Well the 1/2″ Schedule 10 socket weld kicked my butt. It knocked me down in the 1st round on the backside. In the second round, some melt-through on the ID of the .083″ pipe wall got the best of me. $50.00 an hour job down the tubes because of something the size of a pinhead. BUT…
Shipyard, Day 3
Morning- I haven’t done anything yet today as of right now and will add more to this later. Today is to consist of Safety Training and Orientation. We will find out more about what shift we will be on for welder testing and a few more details. I’m looking forward to it but also looking…
Going to the Shipyard, Day 2
Today is the 2nd day and I am scheduled to do NOTHING! The temp agency uses today for processing all of our paperwork from yesterday. God allowed me to get through the breathing, vision, hexavalent chromium, and other tests fine. I learned a few things yesterday though based on conversations around the table with the…
Going to the shipyard…Day 1
Some of the best welding experiences I had in the past were related to welding on Navy Ships. I have recently decided to pursue some of the work available as the result of some new ships being built. The pay is excellent but the testing, from what I hear, is a bit tough. I am going…
Learning Without a Classroom
Introduction. Please understand that the below are the comments of an individual not trained in education. I am a welder that likes to share his trade. I have watched some Youtube videos while staying at a Holiday Inn Express! 🙂 I have been blessed with a skill that I enjoy doing. This started during my…
What I studied to become a CWI.
When I got my driver’s license, I studied and had actually driven a car before the “test”. Prior to becoming “certified” as a welding inspector by the AWS, I had actually studied and inspected welds before taking the test. However today, many want to become certified SO they can inspect. That’s fine and the results…
Link to Q&A on Thoriated Tungsten
Here is a very good article written about the use of Thoriated Tungsten. If you don’t already know, Throiated Tungsten is radioactive. It is slight and is not the type of radiation that can penetrate your outer skin. However it can be an issue for inhalation and ingestion so even if you don’t read the…
QC gets QC’d
Well, I had been on a local construction project as a pipe welder for almost 2 weeks when I was FIRED!. What a bummer. Work was scheduled to go until the 22nd of Dec. It was for a bad weld is my understanding. I fully accept the responsibility for whatever the cause was but thought…
Gonna weld awhile.
A few words about getting back on my tools
24 Hour Welding Class
I was recent blessed with the opportunity to teach a short introductory course for welding. The class was intended to introduce students to 3 different processes. Here is a picture of some GTAW welds made on the 2nd night of class. None of these students had ever welded with GTAW(Tig). Understand that this is just…