I have been working in my shop for 7 years now and have started to pursue my CWI. We are a small fab shop that has started to take on much bigger projects, and I think that it would help us grow if I got a CWI. I have no plans on leaving since I am the longest running employee and my father in law owns the shop. I can't help but look at the growth involved if we increased our credentials. the most that I have discussed this with my boss was not much, but he offered to pay for the study materials. My main question is if I pass the test, is there anything that I can do to help the company without working under an experienced CWI first? It costs a lot of money and my main goal is to expand the company, especially since I will likely be running it at some point. Any info is greatly aprreciated.
Chuck
When you pass the CWI you do not have to work under a experienced CWI. The test will determine your ability to inspect welds to a standard. Learning how to develop welding procedures, testing welders, etc is something that comes with time.
I would highly recommend the program because once you learn how much you know you can then determine how much you don't know.
kkfabricator
Sure there is a lot you can do for the company/Family. For one you would be bringing proof of your ability to inspect welds. If you continued the education and testing there is no telling where you and the company could go. In todays market the little shops are having to grow, to do this requires more stricter Quality requirements. Idle minds are not good if you have a desire to learn and welding is as they say in your blood now then by all means do it.
Good Luck
Marshall
thanks for the input. Like I said I just wanted to make sure it was worth it before devoting so much time and money to it.
Even if you have no aspirations to become an inspector, there is a lot to learn from a CWI review seminar. The body of knowledge that is studied is applicable to welders, inspectors, as well as engineers and designers.
I suggest taking the D1.1 review rather than the API 1104. AWS D1.1 is applicable to a broad range of welded products. If you have no experience working with a welding code I suggest D1.1. D1.1 is self-contained, meaning you don't have to refer to several different codes to derive an answer to a welding requirement and it's concepts can be applied to any type of structure that isn't pressurized.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by attending a seminar in preparation for the CWI.
Best regards - Al
kkfabricator,
By all means go for it! If nothing else, just because of the personal/professional growth.
Due to the myths and misinformation surrounding the welding field, many excellent welders after taking the CWI seminar/test, discover they did not "know" as much as they thought they "knew".
D1.1 is probably the code to test on. API 1104 is not as small as it once was, and in fact has doubled in size in the past 20 years. That, plus there is no index in 1104 to aid in retrieving info quickly on test day.
Having a CWI but not using it is like being a benchwarmer in professional sports ...you might not be playing, but at least you know you are good enough to have made the team, which is better than most!
The api 1104 code book is only 76 pages. The D1.1 is over 400. I took my test with the 1104 and got a 98%
Its alot easier to find answers in 76 pages esprcially if you tab the sections beforehand. It doesn't matter what
code you test to your original license just says cwi qc1 . The CWI seminar gives to much information in to short
a time frame to properly study for the test. I bought the books studied on my own for two months did just fine passed 1st try.
I know at least 5 other inspectors who all took the aws seminar for 2,000 and all failed. they usually set the seminar up the week before the test date
just to much info to comprehend in to short a time. I helped two others study for the exam and both passed first try ., save your money
buy the books and study on your own.
The only way the Seminar provides too much information in too short a time frame is if the person taking the seminar is unprepared to take it...
If your expectation is to take the seminar without having a very good background in *everything* covered in the seminar than you are wasting your time and money.
Becoming a CWI is something that takes most people years of preparation to achieve. Years on the shop floor working with various processes and codes. Years of inspection or years of academic study.
The purpose of the seminar is to help very experienced (you can't sit for the test without verified experience) people and give them a brush up on things they already *should* know by a HIGH LEVEL EXPERT.
The high failure rates prove the value of the certification!
To the original poster............. Go for it.. You will enjoy the study and prep... You will enjoy the seminar. (just don't be in too big a hurry) and you may find many many ways for that CWI cert. to help you and your employer.
just a minor thing, to my knowledge you could sit in and pass the test with 0 days of experience. However you can't get your Stamp without 3 years of verifiable experience.
that's the issue I ran into, I stalled off on getting my CWI right out of college because I was still short half a year of verifiable experience, so even if I passed I would have to sit and wait.
Signed up to take the test soon.
The failure rate is almost 70% I agree with you that someone with alot of experiecnce might be able to
take the seminar and pass. as far as the 5 years of experience AWS does not require Notarized verification
by former employers to prove the 5years. API requires notarized verification. In my opinion you could put down anything
you wanted on your application as they aren't going to check it out anyway. AWS just want's your money and when you
fail the test they will gladly take more of it. I've met inspectors out in the field who don't have a clue what they are looking
at when inspecting a weld. Have never made any type of weld in their life but posess a CWI license. I studied for my test
every day for 3 months while recovering from a hip injury. I had over 20 years welding and fabrication experience and had
worked as an inspector for several shops. The test was not that hard because I took alot of time to prepare for it. I don't
think I would have passed with only a one week seminar.
In my opinion a CWI brings a feeling of confidence to potential customers about the shop.
I would get it, it has Proved to be valuable in the job market.
Along with getting the CWI become familiar with Documentation, State, Gov, contracts usualy require lots O documents.
NDE is always a plus so id look into snt-tc-1a
Chuck, Good advice from all above. Would mainly just like to add my voice to the 'do it' list.
We are a small family welding shop, I mainly use mine for in house QC. I was really amazed at how much I did not know about what I 'said' I was doing in my shop.
It has also opened doors to do third party inspections with a company in our area who has inspected my welding on several jobs.
QC does not mean no one else will have to look at your work for a customer. The certification does mean you will have a better idea what those inspectors are looking at/for and why they have marked certain items for repair.
It has many advantages, but it may take time to see it really come around.
Have a Great Day, Brent
kkfabricator
I do not recommend that you get a CWI certification just to prove you can pass the test. You could spend your money on the Certified Welding Supervisor, and get a more relevant job experience evaluation.
I say this because you say "...is if I pass the test, is there anything that I can do to help the company without working under an experienced CWI first? It costs a lot of money and my main goal is to expand the company, especially since I will likely be running it at some point. Any info is greatly aprreciated."
You also say that it is unlikely that you will leave the company. ("I have no plans on leaving since I am the longest running employee and my father in law owns the shop.")
If the CWI program had any real value to make you a better "Company Quality Control" officer, then I might advise you to get the CWI credential. You might be better off spending money and time learning quality systems and taking some of the AISC related courses through ATEMA Solutions, if those fabrications are of a structural nature. Take ASME type review courses, if the company fabrications involve pressure equipment or pipe welding.
A course on AWS B 2.1 would probably be handy to learn the ins and outs of Welding Procedure Qualification as a general rule that will eventually span the industry.
A course on the Federal Acquisition Regulations would come in handy if your company is going to expand into federal and even some state contracts.
OSHA outreach courses can save your company a lot of money as the company expands, exposure increases and safety issues arise.
Labor Law courses at a local community college can help you as the company expands and personnel problem exposure liability increases.
It might sound like blasphemy coming from someone on the AWS Certification Committee, but the CWI credential just for "bragging rights" is not necessarily a good idea.
Joe Kane
I for one would definantly encourage you to obtain your CWI. I had the oppurtunity to obtain my CWI certification in February of this year, and I'm glad I did. My situation is a bit different than yours, as I work for a fairly large corporation which paid for study materials, siminar, and hotel accomadations. Passing the test, and having a CWI on staff should certainly help your shop attract business.
Laredo
Go for it by all means, it will open lots of doors! take the 1104 code exam, you will be glad you did. I can recommend a training program if you need one.
i would greatly appreciate it inspector001. I am at a standstill for the moment
I think once you studied the material and went through the seminar you would stand back and realize how much you learned. Even though this is just the beginning it will help you in the long run.
I have been certified on ASME section IX GTAW and SMAW for several years and have welded my whole life. While recuperating from foot surgery I decided to attend the 2 week seminar at Hobart Welding School. I studied my ass off for 2 weeks and passed the exam but part B almost got me. The advice others have given about studying for 2-3 months is what I should have done! but I made it.
I was told the success rate at Hobart was 70% but only 12 of the 28 of us passed. The lead instructer told me he didn't know what happened and was not happy about the outcome.
Study hard, stay sharp and be prepared before you take the test. Good luck!
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