Has anyone else been to a shop where the facilities were so poor you couldn't even lay a decent bead. I just got back from testing out in northern Indiana for a major tank manufacturer, and I was given two half inch chunks of rust on a rusty table in the middle of a 20' rusty plate that was the ground. When I tried to switch the ground I was told I couldn't move it because they had welded it to the plate, but the arc wander was so bad I didn't even have control of anything. I had to walk out of this place because there is no way anyone could produce code work out of this. Two other guys had about 20 yrs experience each and I am still pretty new, but we all had the same problem. All this did was waste my time and make me look bad because of the horrible product we all put out. Does anyone have some tricks of the trade to stabilize the arc, outside of switching to a/c, grinding to fresh metal, or putting the back of the plate to the ground? Just want to be prepared for the next crap fest shop.
The only quick trick I can think of that would fit your situation would be to unhook the work lead from the machine (since it's welded to the table on the other end) and get as many wraps around the table leg as you can get and still reconnect it to the power supply.. This sometimes has a positive effect on arc blow.
Your prolly are better off elsewhere anyhow eh?
Jeez....familiar ring to it....boiler/tank shop I quit three times in three years (always a phone call 1-2 days later) comon back will bump you up to straw boss pay/.... will bump you to supervsor pay etc. But basically it was a friggin miserable place to work....turning out code work from NOTHING...30yr old machines lots of sledgehammers...absolutley ZERO safety (life in your hands at all times).....as far as I am concerned you did yourself a favor by walking out!!!!! Its funny I work with a fellow on aircraft now that i worked with way back then...he stayed there ten years and never broke 10 bux an hour.....I passed that the second year I was there.....OMG to this day I do not have the heart to tell him...and he is a good hand IMHO! There are quality "heavy" shops out there don't waste your time with the obviously dying "old ways" ones!
You probably won't gain a lot of "usefull" experience but will probably gain a lot of new scars.
My $.02
Good Luck
Tommy
I think I'd have chopped that weld on the ground clamp and repositioned it my dang self. Then turn out some good work, tell them "This is what good welding looks like" and walk away. Doesn't sound like a very good start, and if it is some kind of personality or character test then you're prolly better off not working for folks like that anyway.
Were you paid to take this test? I have been told that under federal labor law, a company must put you on the payroll to give you a weld test. Matbe it will give you gas mileage.
I'm wondering if what you saw represents the entire facility, or did you only see the "weld test area"?
My line of thinking is that maybe you were given an impossible situation to see if you could cope with it? I can't imagine why anyone would do that deliberately but stranger things have happened.
It's probably best that it didn't work out. Safety alone is enough but if they don't care about the product they probably don't care about you. If they will cut corners on work practices they will cut corners on safety. Being fairly new to welding that is just not a good situtation to work in to better or further your career.
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