Pipe welding certification

Date 12-11-2003 13:46

Hi Mathius,

We employ a good number of pipe welders. To be well rounded we look for welders who can get certified for the following:
1 - open root SMAW on carbon steel (E6010/E7018), diameters 2-7/8" and over.

2 - combination GTAW/SMAW on 2" XXH (1/2 GTAW, 1/2 SMAW) using ER70S-2 and E7018.

3 - combination GTAW/SMAW on 2" XXH (1/2 GTAW, 1/2 SMAW) using ER309L and E309L

4 - GTAW on thin wall stainless (2" sch 10). Fused root, 316L fill & cap.

As you can imagine, these welders work primarily on industrial projects with carbon steel and stainless steel being the most common materials they weld on. Once a welder has passed all these tests and shows a good attitude, he/she qualifies for top pay. As the situation demands, we pick welders for other certs (aluminum, nickel alloys, copper alloys, titanium, etc).

When we get involved in pipeline projects, the welders involved receive training in downhill techniques and they have to take the "owner's" certification tests.

Good luck.
Charles Hall

By jon20013 (*****)

Date 12-11-2003 14:09

Mathius, in my personal experience, I would strongly recommend GTAW process with stainless steel. That will also introduce you to purging concepts. Also, just speaking from personal experience, as an Inspector I would encourage pipe welding be done with GTAW process at least for the root and hot passes. I know I may take some flack for this, but I think if you can master that process application the other processes will be much easier to learn/develop.

By Michael Sherman (***)

Date 12-11-2003 14:13

I am going to back up Mr. Hall on this. His answer is almost to the word what I would suggest.

Mike Sherman
Shermans Welding

By boilermaker (**)

Date 12-15-2003 15:16

Mathius, if you're going to learn to weld with GTAW, learn how to freehand first, then learn how to walk the cup...if you're proficent in both techniques, your value as a welder also goes up. Learn how to weld with either hand equally well. Lots of tig welders I know can do it only with their dominant hand...Believe me, the worst thing that can happen in the real world is having a tough weld because it's on the off-hand side of the tube, and asking someone else to weld it for you..
Regards,
John

By MBlaha

Date 12-16-2003 04:41

Or even worse Boilermaker, being too stuborn to ask for help and welding it. Then when the weld does not make X-Ray or leaks and they send someone else in to fix your mistakes. Your name is written in the colums in paint stick, not soapstone LOL.

What Local are you out of if you don't mind my asking. I am a member of Local 107.

Mike

By boilermaker (**)

Date 12-16-2003 15:21

Mike. He he he...LMAO...Yeah paint stick, not soapstone...been there before....I'm out of local 60

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 12-16-2003 15:23

I've seen those markings too! Funny how they won't let you live em down.
John Wright

By boilermaker (**)

Date 12-16-2003 15:26

I was up on the beloit job for about three days...."struggled" with my stainless...o.k....Fought my stainless and they got my money...oh well. the hour and a half drive was already getting to me.

By Mathius (**)

Date 12-16-2003 09:16

John,

Thanks again for your advice. I'm already signed up for another welding class before I get in the pipe class, where I hope to spend my time exclusively in TIG, with a better teacher this time around.

I can see the advantages of what you're saying with using both hands. I only spent 2 nights in my last class on TIG, and that's the extent of my GTAW experience, and I already spent some time switching. For a beginner, one of the most frustrating things is trying to manipulate your welding rod so it doesn't melt down to your fingertips. I am right handed, and I immediately found that I can follow the tungsten easily with my left, and since I write with my right hand, I can manipluate the rod a bit easier with that hand, so I am already practicing a bit with both.

One major frustration I had, was I was using thick MIG gloves to weld with. I tried freehanding it for a while, but it got too hot. Since then I have bought some thinner TIG gloves for the next time I encounter the GTAW process again.

I wish I had spent a lot more time with acetylene welding in my beginning class. I had a knack for it, but only spent 1 night welding and 1 night cutting. I wish my father's regulator hadn't gone on the fritz on his oxygen tank, or I could practice at home. Acetylene welding is very similar to GTAW and its a lot cheaper for a setup.

Any beginners out there in TIG, I recommend you get some thinner gloves that allow for dexterity, and if you can afford it, get yourself a small acetylene setup and start with that if you can't afford a full GTAW setup.

Mathius

By tab_1999 (**)

Date 12-24-2003 01:51

Hi, Don't get too attached to oxy. acet. welding after you get the basic idea as to how the coalescence of 2 metals works.
Freehand welding is tough for someone with out very steady hands, therefore a person tries to put one or two fingers on the pipe holding the T.I.G. rig steady. I used to hire welders from hobart and finish training them to the SS TIG process as those sch 10 metals weren't readilt available there. They showed me an item called a finger stall designed by one of the folks at the school who sold them for a couple bucks. Good investment to learn that aspect. Walking the cup can be practiced anywhere to get used to the "rock & roll" aspect. Use a tig cup and hold it between your right thumb and index finger and rock and roll till you get the hang of forward progression "comfortably". Trust me it not only helps but saved several thousand "sharpening of the Tungstens" If you can get a whole tig head w/tungsten, practice it that way before you fire it up. Good Luck!
P.S. Dont take welding lightly. Welders that do find themselves becoming full time travelers.