need some advice!

Date 02-05-2009 04:08

Well welcome to the forum. It really depends on what you like best. But learn all you can because the more you can do the more job opportunities you will have.

By david shade (*)

Date 02-05-2009 04:14

ok thanks. i really would like to do pipe! or thats my goal!

By OBrien

Date 02-05-2009 04:30

Well go for it. Make sure you can put a good root in with tig and stick. If you can get stainless down as well thats a bonus. Pipe is the way to go in my opinion. It just seams more natural to me than structual.

By Superflux (****)

Date 02-05-2009 17:49 Edited 02-05-2009 18:01

A couple of "old sayin's".... "a pipe welder can weld structural, but structural welders can't weld Pipe" (often times the pipe test will certify you for many structural applications ie. limited thickness grove and fillets, but the reverse is not true) and "pipe welders can fit, but pipefitters can't weld"...This is very true!
Learn and become the best you can at ALL Processes. Knowledge (and proficiency) IS power in this business.
good luck in your career choice.

By david shade (*)

Date 02-05-2009 18:44

so its not even worth getting your 3/8 cert then? with pipe i can say i am good with walking the cup but i have not had much time with it and my program is over in like 6, 7 months.. ANY ADVICE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

By Superflux (****)

Date 02-05-2009 19:40 Edited 02-05-2009 19:45

david shade

Rule #1 Learn and become the best you can at ALL Processes. Knowledge (and proficiency) IS power in this business.

"so its not even worth getting your 3/8 cert then? " If they have one there, learn to operate a Stud Welder (and if the opportunity arises, show a fellow student how to set it up and run it), never know when you might have to use one!
When it comes to learning anything in this business, as my experiences has taught me, there is no down time, it is ALL GOOD!

To amend my post, an open root pipe cert (6G) will Not! certify you for AWS CJP on plate, just as say FCAW does not certify for SMAW.

You can be the best student your scool has ever produced, but when you enter "the real world" is when you will discover how difficult it can be applying all that knowledge and ability to the "production environment". I'm just saying, that after entering that 1st shop after Tech school (IMHO, an above average/ excellent student welder) was when I came to realize I was just an apprentice in a master's workshop!

Always refer back to rule #1 no matter what it is your school has to offer.

Enjoy,
John
Soooo...all I'm getting at is, spend the next 6 - 7 months with rule #1

By david shade (*)

Date 02-05-2009 20:33

thanks for the advice. just feel overwhelmed because school is ending soon and i am trying to fit it all end!!!

By darren

Date 02-06-2009 09:15

relax
trust yourself
believe in yourself
try your best and tell the truth
your gonna do just fine
darren
oh yah and have some fun while your doing it

By david shade (*)

Date 02-06-2009 18:51

WILL DO..THANKS.. so when it comes time to take a welding test for a job how picky are they? i took a cert test to day and i was just over a 32 of too much undercut. I passed this cert already but when it came time to bend them for school he said the test strips were to narrow, but we bent them anyways and they all passed 2 3 4 g!

By bullsnbets (**)

Date 02-06-2009 19:53

Given the current situation in the job market, I have been looking around to see what's out there. I've noticed that almost all employers are looking for multi-capable (combo) welders. I do have my own rig and do "chase pipe". But you never know when you may have to suck it up and do the "single hand" thing. I rigged my truck up with a tig set up today.

IMO, to answer your question, with things the way they are right now, I would DEFINITELY try and learn as much as I can in order to stay one step ahead or atleast right alongside the next guy. Times are gettin tough and the job outlook even tougher.

By david shade (*)

Date 02-08-2009 02:58

that is not good news at all.. I want to weld pipe or get really good at it. I was told to get at tig the root and hott pass and stick eveything else out.. I tried to look for jobs but i dont even know where to look.

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 02-08-2009 23:01

David, I'm not experienced in the field like these guys are but have immersed myself into learning all I can. A bad habit I have when I really get into something.

What I've learned so far. Lots of folks looking for welders who can tig the root, some I have heard tig the hot or tig all the way out. Tig stainless, aluminum bonus, bonus. I've also seen lots of jobs out there in the shipyards, usually at this site http://www.roadtechs.com/ Most of those are jobs doing FCAW with ceramic backing, something they ask you if you have experience with. Me, I ran mig the other night at school, 28V's and I stunk up the place pretty bad. Been a long time since I've run the big wire/heat....you know what, I could'nt give a rats behind about the mig anymore.

Talking with these guys like I have for the last 6-8 months, I know I don't wanna do the shipyard thing, sounds like alot of trigger time. Get to know your uphill/downhill pipe. I'm actually doing downhill myself trying to get gas certs. I'm with you, I dig welding the pipe. Another place that has been mentioned on here for jobs was http://www.rigzone.com/jobs/ I've seen some structural jobs there mostly. As far as the shipyard thing goes I know I've seen pipewelder jobs on there, most are 5 years plus experience and shipyard experience. Don't know how to go about getting your foot in the door to get experience though.

Like these guys said though, the more you know the better off you'll be. As far as your 3/8" plate tests if your doing 1" then that'll qualify you for unlimited down to 1/8" . I did my overhead 1", cost me the same for the test as 3/8" except I got more out of it. As far as I learned, my opinion is that the smaller stuff lets you practice your cap pass and get it good. The thicker lets you practice stringers all the way out, what I learned is you have to pay attention to how you lay your stringers in so when you get to the top your not piled up on one end and barely over even on the other, being consistant.

Like I said, not nearly as experienced as these guys but this is just what I know now. Hope something I've said will help out, keep poundin' that rod!!

By david shade (*)

Date 02-09-2009 01:06

thanks. yeah the thing is how to get your foot in the door. Im just gunna keep doing what im doing get as good as i possibly can. Hopefully something will turn up when the time comes around for me!

By Superflux (****)

Date 02-09-2009 13:27

Hang in there. This is the slow time of year, typically by summer (when you finish right?), budgets have beeen approved, bids are let and things have thawed out most of us road whores will be back at it. Remember one thing, unless you live in Houston, Philly or a couple other areas, your going to have to travel. Field welding Pipe (where the big bucks are) some times calls for relocating to less than desireable places. I tell people there are 2 kinds of pipewelders, those who travel and those that are broke all the time.

Getting passed HR or "headhunters" can be difficult. I know that when I'm involved in the initial hiring process (first phone call) all I want is some one that can pass the test and has a willingness to work and learn. If I wanted to see a "Golden Arm" do nothing all day, I'll roll-up my right sleeve!

If you can, try to start making things a bit more difficult to access, after your fully competent at that position "on the bench".

By david shade (*)

Date 02-09-2009 23:30

thanks superflux.. im willing to do whatever it takes!

By Blaster (***)

Date 02-11-2009 04:03 Edited 02-11-2009 04:23

Haha Superflux... ; )

Ever seen a pipe welder or boiler tube welder try NR 232 (or any E71T-8) on a beam splice or beam to column connection.... good times ; )

My tips:

Practice bevel grooves on structural, not V grooves.

Practice with restricted access and at awkard elevations.

Weld outdoors.

Become a master with the torch and air arc.

Work on your math, layout, print reading, fitting skills, and production speed.

Practice with decent sized electrodes.... don't overlook 5/32" and 3/16" rods.... almost anyone can weld the little stuff.

Don't waste much time on plate, instead work on structural shapes like pipe, angle iron, square tube, and beam.

Don't take 1G and 2G for granted... plenty of "all position" welders wrestle with UT in the flat, and visual in the horizontal position.

Make fillet welds to a specific size and measure your results with a gauge.

If you are going to weld plate, weld light plate... the heavy stuff is cake.

Do all the destructive testing of your welds that you can. Even just burning them open with a mechanized torch can teach you a lot about your technique.

By Superflux (****)

Date 02-11-2009 05:10

Blaster,
XLNT points... and yes even in the fab shops, maybe 1 out of 10 can make a nice looking 2F H-beam to base-plate weld.
I just don't get it. Mostly apathy and laziness.
I'd like to think that those participating in this forum, especially the up and comers are/will be different

By JTMcC

Date 03-11-2009 01:31 Edited 03-11-2009 01:35

I know this is an old post, but I must of missed it the first time by, and we are using some 232 right now so I saw it today.

But, yes, I've seen pipe welders (experienced pipeliners) run 232, once we got everybody (and I'm no 232 guru) to stop trying to weave wide like a LoHi all went smooth. We tested pipeliners who'd never heard of 232 the day before with great success. My bonehead method was to set the LN-25 at 175 and while they ran a bead uphill I cranked up the voltage until all was happy, happy.
The only help they got from me was (and like I said, I'm no 232 guru) don't try to run it cold (these guys don't run anything cold) and make sure you have a nice semi circular slag shelf following you.
They probably would of done better without my help ; ) but within an hour everybody was ready to test.
Everybody, including me, had a hard time mentally adjusting to the funky, wrinkly look, and looking slightly down with the gun, plus it's hard on gloves untill you get everyone a long gooseneck. But otherwise we had good success with the wire. Deposition rates in vertical up are higher than 3/16" LoHi flat, we like that.
I do think the wire runs much easier on the Lincoln Vantages than it does on Lincoln engine drives with the CV module. I'm going to try different settings on the anger management knob which functions as an inductance control in CV mode, so far I've run it on straight up zero but I'd like to crisp the arc up somewhat so I'll spin the dial tomorrow.

Anyway, experienced welders can pick this wire up relatively fast with a an engine drive Vantage in my limited experience. It's different in some ways, but a puddle remains a puddle, and heat remains....heat. Some of these guys have welded a tube or two during an outage or several as well ; )

JTMcC.

I'll add that a Miller CV engine drive will probably work fine too, just that our experience is with Vantages and SA's w/module.