[andygmac]

Hi I'm new to this forum, (but not new to welding), and was hoping somebody could give me an idea of a procedure for a vertical fillet on 10mm mild steel plate.
I've be welding for 25 years now, self employed, in a small fab shop in the UK. The only certs I have are city and guilds in welding and fabrication (which I got 27 years ago!)
With the new CE accreditation coming into force in July this year, I now need an up to date qualification, and the above vertical weld would cover most of what I need (plates on girders etc).
I could do with a procedure for this weld so I have a heads up before I book a test.
Indecently, I'm in the UK so weaving a cap is a no no!
Cheers
P.s. I will be using dc mma,

[noddybrian]

From what I researched on this matter a few years ago it's a mine field & there is no generic test that will easily cover you in all your work - it depends mostly on the insurance company that covers your liability - each one will have it's own acceptance criteria for testing - if your working in a fab shop they should provide this cover & so you will have to ask them what they want - it's all changed since I did a test as the EU are calling the shots & the older stuff like AWS & ASME is not valid here anymore - I'd have to ask why a fillet though as this covered only that joint - last test I took covered material between half & double the test plate thickness so 1/2 " seemed best choice - not usually a requirement for a structural test on 1/4" & under - if you do an open root butt joint one vertical & one overhead this covers all positions including larger pipe - I think the paper work got left behind at a previous job but if I find a copy I'll post the procedure for you - the basics were 70 degree V angle - gap 2.5mm - land I think was optional from knife edge to 2.5mm - root pass was done electrode negative ( 7018 2.5mm filarc 55 ) fill & cap could be 2.5mm or 3.25mm - but you had to specify this at the start - amp range was very specific - but I don't remember the limits & they had a recording device clamped on the leads to measure this throughout the test - hope some of that helps - a mate maybe renewing his soon - if he already has any paper work for it I'll update this.

The fab shop you work at may well have to get it's own general procedure approved for anyone employed there under their insurance - if so you need to test for that.

[andygmac]

Cheers for the reply, a mine field it definitely is lol . I actually work for myself and the new accreditation coming in July states that any welding done for the building trade has to be done by a "qualified" welder, but nobody seems to know how qualified?
It seems to me that somebody sitting at a desk has said " OK, the welders that weld beams needs to be qualified" , unfortunately these desk people don't realise that there are many and specific qualifications in welding!
I have spent a heck of a lot of time phoning test centres up trying to find out what I need to do, but one answer seems to unearth another dozen questions. I just thought I may be able to take a generic test, mostly I'm doing fillets on 10mm to 20mm steelwork, so I thought the 10mm fillet test would be a good start. I just need a rough wps to practise with, until I get some proper answers from those deskies lol.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply,
Cheers Andy

[noddybrian]

What it boils down to is wan#*rs in an office somewhere dream up new regulations to justify their wages & meddle with things they have no experience of - being in the EU just makes it worse - now the qualifications many of us had are not valid & they want to rob the working guys who are'nt payed that well to begin with - it had'nt affected the welding trade that much up till now - but as fast as you take one test they'll invent another - look at what CITB did with operating plant - I had a ticket for what I grew up driving - been on and off machinery since about 12 - now if I want to drive I got to take a whole load of new tests at huge expense & sit in a class room listening to some tw#t that's barely left school - it's no wonder many Brits are leaving for better places .

OK - enough rant ! I'm in the lucky position of not requiring a current test - & if anything I weld is that critical I can get a mate to organize an independent NDT from a local company - if they pass it using MPI or whatever process they think suitable the buck stops with them - if your self employed then you need to speak to the insurance company that issues your public liability & find out what their requirement is - but I think the test I mentioned is still valid - it would however need a written WPS approved & a general method statement - I'd hope they can advise on this - eventually I guess the EU will sort out what it wants ! of course if you have a dark complexion & pretend not to speak English you'll be exempt anyway !

Plus I forgot earlier - but welcome to the forum.

[andygmac]

Cheers noddybrian
Had a bit of a result today. Was talking to a consultant who specialises in the ce accreditation, now here is the good bit, I don't need to have a coding test, but I need to be coded, confused? Let me explain, the plates on the beams etc that I weld for the aforementioned firm have to have an inspector \ test lab pass a procedure for each "category", so I get to weld the procedure for the procedure to be tested, and when the procedure passes, I also pass and become coded for that procedure as I welded it O:-)
Hope that is clear lol
So just waiting on the company to organise the inspector
Oh, and one more good point, the company has to pay for it, not me as it is them who have to have the procedures:-D

[noddybrian]

I've heard similar versions of this - but it was 3rd hand info so I did'nt know how valid it was - it kinda makes sense - but by rights there should be " off the shelf " pre- qualified WPS for common welds such as these - so in theory you only need a copy of that WPS & book an inspector to oversee your test piece - the problem seems that no one wants to stick their neck out & say for certain what is required - hope you get it sorted soon - there may be some other people respond that have recent tests in the UK & no whats going on - not seen him post recently but there's a guy calling himself " plant welder" ( I think ) - I imagine most of what he does requires certification as even excavators etc are being tested as sort of crane equipment now & require a coded welder.

[andygmac]

The chap today said the procedures are individual to the company that has them tested and they are not transferrable, so if a company has a procedure that another company could use, the later company would still need to have the procedure tested, even if they were welding identical products, more paperwork means more money for the deskies lol