I had a sit-down interview for a fabricator position recently that went very well and received a call back a couple of days later. They wanted to have me come back and actually weld something instead of just talking about the job details and look at project pictures. I was pretty excited about it.
After my last experience with a weld test I decided to ask as many questions as I could from the advice I was given here:
Do you have a WPS?
What type and thickness of metal is it?
What type of fill material will I be using?
What gas mix and flow requirements are there?
What position is the weld to be in?
Should I bring any special equipment or tools along?
The only reply (and first hint that I should run) I got back was.... "Bring your hood and an open mind. You'll have 20 minutes, either you can weld or you can't."
I went anyway. I repeated the questions above when I talked to the shop foreman, still not firm answers. He handed me two pieces of, what appeared to be, 3/16" low quality cold rolled steel from the scrap bin and plopped me down at a table with a Hobart Beta 200. He tacked them together and then to the table in true YouTube fashion (No hood, just closed eyes and ZAP). Vertical, Uphill, MIG. I had 20 minutes to run a 12" bead. No sweat.
I checked the machine quickly. It had 6 settings for voltage and no conversion chart, no ID on the fill spool, and the regulator was set to wide open. Great.
I blew through on my first attempt, way too hot on setting #4. Backed it down to #3 and it balled up a bit in the center, nerves were playing with my technique. Ran a stringer just to check penetration on a flat section away from the joint and it seemed okay so I went at it again. Started out okay but was holding too much heat in the corner after an inch or so and the fill rod was melting before it added to the leading edge of the puddle. I stopped again and increased the wire feed rate slightly to force it in there. That seemed to work but it wasn't pretty. Worked my way to the top and the foreman came back when I put the torch down.
It wasn't what he was looking for.
He showed me how he would have done it and I can't put into words how he welded uphill. I'll try.
He reset the heat and wire feed to where it was and started a puddle on another scrap. When it started to burn through he would whip the torch up the joint and then back down to the puddle as it cooled slightly. He did this for about 4 inches and handed me the torch back. My jaw hung open behind my hood. I've only ever seen stick welders whip a puddle like that and I've never tried to do it that way. There was so much spatter and inconsistencies of the weld that I can't fathom it would pass any kind of strength test. However, it was what he wanted.
He had me try one other task but I was ready to cut my losses and run after seeing how they wanted it to be done.
They offered $15 per hour with a $1 raise after six months. The hours were 7-3:30 at the shop for preparation. Travel required, anywhere from local to MD to Mexico depending on the job. 10-14 per day when on the road anywhere from 2 to 14 days away at a time.
Needless to say I didn't take the job. I'm beginning to see that local shops have a "my way or the highway" attitude with no regard for AWS standards or structured testing.
It would have being a learning experience for sure.
M.G.
Depending upon many other factors involving your exact situation and money flow, sometimes it's worth it for the experience. You may also find people to be accepting of learning some things themselves.
But, after a couple of weeks, if there are no changes or you find even more negative factors then for sure pull the plug while there are no roots holding you there.
Were they running a spray arc or just very hot on the short arc transfer? Not that it really matters at this point.
He Is In Control, Have a Great Day, Brent
This was definitely a learning experience and I'm happy to have as much of them as possible.
If I were in a better financial position I would gladly take a step down on the payscale ladder for honest-to-goodness work experience but that isn't the case. There isn't a safety net to help if any job doesn't pan out so I have to be careful not to sink my family as I try to change careers. Until something awesome comes along I'm going to have to keep busy on the side and get as much practice in as possible.
The machine I was set up on had as many settings as a base model 115v MIG machine could have. Generic voltage settings and a ramped wire adjuster knob. The only other switch was seam, stitch or spot weld setting. It looked like he was running it hot and whipping the torch up and down with a slight pause at the puddle instead of running a consistent bead light I was taught.
Sounds like a place I would have chosen to stay away from.
Looks like you more than likely made a wise decision.
He Is In Control, Have a Great Day, Brent
Great Info. I can relate to that somewhat. Not long after I got out of t he Navy I went to a place in Memphis that built some material handling equipment. He gave me a couple of 3/8" plates and told me to weld them uphill. GMAW with 75/25. I set the machine where I could control the puddle uphill, tacked the plates, and he gave me the go ahead. I welded part of the plate up and he stopped me. He indicated he needed to show me how to weld vertical. He proceeded to trigger the weld all the way up. I told him I probably wouldn't fit in well in that environment.
I don't mind working somewhere that the organization may not know the correct things to do. I just don't want them to force me to do them wrong.
Gerald
Your last sentence couldn't be more true. I've seen several places that focus more on the look of the weld than the strength of the finished product.
I recently turned down an entire job because the shop wouldn't pay the time to fit all of the parts properly. Every weld would had to cover a large uneven gap and I wouldn't do it. The guy that took over the job didn't have a problem so I lugged my machines out and he rolled his Oxy/Acetyl bottles in and got to it.
Can't win them all, won't compromise on the quality of my work.
I'm not much on waving code flags if that's not my job description and I appreciate the position of the smaller company trying to navigate business. Sometimes cutting corners is a path to discovery. And I really appreciate the "bring an open mind" comment because I require one of those on the part of my employer. But the welding test you describe is waving the crazy flag and I'm going to weigh in with the others and say you might be better off looking elsewhere.
You deserve credit for going above and beyond the call of duty and seeking out the process related questions that you posted at the start of this thread. Every welding professional preparing for a job interview might want (as a minimum) to ask about the materials, processes, and thicknesses the prospective employer welds. It is also sometimes wise for some welding professionals to ask if the prospective employer's customers require conformance to any particular code or industry standard.
Many companies have achieved some progress with their ability to provide information to both current and prospective employees; but, there is always room for additional improvements.
My hope is that we will someday see a decrease in the cost of information - maybe technology will help us. But, plain old printed media is also effective.
Some welding schools keep a lot of useful information in their libraries.
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