which Certification

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 06-04-2009 15:15

Honestly it depends on what kind of work your looking for

Looking for pipe work... 6G

Looking for structural D1 unlimited

Bridges D1.5

Certs are pretty spendy... If you have experience on your resume' that you can count in years.... I would be a bit shy about plunking down the money for certs. If you are a greenhorn and very new to the trade than a cert may get you in for a test where a person with limited experience and no cert would not get a chance to test.

A good resume with no big holes in it and a recommendation from a former supervisor who can attest that you work hard and show up on time every day will give you a leg up. Plust being able to pass that test when you get your chance to take it of course :)

By stkwldr (**)

Date 06-04-2009 15:32

I've been welding now for almost 16 yrs and have owned my own welding business for almost 6 yrs now. Things have really started to dry up now and I'm thinking Maybe i should get a bridge cert and try to bid some jobs. The problem is if i do not do any approved DOT work in 12 months, then I have to retest and shell out more cash. With D1.1 I can also bid a few jobs and maintaining a work log is alot eaiser. Testing is not the problem, its the "plunking down the money for the cert."

D1.1 is $275.00, 6G is $175, and the bridge is $100 per test plate (three test) pluse each have the $25 paper work fee for card. I'm just trying to look towards the future in the work that may be available.

rs

By Francisford (**)

Date 06-04-2009 18:59

I have had my state (oklahoma) cert 6G since 86. I have only had one welding job that didnt require a test. It has helped me get lots of interviews and given the chance to take that compnays test. I would try to get all of the certifications that I could afford to get. It doesnt always mean that the person that has the card can weld but people will usually give you the chance to prove weather or not you can weld.

By raftergwelding (*****)

Date 06-04-2009 20:13

i know it seems like alot now but 175 for 6g is cheap i worked with a guy that went and took the 6g test in corpus christi on 4'' heavy wall pipe and it was 400.00

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 06-05-2009 00:28

$400, wow. I talked to the guys up at the test lab in Nashville about ASME certs and to get procedures/tested they said they start out around $1200-$1500, CWI I was talking to said ASME was a big money pit. They said they can do an x-ray and give me a report for $90, that's just an x-ray report, don't know how much weight that carries.

As far as certs I guess it depends on what welding makes you happy. I like structural ok, but enjoy the heck out of pipe for some reason. I know I don't want to be down in some ash pit somewhere sweating my ash off either.

By strother (***)

Date 06-05-2009 00:16

what state are you in ? Georgia DOT doesn't cost anything but you have to supply pipe , plate , and everything else. 3G & 4G plate 1" thick
& 6G 6" sch 120 or 8" sch 80 covers everything from jack and bore to bridge work.

By stkwldr (**)

Date 06-05-2009 02:19

thanks for the replys,

Oklahoma is the state. DOT they furnish the plates 100 dollars a set, but you cannot cut the straps there on site you have to take them to be saw cut and bring them back so they can bend the plates and etch the t joints. The third party test labs test for structrual and pipe, they supply everything from rods, plates or pipe nipples, and they cut and bend the straps.

rs