Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey y'all,
Hope everyone is having a good 2013 thus far.
I apologize if this has been asked before, but I could not find it.
I have been tig and stick welding for some time now at home and at school (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology).
As a form of practice and just for fun (I want to continually get better), I've wanted recreate and practice some welding tests one position at a time.
The issue I've run into is I have no idea where to find information about the specific details for the tests.
I'm interested in the SMAW tests currently, Starting at 1G and working my way up.
I understand that every test facility does things differently, but I was hoping for a general description of the tests.
Things like a normal gap to expect, a normal bevel to expect and normal electrodes to use.
Thank you guys so much for reading the whole post. I look forward to all responses, and hope you all have a great day.
Michael Asel

Hi, Michael,

Welcome to the forum!

There are so many certifying organizations in so many industries for different purposes, it's hard to give you a generic answer. Structural welding for construction is quite different from pressure vessel construction, for example. Bevels, gaps, lands, backing bar, ceramic tape, open root, pass/not pass standards vary widely.

If you'll give us a general direction, where you want to go with welding, we can probably give you several realistic examples of tests you might encounter on the job hunt.

Steve S

Steve,
Thank you for your response.
To be perfectly truthful, I am not looking to welding as a career.
I am a mechanical engineering student, with a great interest in welding and metal fabrication.
The reason I am interested in these tests is to use them as a way to be a better welder, and to sort of give myself benchmarks to reach.
I am also interested in these tests because I will inevitably work with welders in the future. Knowing the tests and procedures involved will help me understand what professional welders have to deal with.
I guess I need some guidance on what tests to start with.
Now that y'all know what my motivation is, maybe we can narrow it down to one set of tests to begin with.
I appreciate everyone's time, and look forward to your responses.
Michael Asel

Michael,

I commend you for looking at the "nuts-and-bolts" of engineering. I can't count the engineers I've encountered who never went to the field and don't understand why what they put on paper is impractical.

I'll dig a little, and see what I can come up with. I have an outdated copy of ASME section IX, which will likely be the best place to start, with a Mechanical Engineering degree. The code likely has been updated quite a bit, but the tests won't have changed much, if any, and the test specifications are there.

Steve S

Steve,
You hit the nail on the head.
That is exactly the reason I am working my hardest to learn as much as I can about field work. I work as an electrician and plumber's assistant during the summer, and we butt heads with engineers all the time who have no idea why things don't work in real life the way they did on paper. I see how difficult it makes things for the guys in the field, and it has motivated me to learn about these things before I graduate.
Thank you very much for taking the time to track that down, I really appreciate it.
Michael Asel

Sent you a private message on the matter.

Steve S