I started pipe downhill last tuesday. Going for my api 1104. This monday, after two days, well around 6 welds I guess I was beating myself up saying, hey stupid whats the deal you did your aws. My teacher got me over in another booth to run out a root pass. I asked him about something he said about a guy he saw welding pipe one time that would literally push so hard that he would bend the welding rod. I said ok, what the heck are you pushing? Then he said you gotta get the rod in the keyhole. I've been doing that then I watched him run a rod and the little lite bulb went off in my head!! Ohhhh!! Your blowing the arc into the pipe, keeping the end of the rod about flush with the inside of the pipe. He said, yep. I told him I've been running it above the land or there abouts, now that explains the blowing out the bevel issues.
So I went over and butted the two pieces I had done up already and been using a 3/32 5P+. Wow!! What a feeling when you get it. I was practicing on a 5" sch 40, left overs from a building we gutted. So confident, I went and dressed up a 3" piece, first run excellent, second side...yikes!! I think I was a bit to hot, had machine up around 60-65. Last night though, man I was poundin them roots in there and love it! I did find out why you pipeliners have those pancake hoods though. Curling my body around to run the root in, turning my head to the side and going to the bottom I had a loud noise in my left ear then YOWWWW!!! Little flaming 6010 grenade right in my ear!! I put an ear plug in for the rest of the night, but only the left ear. I found that it's kinda hard to hear that noise with both ears plugged!!
So just wanted to get on here and say how cool welding pipe is....having a blast. Told my wife I look forward to driving 130+ miles round trip three nights a week. Oh yeah, ordered a pancake from Wendy's, no more flaming ear canals for me plus I've been getting flashed some how and tired of the gritty eye feeling.
gives you a " I see the light kinda feeling " when it all comes together doesn't it, thats how I felt when I figured it out. good for you!!! Keep up the good work!!
On the root keep all the light and sparks on the inside of the pipe. That way less comes flying at you. I hear you though once it clicks its a night and day difference.
Ah yes, I remember the job where the gorilla welds started looking more like wedding bands, its a good feeling.
I always keep in mind that the next weld can always look better then the last. There is no substitute for a Journeyman willing to give a cub some real hood time.
Good for u Shawn, that's cool when it clicks isn't it!!! A bit of advise from someone who helped me that i wont forget, keep the fire inside the pipe and rip into it!! And when your having a bad day just remember it's just pipe. don't for get to practice running 1/8 5p+ also, more common size. keep at it!!
Yeah, I'm gonna practice more hear at home using my machine on the truck...since I have to go to the test site to have a cwi watch for the test. I figure I really need to go back to the 1/8" so I can get good at it, now that I know what I'm supposed to be doing I think it will get easier. One things for sure, I told the teacher I'm starting to get confident about the root and he said, "that's the thing you want to be confident about, everything after that will fall into place". Now I'm looking around my shop at pipe, square tube thinking, hey, I can open root that!
Question, API 1104 that's the high pressure gas pipe? How critical are they about the 1/8" root opening? I know guys on here prefer a 3/32 and actually my teacher prefers that too but on the actual test what's that like? I'm getting pretty good at getting my highs/lows taken care of after I torch cut the bevel and getting a real good fit up so there is as little variation around the pipe. Teach said you'll never have it perfect 1/8" all the way around though.
all depends on the inspector and what they want you have to ask them the inspector i tested with was easy going told me gap it like you like it grind it all you want lol i could of passed it blind folded but then again it was just a plate test but still depends on the inspector if you going with a 1/8 gap i'd run the root with 5/32 5p+ but leave yourself a good landing
When I first started I had no landing(did'nt know) but was also not pushing the rod through so I was blowing the bevel bad. I did have some that penetrated and ran a nice root...somehow! Now I put a land on it, use a file on the bevel instead of the grinder. Gotta say my fit up has been so much better doing that and it don't take to long. From reading on here it sounds like each inspector is different. We had teachers in auto/diesel school about the same way. Some would want you to memorize every aspect of the vehicle while others would say, "you'll have books out in the field, use them".
when you get out in the field most test are timed i suggest getting used to a grinder
Oh yeah, I got that part down. I've built a bunch of handrail in the last year and the grinder is the next thing used as much as the welder for touching up, cleaning and so on. On the pipe I'll tack it up and put it in the 5g and run around it with the grinder hitting my tacks. Then run the root and grab the grinder, teach said it don't have to be perfect and he gave me a quick demonstration on how he does it. Before he did that I was making it perfect. He ran it around real quick knockin off the high spots and said,"just like that, you'll burn the rest out." Ok.
yup thats all it needs no 1 sees it after it's welded anyway trying to be perfect is hard to over come lol
The Xray operator see's it, so does the film auditer.
They see everything : )
JTMcC.
and the inspector after you nick and break it... I always grind everything out of it on a test... and I have my helper grind a little more than the other guys do but it only takes a few seconds longer... I figure if its not in there you don't have to worrry about burning it out.
oh and on your gap 1/8" is pretty wide.... I like mine 1/16 to 3/32 with a 1/8" rod. I run it at 190/45-55
Wednesday night I started using 1/16" gap with a 3/32 rod and 3/32 with the 1/8. I agree with the not in there don't have to worry about burning it out.
here's a tip, practice your root pass barefooted, hurts like hell but you learn to keep your weld on the inside.Good luck!!!!!
Where are you going to school at, if you don't mind me asking?
Going to Tn Tech in Nashville. Actually was only planning on going for the short time it took to have a welder see what I was doing wrong on my 3g/4g. After my first night he says you need a filler pass after your hot, then cap it. Two days later passed my 3g. Then I got into wanting to tig, then thought, hey how about pipe and so the story goes on..
I was wondering if you might have been attending the one here local to me in dickson. At the Tech center in Dickson, the instructor is an ole ironworker, he's pretty damn slick. I've made friends with him and try and stop and see him when he's teaching. I like just shooting the sh-t with him, as it seems I always pick up another trick or two.
congrats on the coming together. I know how great it feels after all the hard work is over and welding is just a habit instead of a chore. When i was learning, and still am, nothing seemed to ever be perfect for me because i had to have everything perfect and one day something just clicked when i was on the job and all i wanted to do after that is weld. So congrats man and keep up the good work and remember we never stop learning.
Correct. We never stop learning. We can always get to a new level. Glad you found the beginning of your journey! Carry on!
I'm always for learning more. Working on cars/trucks/equipment as a mechanic I always volunteered for schools/training. The pipe welding to me is like the holy grail, so many different ways, up, down, 2" thin wall, 2" heavy wall and on and on.
Actually coming along pretty quick. Teach showed me the cap pass last night, said I still had the 7018 motion stuck in my hand. Watched him run about 6". Tonight I thought my roots passes sucked, but at the end of the night he said they looked good, burned em' in there. Showed him my cap and he said they were much better and the height above the pipe was great. I told him the motion I have is insane when I'm sittin there running the rod and laying it in there I'm laughing thinking about how this works and it looks pretty good, the motion though, Teach said, hey whatever works that your comfortable with that looks good. He suggested I go look at some of the meter sets and check out some of the caps on those, told me mine looked better than the ones he's seen on the meter sets around the school. That's a good boost to my confidence, can't let it go to my head, just have to do better than what I am now, always my toughest critic, constantly pushing myself.
I remember those times in class when its going so good. Shawn you just keep practicing and practicing because the time will come in your career when you'll be in a tight spot against a wall with no room to nod your head or worse. And boss wants to know how long 'cause x-ray is waiting and you'll feel that little knot in your gut. Well, that's what all this time in school is preparing you for. You'll look at that joint and say to yourself," No problem". When it looks easy, that's because it is. You're doing well Shawn!
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