Canales Upholstery

Automotive body and glass repairers restore, refinish, and replace vehicle bodies and frames, windshields, and window glass.

Automotive body and glass repairers typically do the following:

• Review damage reports, prepare cost estimates, and plan work
• Remove damaged body parts, including bumpers, fenders, hoods, grilles, and trim
• Realign car frames and chassis to repair structural damage
• Hammer out or patch dents, dimples, and other minor body damage
• Fit, attach, and weld replacement parts into place
• Install and weatherproof windows and windshields
• Grind, sand, buff, and prime refurbished and repaired surfaces
• Apply new finish to restored body parts

Automotive body and glass repairers can repair most damage from everyday vehicle collisions and make vehicles look and drive like new. Damage may be minor, such as replacing a cracked windshield, or major, such as replacing an entire door panel.

Repair technicians use many tools for their work. To remove damaged parts, such as bumpers and door panels, they use pneumatic tools, metal-cutting guns, and plasma cutters. For major structural repairs, such as aligning the body, they often use heavy-duty hydraulic jacks and hammers. For some work, they use common handtools, such as metal files, pliers, wrenches, hammers, and screwdrivers.

In some cases, repair technicians do an entire job by themselves. In other cases, especially in large shops, they use an assembly line approach in which they work as a team with each repair technician specializing.

Although repair technicians sometimes prime and paint repaired parts, automotive painters generally perform these tasks. For more information, see the profile on painting and coating workers.

The following are occupational specialties: 

Automotive body and related repairers, or collision repair technicians, straighten metal panels, remove dents, and replace parts that cannot be fixed. Although they repair all types of vehicles, most work primarily on cars, sport utility vehicles, and small trucks. 

Automotive glass installers and repairers remove and replace broken, cracked, or pitted windshields and window glass. They also weatherproof newly installed windows and windshields with chemical treatments.

Craft and fine artists use a variety of materials and techniques to create art for sale and exhibition. Craft artists create handmade objects, such as pottery, glassware, textiles or other objects that are designed to be functional. Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, create original works of art for their aesthetic value, rather than a functional one.

Craft and fine artists typically do the following:

• Use techniques such as knitting, weaving, glass blowing, painting, drawing, or sculpting
• Develop creative ideas or new methods for making art
• Create sketches, templates, or models to guide their work
• Select which materials to use on the basis of color, texture, strength, and other qualities
• Process materials, often by shaping, joining, or cutting
• Use visual elements, such as composition, color, space, and perspective, to produce desired artistic effects
• Develop portfolios highlighting their artistic styles and abilities to show to gallery owners and others interested in their work

Artists create objects that are beautiful or thought-provoking. They often strive to communicate ideas or feelings through their art.

Craft artists make a wide variety of objects, mostly by hand, to sell in their own studios, online, in stores, or at arts-and-crafts shows. Some craft artists display their works in galleries and museums.

Craft artists work with many different materials, including ceramics, glass, textiles, wood, metal, and paper, to create unique pieces of art, such as pottery, quilts, stained glass, furniture, jewelry, and clothing. Many craft artists also use fine-art techniques--for example, painting, sketching, and printing--to add finishing touches to their products.

Fine artists typically display their work in museums, commercial or non-profit art galleries, corporate collections, and private homes. Some of their artwork may be commissioned (requested by a client), but most is sold by the artist or through private art galleries or dealers. The gallery and the artist decide in advance how much of the sale proceeds each will keep.

Some craft and fine artists spend much time and effort selling their artwork to potential customers or clients and building a reputation. However, only the most successful artists are able to support themselves solely through the sale of their works. Many artists have at least one other job to support their craft or art careers.

Some artists work in museums or art galleries as arts directors or as curators, planning and setting up exhibits. Others teach craft or art classes or conduct workshops in schools or in their own studios. For more information on workers who teach art classes, see the profiles on kindergarten and elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, high school teachers, postsecondary teachers, and self-enrichment teachers.

Craft and fine artists specialize in one or more types of art. The following are examples of types of craft and fine artists:

Cartoonists draw political, advertising, comic, and sports cartoons. Some cartoonists work with others who create the idea or story and write captions. Some create plots and write captions themselves. Most cartoonists have comic, critical, or dramatic talents in addition to drawing skills.

Ceramic artists shape, form, and mold artworks out of clay, often using a potter's wheel and other tools. They glaze and fire pieces in kilns, which are special furnaces that dry and harden the clay.

Fiber artists use fabric, yarn, or other natural and synthetic fibers to weave, knit, crochet, or sew textile art. They may use a loom to weave fabric, needles to knit or crochet yarn, or a sewing machine to join pieces of fabric for quilts or other handicrafts.

Fine art painters paint landscapes, portraits, and other subjects in a variety of styles, ranging from realistic to abstract. They may use one or more media, such as watercolors, oil paints, or acrylics.

Furniture makers cut, sand, join, and finish wood and other materials to make handcrafted furniture. For more information about other workers who assemble wood furniture, see the profile on woodworkers.

Glass artists process glass in a variety of ways--such as by blowing, shaping, or joining it--to create artistic pieces. Specific processes used include glassblowing, lampworking, and stained glass. These workers also decorate glass objects, such as by etching or painting.

Illustrators create pictures for books, magazines, and other publications, and for commercial products, such as textiles, wrapping paper, stationery, greeting cards, and calendars. Increasingly, illustrators use computers in their work. They might draw in pen and pencil and then scan the image into a computer to be colored in, or use a special pen to draw images directly onto the computer.

Sketch artists, a particular type of illustrator, often create likenesses of subjects with pencil, charcoal, or pastels. Sketches are used by law enforcement agencies to help identify suspects, by the news media to show courtroom scenes, and by individual customers for their own enjoyment.

Jewelry artists use metals, stones, beads, and other materials to make objects for personal adornment, such as earrings or bracelets. For more information about other workers who create jewelry, see the profile on jewelers and precious stone and metal workers.

Medical and scientific illustrators combine drawing skills with knowledge of biology or other sciences. Medical illustrators work with computers or with pen and paper to create images of human anatomy and surgical procedures, as well as three-dimensional models and animations. Scientific illustrators draw animal and plant life, atomic and molecular structures, and geologic and planetary formations. These illustrations are used in medical and scientific publications and in audiovisual presentations for teaching purposes. Some medical and scientific illustrators work for lawyers, producing exhibits for court cases.

Printmakers create images on a silk screen, woodblock, lithography stone, metal etching plate, or other type of matrix. The matrix is then inked and transferred to a piece of paper using a printing press or hand press to create the final work of art. Workers who do photoengraving are called printing workers. For more information, see the profile on printing workers.

Sculptors design three-dimensional works of art, either by molding and joining materials such as clay, glass, plastic, or metal, or by cutting and carving forms from a block of plaster, wood, or stone. Some sculptors combine various materials to create mixed-media installations. For example, some incorporate light, sound, and motion into their works.

Marine engineers and naval architects design, build, and maintain ships from aircraft carriers to submarines, from sailboats to tankers. Marine engineers work on the mechanical systems, such as propulsion and steering. Naval architects work on the basic design, including the form and stability of hulls.

Marine engineers typically do the following:

• Prepare system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics
• Inspect marine equipment and machinery to draw up work requests and job specifications
• Conduct environmental, operational, or performance tests on marine machinery and equipment
• Design and oversee testing, installation, and repair of marine apparatus and equipment
• Investigate and observe tests on machinery and equipment for compliance with standards
• Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure that repairs and alterations are done safely and at minimal cost
• Prepare technical reports for use by engineers, managers, or sales personnel
• Prepare cost estimates, schedules for design and construction, and contract specifications
• Maintain contact with contractors to be sure the work is being done correctly, on schedule, and within budget

The people who operate or supervise the operation of the machinery on a ship are sometimes called marine engineers, or, more frequently, ship engineers. Their work differs from that of the marine engineers in this profile. For more information on ship engineers, see the profile on water transportation occupations.

Marine engineers are increasingly putting their knowledge to work in power generation. Companies that formerly concentrated on other activities, such as papermaking, are now increasing their efforts to produce and sell electricity back to the power grid. These engineers' skills are also useful in the oil and gas industry, including offshore drilling operations.

Naval architects typically do the following:

• Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of a ship, such as size, weight, and speed
• Develop sectional and waterline curves of the hull to establish the center of gravity, ideal hull form, and data on buoyancy and stability
• Design entire ship hulls and superstructures, following safety standards
• Design the layout of ships' interiors, including passenger compartments, cargo space, ladder wells, and elevators
• Confer with marine engineers to set up the layout of boiler room equipment, heating and ventilation systems, refrigeration equipment, and propulsion machinery
• Lead teams from a variety of specialties to oversee building and testing prototypes
• Evaluate how the ship does during trials both at the dock and at sea and change the design as needed to make sure the ship meets national and international standards.

Workers in water transportation occupations operate and maintain ships that take cargo and people over water. These ships travel to and from foreign ports across the ocean, to domestic ports along the coasts, across the Great Lakes, and along the country's many inland waterways.

Water transportation workers typically do the following:

• Operate and maintain private ships
• Follow their ship's strict chain of command
• Ensure the safety of all people and cargo on board

These workers, sometimes called merchant mariners, work on a variety of ships.

Some operate large deep-sea container ships to transport manufactured goods around the world.

Others work on bulk carriers that move heavy commodities, such as coal or steel across the oceans and over the Great Lakes.

Still others work on both large and small tankers that carry oil and other liquid products around the country and the world. Others work on supply ships that transport equipment and supplies to offshore oil and gas platforms.

Workers on tugboats help barges and other boats maneuver in small harbors and at sea.

Salvage vessels that offer emergency services also employ merchant mariners.

Cruise ships employ a large number of water transportation workers, and some merchant mariners work on ferries to transport passengers along shorter distances.

A typical deep sea merchant ship, large coastal ship, or Great Lakes merchant ship employs a captain and chief engineer, along with three mates, three assistant engineers, and a number of sailors and marine oilers. Smaller vessels that operate in harbors or rivers may have a smaller crew, with a captain, sometimes a mate, and one to a few sailors.

Also, there are other workers on ships, such as cooks, electricians, and mechanics, who do not need a merchant marine license. For more information, see the profiles on cooks, electricians, and general maintenance and repair workers.

The following are some types of water transportation occupations:

Captains, sometimes called masters, have overall command of a ship. They have the final responsibility for the safety of the crew, cargo, and passengers. Captains typically do the following:

• Supervise the work of other officers and the crew
• Ensure that proper safety procedures are followed
• Assess their crew's abilities and determine if more workers are needed
• Prepare a maintenance and repair budget
• Oversee the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers
• Keep logs and other records that track the ship's movements and activities
• Interact with passengers on cruise ships

Mates, or deck officers, direct the operation of a ship while the captain is off duty. Large ships have three officers, called first, second, and third mates. The first mate has the highest authority and takes command of the ship if the captain is incapacitated. Usually, the first mate is in charge of the cargo and/or passengers, the second mate is in charge of navigation, and the third mate is in charge of safety. On smaller vessels, there may be only one mate. Deck officers typically do the following:

• Alternate watches with the captain and other officers
• Supervise and coordinate the activities of the deck crew
• Directly oversee docking the ship
• Monitor the ship's position, using charts and other navigational aides
• Determine the speed and direction of the vessel
• Inspect the cargo hold during loading, to ensure that the cargo is stowed according to specifications
• Make announcements to passengers, when needed

Pilots guide ships in harbors, on rivers, and on other confined waterways. They work in places where a high degree of familiarity with local tides, currents, and hazards is needed. Many pilots are independent contractors and go aboard a ship to guide it through a particular waterway. Some, called harbor pilots, work for ports and help many ships coming into the harbor during the day.

Sailors, or deckhands, operate and maintain the vessel and deck equipment. They make up the deck crew and keep all parts of a ship, other than areas related to the engine and motor, in good working order. New deckhands are called ordinary seamen and do the least-complicated tasks. Experienced deckhands are called able seamen and usually make up most of a crew. Some large ships have a boatswain, who is the chief of the deck crew. Sailors typically do the following:

• Stand watch, looking for other vessels or obstructions in their ship's path, as well as looking for navigational aids, such as buoys and lighthouses
• Steer the ship and measure water depth in shallow water
• Do routine maintenance, such as painting the deck and chipping away rust
• Keep the inside of the ship clean
• Handle lines when docking or departing
• Tie barges together when they are being towed
• Load and unload cargo
• Help passengers, when needed

Ship engineers operate and maintain a vessel's propulsion system. This includes the engine, boilers, generators, pumps and other machinery. Large vessels usually carry a chief engineer, who has command of the engine room and its crew, and a first, second, and third assistant engineer. The engineer's alternate oversees the engine and related machinery. Engineers typically do the following:

• Maintain the electrical, refrigeration, and ventilation systems of a ship
• Start the engine and regulate the vessel's speed, based on the captain's orders
• Record information in an engineering log
• Keep an inventory of mechanical parts and supplies
• Do routine maintenance checks throughout the day
• Calculate refueling requirements

Marine oilers work in the engine room, helping the engineers keep the propulsion system in working order. They are the engine room equivalent of sailors. New oilers are usually called wipers or pumpmen on vessels handling liquid cargo. With experience, an oiler can become a Qualified Member of the Engine Department (QMED). Marine oilers typically do the following:

• Lubricate gears, shafts, bearings, and other parts of the engine or motor
• Read pressure and temperature gauges and record data
• Help engineers with repairs to machinery
• Connect hoses, operate pumps, and clean tanks

Motorboat operators run small, motor-driven boats that carry six or fewer passengers. They work for a variety of services, such as fishing charters, tours, and harbor patrols.

Upholsterers make, replace, and repair coverings on furniture and in vehicles.

Upholsterers typically do the following:

• Consult with clients to discuss alterations to the furniture and to help customers choose fabric
• Estimate costs for the project, including approximate fabric and labor costs
• Inspect furniture to find needed repairs in the frame, upholstery, and springs
• Remove and replace old and worn padding, filling, and broken springs
• Measure, cut, and sew fabric, and attach it to the furniture frame with tacks, staples and glue

Upholsterers put on covering and cushions to create new furniture and update old furniture and vehicle interiors. Although some upholsterers specialize in either working with old furniture or creating new furniture, most do both.

Upholsterers need to stay current with trends in furniture design and styles. They help choose fabrics that meet their customer's lifestyle, preferences, and needs. For example, upholsterers may help a client who has young children choose a long-lasting and durable fabric for a family room sofa that matches other furniture.

Sometimes they have to choose fabrics that meet building codes--such as being fire resistant--or fabrics that reflect the style of the building. They also may work with interior designers and architects who need furniture for a new building. For more information, see the profiles on interior designers and architects.

Upholsterers may specialize in working on cars and other vehicles. These workers create and replace upholstery for the interiors of cars and other vehicles. They upholster seats, carpet floors, and cover door panels. To replace interiors with another fabric or other material, such as leather, these workers first remove the seats from the vehicle before replacing the upholstery.

Some upholsterers own their business. In these cases, they may do management and administrative tasks, such as managing the finances of their business and taking orders.