[plain ol Bill]

Starting this thread to encourage others to tell the story about your test booth experiences. Share with all of us guys. I will start it off.
Got a call from a friend one day to let me know Babcock and Wilcox had a big boiler repair job starting in Bullhead City AZ. So I made a call to the local in that jurisdiction and off I go down the highway 1200 miles to test for the job. Got there and got checked in and off to the test booth I go. Found out from the weld tech giving the test the last 12 guys tested did not make the test. I'm thinking to myself "what the hell is going on here - that's a bunch of welders to bust a test in a row. Then the tale starts - I was given a couple of coupons to tack up. The coupons were dirty and the bevels had a coat of rust on them. To top that off there was 1/8" land on them. I asked about tools and was told the only tool allowed was a worn out 14" half round bastard file (I mean really WORN OUT). At this point I was not a happy camper at all after a long drive and finding out their weld tech had his head up his butt. So I clean them up as well as I could and tack them up using a wide gap so I could break down that heavy land. Have the weld tech check them and he first's tells me the other four guys testing that morning had already busted out and down the road. Now I knew a couple of them, had buddy welded with them on other jobs and I knew these were good welders. So now I was really unhappy. He approved the tacks and we tacked the coupon into the 6G. I cranked a few more amps in and lit off without feathering any tacks (that darn file would not feather them).Took my time starting in center of the tacks and coming up slowly until I see a decent keyhole at the end of the tack and start feeding rod into the keyhole. Welded the root in this way and Lo and Behold it passed his inspection. Welded it out and off to xray with it. Found out the next morning it made it and off to work I went. These were high critical coal burner boilers with rifle tube walls and what a bitch they are compared to "normal" tubes. Hot, nasty work and six weeks later done and back to the house waiting for the next job.
So tell me about some of your experiences folks ----

[Otto Nobedder]

I Left Philadelphia, PA right at ROF, end of day, and drove straight through to Clarksville, TN for that semiconductor plant.

Did the hair-follicle, paperwork, etc., and was told I could weld test NOW, or wait 48.

I should have waited 48.

I looked myself out on the root, and the examiner agreed with me.

36 hours awake is not a good condition to take a critical test.

So, I went to a shi#yard in TX, and proceeded to bust a test on flux-core (dual-shield), which I hadn't run in years, after a short sleep and another 14 hour drive.

The lesson? Don't get pressured when you're tired. Rest. Do it right. Even working 7 14's, you get a chance to rest.

Steve S