[zoomer428]

Im still in trade school, first year as a matter of fact. I bring home welds a lot to show one of my uncles that does pipeline work(not a pipeline welder but hes been with his company for years now) and everytime i show him a weld he always says their trash. now i know im no magician with a stinger and i dont claim to be. but even my instructor/fellow pupils of my trade say my welds look good. I come here asking to see if these welds look ok or not because when i do get out of school, id like to join him as a welders helper and hopefully move on to welding in a few years of learning. i just dont see why he calls my welds trash when others will tell me the opposite. thanks for looking and im open to criticism.

3 pass 7018 stick

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Mig weld my friend bent to test strength

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[cj737]

As a new student welder, your welds look good. They need to improve to be "great" but you know that. And time under a hood will bring that.

Your top pass is not burnt in on the "left edge" (as you look at the picture). Remember, what ever you do on one side of the head, you do on the other. Meaning, count 1,2 then whip to the other side, count 1,2 then whip. Maintain your stinger angle and speed, and your welds will look like Jodys in no time flat.

And your Uncle is intimidated by your progress

[Farmwelding]

Welcome to the forum. Does your uncle weld at all or is he like many other great weld critics who say welds are garbage despite the fact they have never dropped a hood and ran a bead themselves. Your instructors will help you along and keep that hood down and the welder on and you'll get better pretty quick.

[AndersK]

Buy your uncle a pair of glasses

[rick9345]

Your uncle probably from a generation that doesn't or doesn't know how to compliment others.
My father never knew praise only how to criticize. Took me 40 yrs to realize.

[PeteM]

I don't do it because I've been where you are and didn't like it, BUT There are people, lots of them, who will tell you that your welds are junk as long as you live Because- if you have to ask... they're junk. And some people are just disrespectful.

Don't let it bug you. Keep your head clear. Make sure your procedures are correct and consistent. Once you've run enough plates and bend tests with consistently good results you won't ask anymore. You'll know that they were good.

I could be misreading the picture so take this fwiw-
1. Keep the arc strikes in the weld zone, about an inch forward of the weld, then drop back and form the pool exactly where you are going to start the bead.
2. Put in a slightly larger root pass. Small root pass makes people put the second pass down too flat to try to get the right throat size, then the third pass ends up low with a funky tie in to the second pass.
3. Inconsistent electrode angle- Those variations between a pointy pool and rounded pool aren't necessarily a failure, but you don't want that lumpy inconsistency. Too much angle any you have poor penetration, too little and the pool will run in front of the arc and cause crazy spatter. Find that sweet spot and keep it.

As my old instructor used to say- "Think happy thoughts. If you're rattled, it will show up in your welds.".

[Olivero]

I was pretty much selftaught in welding but my boss is a 25 year sheet metal worker and has been welding for ages doing all types of work. Even for Intel once for their acid production line and he is good, like GOOD.

I would come in every now and then and ask him and he would say pretty much the same thing but as time went on, it got better and better and now its fairly decent. Been welding for 3 years so I still got plenty of years to go but after a while, I stopped asking because well, who cares?

You ought to know what a good weld looks like and it either does or doesen't, some guys will be really critical and some wont but in the end, and when I say you ought to know I mean you don't have to know right now but eventually you will, just keep practicing and moving along, no better way to practice than to build things, teaches you way more than your settings on the welder and angle of the rod.

[exnailpounder]

Tell your uncle to post a few pics of his welds so WE can rate him. You're doing a great job. As rick9345 commented, your uncle may not know how to compliment anyone. My mother and father were both like that. I think that's why I try so hard to be a perfectionist. Be your own worst critic and you no one will be able to dis you. Great job!

[Otto Nobedder]

The only time I intentionally seek the approval of another welder is when he is teaching me something. A little time on facebook welding forums will show you how selfish people can be. I had the opportunity to take close-up photographs of welds on an engine removed from the space shuttle Atlantis (25 missions to space), on display at KSC. I posted them on FB, with "what do you think?" just as troll bait, and sure enough about a hundred came out of the woodwork to tell me how shitty they were. These same a-holes had the nerve to be angry at ME when I told them what the welds were. How dare I post welds that weren't mine? Mindless attempts at distraction.

Set your own standards, and be your own worst critic, and you'll never go wrong. I post only one kind of weld... Informative. Sometimes it's what went right, and sometimes it's what went wrong. I no longer care what the peanut gallery has to say, because they don't sign my checks. [edit] Sometimes I post "here's what I was doing today" just to share a project, but there's no close-ups in those.

Steve S

[exnailpounder]

The only time I intentionally seek the approval of another welder is when he is teaching me something. A little time on facebook welding forums will show you how selfish people can be. I had the opportunity to take close-up photographs of welds on an engine removed from the space shuttle Atlantis (25 missions to space), on display at KSC. I posted them on FB, with "what do you think?" just as troll bait, and sure enough about a hundred came out of the woodwork to tell me how shitty they were. These same a-holes had the nerve to be angry at ME when I told them what the welds were. How dare I post welds that weren't mine? Mindless attempts at distraction.

Set your own standards, and be your own worst critic, and you'll never go wrong. I post only one kind of weld... Informative. Sometimes it's what went right, and sometimes it's what went wrong. I no longer care what the peanut gallery has to say, because they don't sign my checks. [edit] Sometimes I post "here's what I was doing today" just to share a project, but there's no close-ups in those.

Steve S

Hey Steve...I would love to see some welding from the shuttle and I bet alot of others would too..could you post a few up for us? I got a shuttle project coming up soon

[Coldman]

You're probably already doin it welding all them beer cans together

[rick9345]

Be your own worst critic and you no one will be able to dis you. Great job!

1st one to see the weld is you,most welds will never be seen,other than by you.
Some high dollar gov't/critical welds will be 100% inspected. If you are tasked to that kind of work your welds need not be critiqued.
It is just a learning curve, your on your way.

[motox]

do yourself a favor and don't show him anymore welds
but when you graduate show him your diploma!
craig

[GreinTime]

The only time I intentionally seek the approval of another welder is when he is teaching me something. A little time on facebook welding forums will show you how selfish people can be. I had the opportunity to take close-up photographs of welds on an engine removed from the space shuttle Atlantis (25 missions to space), on display at KSC. I posted them on FB, with "what do you think?" just as troll bait, and sure enough about a hundred came out of the woodwork to tell me how shitty they were. These same a-holes had the nerve to be angry at ME when I told them what the welds were. How dare I post welds that weren't mine? Mindless attempts at distraction.

Set your own standards, and be your own worst critic, and you'll never go wrong. I post only one kind of weld... Informative. Sometimes it's what went right, and sometimes it's what went wrong. I no longer care what the peanut gallery has to say, because they don't sign my checks. [edit] Sometimes I post "here's what I was doing today" just to share a project, but there's no close-ups in those.

Steve S

Hey Steve...I would love to see some welding from the shuttle and I bet alot of others would too..could you post a few up for us? I got a shuttle project coming up soon

They were fucking awful.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[exnailpounder]

Welds on the space shuttle were awful? Now I gotta see them.

[Otto Nobedder]

Sam's right. Cosmetically, the welds on that engine were no better than the stuff I post, and I shake like a Chihuahua trying to pass a peach pit in a blizzard.

I only have a few pictures, but I'll try to dig them up after I finish eating.

Steve S

[LtBadd]

Here's a photo I took at KSC, not real close but enough to see the few welds on the larger pipe below the bellows.

Waiting to see yours Steve

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[exnailpounder]

Hey Richard...what was your impression of those welds? I am going to withhold comment...for now

[LtBadd]

Hey Richard...what was your impression of those welds? I am going to withhold comment...for now

Well obviously they must have passed NDT, however they sure weren't done by an orbital machine. Looks like they were TIG welded by hand, wouldn't pass for weld porn.

[exnailpounder]

Hey Richard...what was your impression of those welds? I am going to withhold comment...for now

Well obviously they must have passed NDT, however they sure weren't done by an orbital machine. Looks like they were TIG welded by hand, wouldn't pass for weld porn.

I would have expected a higher standard on something like that. Hell I have seen better welds around here but I guess they were good enough. I wouldn't be happy letting something like that go out the door. Now all I have to do is wait for NASA to read my post and call

[Otto Nobedder]

I got sleepy after I ate, and forgot to post anything...

This one got spanked by the trolls.

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[Otto Nobedder]

I didn't realize I had so few close-ups.

This may be the same weld Richard posted, but close up...

[EDIT] On review, this weld appears in Richard's post, just barely right of center near the top of the image.

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[Otto Nobedder]

...and one more.

[EDIT] I "think" this weld appears in Richard's picture as well, on the same pipe as the last, the next weld down, but taken from a different angle.

Having my niece work there and personally guide my tour gave me great access.

Steve S

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[Otto Nobedder]

I guess we've now completely hi-jacked zoomer428's thread...

Steve S

[exnailpounder]

Thanks for putting those up Steve. I sure would have expected better( looking) welds. They obviously held and did their job but there are guys out here who would cut their balls off for a shot to weld for NASA and the ones that do....don't look like they care too much...Just my opinion from what I'm looking at.


Sorry about the thread-jack Zoomer