typical YouTube welding): approximately $49.50/month ($594/year) in Apple fees beginning November 1, 2026. At $500/month and 58% iOS: approximately $87/month ($1,044/year). Enable the web-only billing toggle in Patreon Creator Settings before October 31, 2026, and update all video descriptions and bio links to Patreon web URLs. See the Apple Tax explainer for full mechanics.

Welding Patreons retain because the audience faces a specific documentation gap that YouTube cannot fill efficiently: the video shows the arc running and the bead being laid, but it does not contain the written weld procedure — the shielding gas composition, the exact amperage and voltage settings, the wire feed speed, the calculated heat input in kJ/mm, or the explanation for why those parameters matter for the specific base metal and joint configuration. The Patreon tier that keeps welding patrons is not the one with the most project footage; it is the one with the per-project weld procedure that a patron can reference when setting up their own machine.

The welding creator subtypes

MIG/GMAW fabricators: shielding gas and transfer mode documentation

MIG (Metal Inert Gas) or GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) fabricators form the largest welding creator subtype on YouTube and Patreon — the process is fast, produces consistent results on mild steel, and is accessible to hobby fabricators. The documentation gap for MIG fabricators is the shielding gas and transfer mode reasoning that the video does not narrate: why 75% Ar / 25% CO₂ (C25) is the default shielding gas for mild steel short-circuit and spray transfer (CO₂ increases arc stability and weld penetration; higher CO₂ percentages increase penetration but also spatter; Argon alone without CO₂ produces poor wetting on steel); why the transition current (the amperage above which the transfer mode shifts from globular to spray, typically 200–250A for 0.035″ ER70S-6 wire with C25 shielding) matters for out-of-position welding (spray transfer is limited to flat/horizontal; out-of-position requires short-circuit transfer).

Three tiers work for MIG fabricators. The Viewer tier ($5–8/month) provides project completion photos with basic process information plus Discord organized by experience level (#machine-setup, #troubleshooting, #project-builds). The Procedure tier ($15–22/month) adds per-project weld procedure documentation: process (GMAW), electrode/wire classification (ER70S-6) and diameter (0.035″), shielding gas composition (75/25 Ar/CO₂) and flow rate (25 CFH), polarity (DCEP, direct current electrode positive, which concentrates 2/3 of arc heat at the electrode/wire for better deposition), amperage and voltage settings, wire feed speed in IPM, calculated heat input in kJ/mm (heat input = amperage × voltage × 60 / travel speed in mm/min / 1000), and weld bead inspection notes. The Build Access tier ($65–100/month, capped 5 patrons) provides priority Discord access and 30-minute monthly video call consultation.

TIG/GTAW precision welders: electrode and filler documentation

TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) or GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) creators attract an audience of precision welders — motorsport fabricators, pipe welders, artists, and stainless steel food-service fabricators — who want to understand the variables behind consistent TIG welds on multiple materials. The documentation gap is multi-layered: tungsten electrode type and geometry (2% ceriated or 2% lanthanated for DC applications on steel/stainless; pure tungsten or zirconia-alloyed for AC applications on aluminum; tungsten diameter determines amperage capacity: 1/16″ for 50–125A, 3/32″ for 100–200A, 1/8″ for 150–250A); filler metal selection (ER70S-2 triple-deoxidized filler for carbon steel; ER308L for 304/304L stainless steel; ER309L for dissimilar joints between carbon steel and stainless; ER4043 (4% Si, lower cracking sensitivity) vs ER5356 (5% Mg, higher strength) for aluminum); and the torch angle and travel speed documentation that differentiates a consistent TIG bead from an inconsistent one.

The Fusion Notes tier ($15–25/month) provides per-weld documentation: tungsten type, diameter, and grind angle (pointed grind for DC steel/stainless; balled tip for AC aluminum); filler type and diameter; polarity (DCEN for steel and stainless; AC for aluminum); amperage ramp-up, peak, and taper settings; shielding gas (typically pure Argon at 15–20 CFH for TIG); inter-pass temperature if applicable; and the specific technique notes for each joint type (walking the cup technique for pipe; back-stepping for distortion control on thin sheet).

Structural welders and AWS educators: code qualification and procedure documentation

Structural welding educators cover AWS D1.1 (Structural Welding Code — Steel) qualification, weld procedure specification (WPS) development, and the metallurgical reasoning behind heat input limits and preheat requirements — content that is directly useful to fabrication shop welders pursuing CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) credentials or welding engineer roles. This subtype has a technically sophisticated audience that values the code context: why heat input is limited in AWS D1.1 qualified procedures (excessive heat input causes grain growth in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the base metal, reducing toughness; the maximum heat input in a WPS is set to maintain HAZ Charpy toughness above the minimum specified for the structural application); why preheat (heating the base metal to a minimum temperature before welding) is required for high-carbon-equivalent steels (preheat slows the cooling rate of the HAZ, reducing the formation of hard, brittle martensite which is susceptible to hydrogen-induced cracking when diffusible hydrogen from the electrode coating or atmosphere is present in the weld).

Weld procedure documentation and heat input calculation

Heat input calculation is the core technical documentation skill for welding educators. Heat input (HI) in kJ/mm = (Amperage × Voltage × 60) / (Travel speed in mm/min × 1000) × thermal efficiency factor (η, approximately 0.8 for GMAW/GTAW, 0.75 for SMAW). A higher heat input for a given base metal specification means more time for grain growth in the HAZ and more dilution of the weld metal with base metal. AWS D1.1 qualified procedures specify maximum and minimum heat inputs as essential variables that cannot be exceeded without requalification of the procedure.

Preheat requirements for carbon steel: the carbon equivalent (CE) formula (CE = C + Mn/6 + (Cr + Mo + V)/5 + (Cu + Ni)/15) determines hydrogen cracking susceptibility; steels with CE >0.40 typically require preheat; common structural steels A36 (CE ~0.40) may or may not require preheat depending on thickness; A514 high-strength low-alloy (CE 0.50–0.60) requires 200–400°F preheat for most thicknesses. Inter-pass temperature: maximum inter-pass temperature (typically 400–600°F for carbon and low-alloy steels) limits cumulative heat input and prevents excessive grain growth in multi-pass welds; measure with contact or infrared thermometer before each pass.

iOS rates and the Apple Tax

Welding creator iOS rates are lower than craft niches with predominantly mobile consumption. YouTube welding sees 45–60% iOS; TikTok welding sees 70–80% iOS; Instagram fabrication photography sees 62–72% iOS. The male-skewed and shop-context audience for welding includes a higher proportion of desktop browsers than niches like embroidery or crochet.

Welding YouTube · $300/mo Patreon · 55% iOS

iOS-billed patrons$165/mo

Apple fee at 30%−$49.50/mo

Annual loss to Apple−$594/yr

Welding Instagram · $500/mo Patreon · 68% iOS

iOS-billed patrons$340/mo

Apple fee at 30%−$102/mo

Annual loss to Apple−$1,224/yr

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Frequently asked questions

What should welding creators offer Patreon patrons?

Welding creators should offer the weld procedure documentation layer that YouTube structurally compresses away: process (GMAW/GTAW/SMAW), electrode/wire classification and diameter, shielding gas composition and flow rate, polarity, amperage and voltage, travel speed, calculated heat input in kJ/mm, and per-bead inspection notes including defect type identification (porosity from gas coverage loss, undercut from excessive voltage or travel speed, lack-of-fusion from insufficient heat input or improper torch angle). The Procedure tier ($15–22/month) is the retention mechanism because patrons setting up their own machine to replicate the creator’s results need the parameters, not just the video. The Viewer tier ($5–8/month) serves the audience that watches for inspiration and education without active welding practice.

How should welding creators document shielding gas and transfer mode?

Shielding gas documentation: record gas composition (75% Ar/25% CO₂ for mild steel MIG; 90%Ar/10%CO₂ for thin-material mixed transfer; 98%Ar/2%O₂ for stainless spray; pure Argon for TIG and aluminum MIG), flow rate in CFH, and nozzle-to-work distance. Transfer mode: short-circuit (low voltage/amperage, droplets short at tip, low heat input, all positions); globular (intermediate, large droplets, more spatter); spray (high voltage above transition current, fine droplet mist, flat/horizontal only, requires ≥80% Ar); pulsed (electronically switched background/peak current, spray-like detachment at lower average heat input). Document the transition current threshold for each wire diameter and gas combination tested.

How does the Apple Tax affect welding creator Patreons?

Welding creator iOS rates: YouTube 45–60% iOS; TikTok 70–80% iOS; Instagram 62–72% iOS. At $300/month and 55% iOS (YouTube welding): $49.50/month ($594/year) in Apple fees beginning November 1, 2026. At $500/month and 68% iOS: $102/month ($1,224/year). Enable the web-only billing toggle in Patreon Creator Settings before October 31, 2026, and update all video descriptions and bio links to Patreon web URLs. See the Apple Tax explainer for full mechanics.