Welding Tips and Tricks

Cut this out today...

Must've used a "funhouse" mirror..
Steve S

Looks like some kind of modern art. Probably better hang on to it. It may be worth millions!

hmmmm. crappy stainless weld, lighter, tape measure. trying a new technique? BTW: Bic/Tape Welding? Looks like it didn't work out too well on this run, might I suggest using a mechanical pencil to feed graphite for filler metal?

Hey,

Thats messed up,

How is it, ehen you have to tick all the boxes to work on these trailers, that this kind of work exists ?

Mick

Mick,

This usually happens when some small dispatch yard needs to make a repair on an in-service trailer. They usually only have one or two mechanics. A proper repair would require hiring a contract welder, so the shop manager asks his mechanics if they think they can fix it. No one likes to say no to that, and you get crap like this. It fixed the problem and didn't leak, so it was "good enough". (This only happens on "atmospheric" trailers, as they are far less strictly regulated than hydrogen.)

When it's taken out of service for rehab, we get to cut crap like this out and fix it right. I've seen ten of these dog-shit welds on one trailer. Most will look "okay" on the easy to reach parts, with the mirror portion boogered up like this. Some are bad all the way around, and few are ever backpurged.

@ nathan,

I took this pic at home with my miscellaneous crap in the background. I don't think the mechanical pencil idea would have helped this guy!

Steve S

Wow - that defies description - even your favorite of crows stuff on barbed wire does'nt cover it ! I've got bits of boat handrail hotter than I intended in like 1mm & thinner tube & been real annoyed with myself - but thats on some decent thickness stuff - you could have stick welded that if you really had to just to fix a leak or crack in a difficult spot & got better results - it must always amaze you how some of this stuff held together as long as it did - still at least you can justify a good wage to put things right if that is what has been accepted from so called qualified guys - you really must be a rocket scientist !

I'm no rocket scientist (though the hydrogen and oxygen work is kind-of related ).

During a rehab, we pull all the external piping, and have the opportunity to fix crap like this on the bench. There's a few position welds during re-assembly, but this job has me and a few others here well-practiced in mirror-welding. We also have the time and resources to do it right.

BTW, that pipe section is sch. 10 304, and has been repaired at least twice (note, in the inside view, there are two more welds with no root penetration, where a short section was replaced. We replaced the entire run to re-route around a new air-ride suspension, and I cut this out for a "souvineer".

Steve S

Steve,
It looks like I didn't leave any identifying marks on that. No, just kidding, not mine. But we did have an older fellow that was in the shop when I first started that would have been proud of that weld. He was way bad and didn't care to get better.

Worst part is, that some trailers are coming back from rehab with that kind of stuff left in place. I now work with the gasous Hydrogen trailers and the guy in charge of them thinks he can save money by doing a "minimum scope" retest/rehab. You wouldn't believe what's coming back.

I repaired on the road a door holdback/ handrail with a 5/16" bolt to get the trailer into the yard and ready to go to retest and it came back with it painted and still in place. It promptly ripped out on the second trip and had to be purged and made non-explosive to be welded at the local terminal. 24 hours of purging and vacuuming. I bet he saved a bunch on that minimum scope rehab, ya right.

They tried some shop in NC I believe that my three teenage kids could have done nicer work. But it was cheap and they only had to have half of it redone. Oh well I should look at it like a manager and say "It is what it is" (which is code for I have no idea)

Len.

Len,

I've only seen one GHY tube trailer here, adding the equipment for cell-tower fuel cells. I was equally amazed at the lack of workmanship in "field repairs". The anti-tow system was a cobbled-up joke! And this company has the best maintenance in the business! Makes you wonder how the other guys do it...

I also sometimes do the DOT inspections. You know what the form looks like. The actual DOT minimum form is less than a page. Makes me wonder that Aire Liquide hasn't had a major accident... They sent one to us with an internal leak, that also had a PB coil leak, who's "fix" was a sweat-sock tied around the leak the driver would pour water on before opening the coil!

Finding that internal leak was a real adventure, involving a chain of failure including a bad repair to a vacuum break between the annulus and the VJ piping...

Steve S