Guitar Repair Careers | Watch Repair Jobs | Camera Repair Jobs
Antique Clock Repair Jobs - What is the Job of a Medical Equipment Repair Technician? What does a Watch Restoration Career Involve?
Precision repair workers have the responsibility of repairing items such as watches, musical instruments, medical gear, cameras, and grandfather clocks. Small repair workers will also maintain these devices and make sure that the tiny gears which operate them are functioning properly.
Camera repair jobs involve fixing broken cameras, although much of camera repair work is now obsolete, due to the inexpensive nature of most cameras. On expensive professional grade cameras, it is common for a watch repairer in a manufacturing facility to make sure to remove broken parts and replace them with new ones, in addition to making sure that all of the gears are looped properly.
Watch repair workers and clock repairing jobs involve working on expensive antique timepieces and grandfather clocks. Most antique clocks have a winding mechanism with movable gears on the inside, which must be replaced or repaired from time to time. Watch gears and springs can wear with motion over time or get clogged with dust, and a watch repairman may polish or buff these parts.
Expensive watch cleaning machines are used to generate ultrasound waves which will clean dust off of the internal components of a timepiece, and antique grandfather clocks may require special repair work and machining in order to create replacement parts for these collector items.
Musical instrument repair workers and music tuners are responsible for repairing band instruments and pianos and organs, in addition to guitar repair.
Band and instrument repair jobs involve repairing percussion instruments such as drums and brass and wind instruments which can include trumpets, clarinets, saxophones, flutes, trombones, and a wide variety of other musical devices. A musical repair worker may remove rod pins, cork pads, and pistons, and replace them or clean them, in addition to repairing dents in the bells of certain instruments such as french horns and trumpets.
Violin repair jobs and guitar repair workers are responsible for fixing stringed instruments. Violin repair jobs involve restringing instruments, and replacing cracked or broken sections, which requires a great deal of skill in order to custom machine instrument parts.
Piano tuners and piano repair workers will typically refurbish pianos by tuning them which involves tightening and loosening strings in order to adjust the piano pitch. Inexperienced tuners may use computerized devices but the job is frequently done by ear or by using a tuning fork. Piano restoration is incredibly complicated work as the parts in a piano can number over 10,000.
Pipe organ repair workers will work with organ pipes, which are typically used in older churches. Pipe organs have thousands of different pipes all of which produce varying pitches of sounds, and it can be difficult to identify the tuning problem with a musical instrument. Repairing the pipe organ can take several weeks or months, even with a team assisting with the organ repairman.
Medical equipment repair jobs are responsible for fixing defibrillators, x-ray machines, ultrasound machines, and heart monitors, in addition to wheelchairs and electronic operating tables.
Working Conditions for Medical Equipment Repair Jobs - How is the Working Environment for a Antique Clock Repair Worker?
Camera repair, watch repair, and musical instrument repair jobs are typically low stress and are independent jobs that require little supervision. Musical instrument repair workers may be professional musicians or retired musicians who wish to have a part time job while they play professionally. Camera and watch workers will typically work in a camera or watch retail store, often both selling timepieces and repairing them.
Organ tuners typically have to travel long distances due to the scarcity of organ pipes. Medical equipment technicians typically have regular hours although they may have to work emergencies, if they are called upon by a hospital.
Instrument Repair Training - How to Become a Medical Equipment Repair Technician - How to Receive Clock Repair Training
In order to specialize in medical equipment repair or watch repair jobs, extensive training is usually required. Most precision repair workers start out by training themselves, as they may have an interest in watches or pianos, for example.
Watch repair training and clock repair training is provided by the American Watchmakers Clock Makers Institute, in addition to the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. Watch repair certifications usually take two years and 3000 hours of training in order to receive accreditation, and watch repair workers typically have to undergo more extensive training due to the number of tiny parts and different watch models with which they must deal. Some pocket watch repair workers may become apprentices under a master watch repairer.
Musical repair workers can receive certification from the Piano Technicians Guild, which requires 2 to 5 years of training and a good sense of dexterity, hearing, and hand eye coordination.
Medical equipment repair training is usually conducted on the job, with certification offered depending on the particular technology upon which the medical equipment job involves. For example, a repair worker may learn how to fix CAT scanners over a period of 3 to 6 months, and then attain additional medical repair certification in order to be able to repair electric wheelchairs.
Helpful skills but that a precision repair worker can use include electronics classes, electrical systems training, and instrumentation control.
Grandfather Clock Repair Job Requirements - How to Obtain Guitar Repair Certification
Most clock repair training is done on the job, and an ability to understand blueprints and complex manuals is essential, in addition to having good fine motor skills and excellent vision. Musical instrument repair jobs require a good sense of hearing, problem solving abilities, and a keen sense of how to assemble items that have been disassembled.
Most precision instrument workers are self employed and they will often operate retail stores with which they sell their products, in addition to doing repair work.
Washer Repairs Employment - What are the Future Employment Prospects for Watch Repairs Jobs?
Over the next decade, camera repair jobs should decline by about 2%, with watch repair jobs declining by about 5%, with the main reasons for these declines being inexpensive technology that is cheaper to throw way than to repair. Musical instrument repair jobs should experience employment growth of about 3%, mostly due to high school and middle school band programs.
Medical instrument repair jobs should experience explosive growth of 22% over the next decade, as more individuals utilize medical services technology in order to receive early diagnosis of illnesses. Overall, precision instrument repairs are expected to have 4% growth over the next decade.
Job prospects for precision repair jobs are fairly good due to an increasing amount of retirements expected from baby boomers, and fewer individuals attending college programs in order to receive watchmaker certification. Those precision workers who attain an education will receive the best employment opportunities.
Instrument Repair Salary Pay Scale - How Much Do Pocket Watch Repair Workers Earn?
In 2006, medical instrument repair workers had median annual salaries of $40,580, with watch repairers earning less than $30,900. Guitar repair jobs earned a median salary of $34,850, with musical instrument repairers earning $29,200.
Earnings for precision technicians vary depending on location and experience, and most experienced repair workers will frequently own their own camera shop, watch shop, jewelry shop, or music instrument business.