Thanks to everybody for a GREAT forum! I really mean it, you guys are awesome. It is really comforting to know that I have this huge, "worldwide" body of mentors to turn to, as I have many times, through the forum search. Seems like anything I need advice on I can find in a past forum (except for the situation described in the OP of this thread), and it is an invaluable resource. I need to apologize for seeming impatient. It's been really busy here at my new second home and I have been posting on the fly, I will try to be more responsible.
To finish up this thread and give any details for those who may need advice on this in the future, here is what I came up with for my WPS:
-ESAB metallurgist says that when welding ASTM A148 Grade 90/60 steel casting to an ASTM A513 Type 5 tube, the use of a FCAW E81T1-Ni1M filler metal is a good choice. It just so happens that this is
indeed what the guys had used in the past, but nobody, including our engineering department, could tell me how they came to this decision.
-ESAB guy, the welding engineer I talked with, and the literature I have on the ASTM A148 material all recommend a 500-600 F preheat, the shop wasn't doing that in the past.
-Amps, volts, and WFS are all per ESAB Data Book recommendations. On my WPS, I always put a "permissable range", which I get from the manufacturer's recommendations, and below that I always
include "optimum settings", which I get by taking readings on the more experienced welder's machines as they are welding. I have had several compliments from the newer guys on this, it really helps them
when setting up a machine for an umfamiliar process.
-Still not requiring a post weld heat treatment, this seems to be a kind of gray area for the engineers. We have not done this in the past on these weldments, and have had no problems. I am open to any suggestions or experience related guidance.
-We are doing a Procedure Qualification Test now to back up this WPS, per ASTM A488 directions, hope this goes well. Hope to hear back from the testing lab next week.
Thanks again guys!