This is truly scary!!
It's the 2 bit hacks like this that keep us working. I have a big problem with scrappy suggesting that inspectors can't hack it in the trade. I have an AS in Welding Technology, BS in Welding Engineering, AWS CWI, and AWS CWE, and yet I weld everyday. I don't inspect my own work, and I don't qualify myself, just to keep the "conflict of interest" out of the equation. I have my own fab shop and rig, and I spend 20% of my time fixing crap that was hacked together by these guys with 50 years of experience and the "magic" way of fixing things. The only reason that you have not seen your work fail is because the company you work for calls people like me to fix it right the next time. You guys are like the snake oil salesmen, push your "magic" dust and get the hell out of dodge before anyone knows its crap. Codes and standards are out there because people have been injured and killed by others doing things wrong. If something is determined to be unfit for repair, we decline the work, and then 2 bit hacks like you can come in and fix it on their liability. That's ok with me!! Even if you have done it without failure 1000 times, that 1 time it does fail and someone gets hurt, you're out of business, and your assets are tied up in court for years. Again, that's ok with me. Maybe it will not be someone your close to that gets hurt, but maybe the hack that welded the trailer hitch on the truck hauling that boat in front of your suv thought it was ok to use 309L, heck it's made to join steel..right???