Welding Tips and Tricks

Snyone got any tips on incomplete penetration or internal concavity on cs pipe. I welded one
Side with 3/32 gap and root and iwas incomplete on some parts,
the parts that werent were sucked back

Thank you Alexa, I added u as friend.if ok. Ill give it a shot.
Up til now, I've never had suck back. My bevels weren't right, I had to much
Angle. But then I grabbed a couple 6 inch coupons that were machine
Beveled from the power plant used for testing, and I had alot of trouble.

Rob2isking.

I enjoyed following the exchange in the following string:

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/co ... steel-pipe

Tanks.
Alexa

ps: I liked the bluntness of Showdog75's comment on #11.

Thaks ill def b on it tomorrow. Ill try both ways big gap andmove fasteron the 3/32.
I def need morez pratice. But its nice bn able to do it at home whenever I want.
where do you work and do you make really good money?
if you don't mind me asking

Anybody kno of some type of jig u can make to get perfect bevels with a grinder everytime. Ive seen one on welding Web but I dont hav a dremmel tool and it seems like the carbide tungsten bit wud wear out real fast on sch 40 pipe

rob2isking wrote:Thaks ill def b on it tomorrow. Ill try both ways big gap andmove fasteron the 3/32.
I def need morez pratice. But its nice bn able to do it at home whenever I want.
where do you work and do you make really good money?
if you don't mind me asking

I've cashed $2700 weekly checks, when I was willing to work on the road, but that's a young man's game. It's working six or seven 10-12 hour days, and collecting (untaxed) perdiem, living from a suitcase in a cheesy motel. The money was nice, though.

I now work a much more comfortable job at $21/hr doing a 40 hour week with insurance and other benefits. The physical demands on me are far fewer, as they're more interested in what I know and how I think than how much/how fast.

BTW, $2700 is small change in some specialized aspects of the craft.

Steve S

rob2isking wrote:Anybody kno of some type of jig u can make to get perfect bevels with a grinder everytime. Ive seen one on welding Web but I dont hav a dremmel tool and it seems like the carbide tungsten bit wud wear out real fast on sch 40 pipe

I don't. However, practice on "less than perfect" will teach you more. The welds you'll encounter in the field were not prepped in a lathe.

Additionally, sometimes, you have to bevel, fit, and tack the coupon yourself, so a little practice bevelling with a hand-grinder won't hurt you either.

If you want a couple of "perfect" coupons to practice on, either make friends with a local machinist, or talk to the local Vo-Tech machine-shop teacher. These bevels take literally minutes in a lathe, and if you provide the pipe, the Vo-Tech guy might do it for nothing to give his students some practice.

Steve S

ANGLE GRINDER

Often there are joints that are not of standard fittings. Mastering the angle grinder is a big plus for a fitter.

The welder, with the right choice of angle grinder disk diameters and thicknesses, can repair welds that would be doomed otherwise. Of course, not to discount a die grinder with a selection of burs.

Alexa

Thanks yall, that really makes sense. Id love to make that kimd of money. That's why I'm getting in to this. On my prep should I put at least a 1/16 land to help prevent suckback. Iv been reading welding principal an applications.? Also, what about doin hot passes without adding filler, does that serve a good purpose and should u waot for the pipe to cool down a little. I done it once and ended up wit black soot. Not much just a lil

When on the road for long job can't u rent a place and hav ur family with u. Or does that never work out?

rob2isking wrote:When on the road for long job can't u rent a place and hav ur family with u. Or does that never work out?

=====

Rob2isking.

Everything is possible.

On some jobs the better half has came to visit me for short spurts, especially if I was located near the scenic areas or close to a beach, but in regions that are safe.

But often, the jobs are in areas that require additional precautions.
The employers usually contract security personnel.
Some colleagues will unofficially carry light arms for added assurance (especially Texs and Okies).

Sooner or later, the more moving around you do, the chances are you will be detained from time to time.
Local police and local thugs pretty much write their own rules.
So it is to your advantage to know ahead of time, if your employer has the balls and the pull to get you safely back home.

Anyways ... all good reasons to minimize the presence of the better half.
We all have two bosses ... the one at work and the commander-in-chief at home.

Tanks.
Alexa

My wife came with me on three jobs, each more than six months. We rented a house for one, a loft apartment for another, and a trailer-house for the third.

All three of these jobs were in IA. One in Clinton, and we got into a nice neigborhood, the other two quite rural.

Alexa makes a good point about understanding the area you're staying in... I did NOT even have my wife visit me in Binghamton, NY... I walked one block to buy a six-pack, and turned the corner to see the paramedics hosing blood off the sidewalk in front of the liquor store...

Steve S

Also, if you don't have kids, sometimes you can get a spouse on the job as a firewatch or helper, or even something administrative, if you get along well with the boss. This gives her something to do, and adds to your income.

I didn't do this with my wife... She's an avid reader, and was perfectly happy to be "Susie Homemaker", taking care of my needs, like food and laundry, which I have to worry about myself when I travel alone.

Also, being 2000 miles from your wife on Christmas Eve sucks.

Steve S

To whom it might apply.

Not as a recommendation ... but only as information, depending upon where you are at, and the risks involved, but during lengthy stays away, some workers find temporary 'spouses'. This can lead to complications though.

Alexa

Hey,

Alexa, If you dont mind me asking, What Country are you in?

Mick

Whete can I find the welding codes and procedures to follow for ASME section IV and AWS D1.1

Or which ever code they use to do a regular test for tig/7018

AWS D1.1 is a structural welding code. I have an outdated copy of ASME IX, wich deals with boilers,pressure vessels, and piping, which is closer to what you want. It's a lot of horribly dry reading, but has several pages on the preparation of various test joints and testing methods, with diagrams and formulae.

It's in .pdf for Adobe Acrobat. PM me an e-mail address, and I'll send you a copy.

Steve S