my mistake
Henry
got what was coming to them
sincerely,
Kent
btw: Brent nice response, total class,always my respect

I think this twit is trolling!

Oh wow, this guy is a real gem. The Golden arm of all golden arms. Loved the comment, "hanging upside down off the scaffold". Scaffold, haha!!

Another golden arm runs out of the hot air of self impotence...yea I spelled it correct.

You don't seem arrogant-- anybody with a bit of justified arrogance would have walked away from the test you originally complained about, and, been better informed about the company and the test beforehand.
Ignorant, and seemingly fixated on your unrecognized expertise...YES!

"Silicone"...
1) It's put on the rods to slicken'em up so they'll feed better!
2) Shoulda "ungrinded" that there bevel and then "regrinded" it.
Woof... What a lively thread this has turned into.

thank you,
Lawrence
well put
sincerely,
Kent

Floyd, so far, everything he works on costs more than someone's worth

Al,
well put
thank you
Brent is a good person
sincerely,
Kent

Hacksaw,

Hope you read this. 

Look, all other things aside, I respect all the various welding people on here for what they do, INCLUDING YOU.  Pipe is no easier than anything else.  I just decided it wasn't what I wanted to do.  How many of us have tried to weld 20 ga because, I'm a welder, I can do that, and blown it totally?  I have.  I'll admit it.  Had to learn some new things to accomplish it with any quality.

Notice too, that the intent of what I said infers that we are all arrogant.  Aren't any of us who really put ourselves into this profession and try to be good and 'think' we are among the best.  Some even think they ARE the best.  So be it.  We are proud of our abilities and what we do.  With good reason.  America and the world is built by us.  From pipe below ground, to high rises a thousand feet above ground.  From space shuttles to submarines.  From micro-chips to nuclear reactors.  From PLAIN CARBON JUNK IRON to EXOTIC METALS. 

You are right, many of us often form opinions from things we hear from others around us.  We also develop vocabulary based upon what we are subjected to day in and day out.  And inspectors are no different from the welders in forming opinions that their particular phase of the industry is the best and they are the best at it.  Oh if it were only so.  Fact is we are all still learning and trying to keep food on the table.  We like to brag and make sure we are better than the rest. 

It is sadly true of all of us.  You are not worse than me and we all need to work together.  But some things break my straw and send me over the edge and some of the things you said did so. 

Now, small shops?  Maybe you should check out what I actually have been doing myself, not my shop for the past several years.  I work on projects like Hospitals, high rises, 2 mil gal spherical water tanks, etc.  Currently, I am a TPI in a shop that is international and has 1000's of employees with 4 shops just in AZ working a project that will be over the top in scope.

As to making any money on the truck racks... the shop was making 200-300 per year of them with only 1 guy on it at over $300 each.  Most average about $4-500.  And you can do that in less than half a day and spend the rest of the day doing handrail, equipment repair, structural steel, etc.  You are right, low skill, good place for college kids to start out though.  Learn layout, measuring, angles, use power equipment that the school didn't have, and get fair at welding.  You seem stuck on the pictures on my website.  That little shop generated my family some very good income for almost 20 years.  With a small community as the base of operations.  If you want to keep on attacking what you perceive as my line of work then go for it...I'm proud of what I have done in this community putting people with 'LOW' skills to work supporting their families and learning how to improve and go on to other parts of the country where they could make some real money doing larger projects.

But while we had others working the shop here we have been providing for ourselves with the inspections work around the country.  And, enjoying every minute of it.  Isn't that the real object?  Do what you love, enjoy doing it, and share knowledge and experience with others?  And hopefully provide well for our families doing what we love. 

Well, I've run full circle on this one.  Just my two tin pennies worth.

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent

Don't weld on boat trailers or truck racks, don't work in a small shop. My shop is my brand new truck. API and AWS certified with my own company. My bread and butter is on the AWS side though, make more money doing it than welding pipe. Apparently in your world AWS only builds handrails, truck racks and in the shops/rig welders free time he fixes lawnmower decks. That's fine by me, you keep imagining the AWS world just like that and I'll keep working on the stuff I'm working on making killer money. You said, "If you can make any money doing it". I know guys who do what I do that charge up to $2000 PER DAY! Sounds like good money to me.

You came here to gripe and like most of us here we do that upon occasion. Reading your initial post I just can't imagine walking into the environment you claim to have entered and not questioning everything about it. Rusty filler rod, bevel angle, what code am I testing to. Farm Code welding with farm code bevel angle and farm code filler rod would get a farm code weld. You sound so knowledgeable, spouting fancy names for metal pipe, boasting about failing tests because a gnat took a dumper in your weld and they picked it up on super duper ultra high definition mega gamma ray inspection and yet you don't ask the "Derelict Inspector" about the rusty filler metal? You skip over the whole improper bevel angle question? On top of that you don't even ask what code you are supposed to weld to?

Then you come here and blast guys who have been here for years who try to help out who probably read your initial post asking the same questions in their heads as I did. In short, you failed to ask the questions or question the "inspector" on what was made available and point that out, "this don't look like a 37.5 degree bevel", "why is this filler metal all rusty? Been storing it in the swimming pool?" "what code am I welding to? Off the hip code? In your inflated ego, glory world you found out that you are not as smart as you thought you were and you failed a test. Now in order to keep yourself in your enlightened and elevated world you need to find that scape goat, the "Derelict Inspector" who let you test using rusty filler metal, improperly beveled pipe and equipment used to weld the Ark. You failed a test, big deal, what are they going to do, take away your birthday? Blaming somebody else for failing to recognize or point out the issues prior to the test is your fault.

My advise, quit welding right now. Obama still has two and a half years in the White House and you seem to have a talent for blaming others as he does. I'm sure he could find a cabinet position for you immediately.

Sage words of advice son... As usual Al, Brent, Lawrence - you all hit the nail right on the head...

"It seems that I have offended people with my comments ....But honestly, none of these rude, arrogant, comments came from my own brain . These are all things that I have heard API's say to welders, on the job. If you walk into his office and tell him that you have been welding on lightweight structural iron, he's going to call you a garbage can welder, and slam the door in your face. Most don't even recognize the CWI as anything. It gets ugly in the piping business sometimes. But you won't have to deal with any of it, as long as you stay in the small shops and weld on truck racks and boat trailers....If you can make any money doing it."

However, whichever way any of us choose to respond to his comments still won't change the way this person's ignorance, narcissistic attitude, or his hypocritical arrogance lessen anytime soon and that's the sad part of this thread... The boy just doesn't get it and probably never will... Sure I would like to think positive and hopeful that one day he might have an epiphany of some sort and consider the merits of practicing humility as well as showing respect towards other folks he may consider strangers...

The fact is that more than likely he's going to remain the same as long as he maintains the attitude he currently has towards anyone who schools him to correct it and offers an olive branch like Brent did... And we all saw how he responded to that! Maybe one day when he's all alone, because no one wants to put up with anymore of his foolishness, he may consider changing his attitude and maybe not... I for one hope he does yet realistically speaking, the chances of the happening are about the same as my chances of actually winning the lotto power ball style! Oh and hack! Weldcome to the AWS Welding forum!

Respectfully for the most part,
Henry - It's my real name.

The most important lesson I ever learned in the course of 27 years working this trade was given me by a man forced to work past a reasonable age of retirement.  He told me, "Precision teaches Humility".

Those words are inscribed on my primary tool box as a personal credo.  They dictate my entire approach, methodology and modus operandi.  They are a silent whisper every time the hood comes down and the lights go out.  I am mind full of them at the start of every challenging step of a job.  I am grateful to have received them.

To this day, all these years later, I still wish there was a way to thank that old guy for passing on such insight.