I agree; some of my best friends are welders. My best "money makers" are some of the "worst of the worst" welders, and everyone of them is the "Best Welder Around". If you don't believe me, just ask them!
I wrote the above paragraph and I just had to laugh out loud as I did so. Why is it that the worst work usually comes from the self-proclaimed "Best _______"? Just fill in the blank with; inspector, mechanic, welder, ........
There are some really great welders, inspectors, engineers, etc. that we all have the pleasure working with over the years. Usually, you hear of them long before you meet them. "Their reputation precedes them" as one ironworker once told me. It's always an honor to work with them and to be able to associate ourselves with them.
As a welder, I always like the jobs with the "best" inspectors, because they made sure the work was performed to high standards and the welders that couldn't or wouldn't perform got run off the job in short order. It was job security and it allowed the good welders to do the job right.
As a welder and as an inspector, I find that most of the problems can be traced back to a foreman or other management that wants the job done fast at the expense of quality and if there isn't an inspector around, fast is the way it will be done. That isn't to say all contractors are the same. The contractors that have been around for years are usually the ones that do it right the first time, because the cost of repairs is what puts many of the fly-by-nighters out of their misery. Darwin was right, only the fittest survive, and in the world of contracting, being "fit" is doing it right the first time, every time.
I have a job that I'm working on right now where I overheard the steel contractor tell the general contractor, "Yea, every welder knows we're supposed to keep the lo-hi electrodes in a hot box, but no one ever enforces that requirement!" The general contractor turned to me and said, "Al, I don't care what the owner wants for inspections, I want you on this project everyday if you can fit it into your schedule, even if it's for an hour. I'll pay you if the owner says your visits are too frequent!"
Buddy, you just met the AWS Structural Welding Code and the grim reaper that knows how to read it! Let the fun begin!
"Hello Dear, book another week in the Caribbean, this job is a money maker!"
Here's to the true craftsmen of our profession! Those welders that can produce welds that are subjected to third party NDT and accepted on a consistent basis have earned the right to say, "I am a good welder".
Best regards - Al
AL
"I wrote the above paragraph and I just had to laugh out loud as I did so. Why is it that the worst work usually comes from the self-proclaimed "Best _______"? Just fill in the blank with; inspector, mechanic, welder, ........"
maybe its a psychological superstition ...if they say it enough times maybe it will become true! LOL
"there is no place like home, there is no place like home, there is no place like...."
After inquiring why they had an oven plugged in that didnt work, The foreman told me it was working yesterday. Then he proceeded to say that he was going to get a working rod oven when they welded the joints that needed x-ray. Nice....
BUSTED
By cwf07
Date 10-07-2007 21:46
Edited 10-07-2007 22:09
I got 3 50lbs rod ovens on my truck and they can checkthem 24/7 and the rods will be hot.I plug them up on every job and when I get home.The only time they are not plug up is when I am driving down the road or in motels.