John,
Having been in the trade for 35 years, I'm not really surprised at what I see anymore. My next statement is probably going to cause some flak, but we are all entitled to our opinions in this Forum, so I will say it any way. 20-30 years ago, when the welding technology was not as advanced as it is now, a welder was supplied with "not as modern" equipment as is the norm today. Then, it took a lot of pride and skill to produce really exeptional welds. Most welds were manually done, with equipment norm for those days. The welders of those days figured out ways to do things to get good results, knowledge was shared, new techniques were being developed using old technology. The welders of today, God bless them because they are great welders, but they don't realize how much more technology and modern equipment is available to make their job easier. I see welders in this later day and age that will absolutely refuse to pick up a grinder and grind his weld, but will gripe if his fitter does it less than what he likes. I have been in this trade for over 35 years, my father who is 26 years older than me was a welder in the Union as was his brother. I've seen, as many of the experts in this Forum, the great strides welding and welding technology have advanced just in the last 25 years. As a Welding Engineer, I have personally seen how much it has advanced, and even participated in developing some of that technology. My point is, the ability to produce good welds is much more expected today because of all the modern assets abailable to today's welders. When something less than perfect happens, a lot of today's welders are at a loss of repair methods. Hence, the example of this welder chasing the crack from Dallas to Houston. (extreme example) It is a fact that welding and welding technology has advanced more in the last 25-30 years than it has in the last 100+ years. The welders of today are great, but just hope that they all realize the dreams and desires to develope the industry of yesteryear, are what makes today's technology available. My compliments go out to all welders, old and new. I hope all of this makes sense. Sometime my brain and typing fingers don't always work in conjunction with each other. ;-)