Welding Certification test Q&A and tips and tricks
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r.west
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    Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:54 pm

my heads about to bust from all the info im reading...so let me ask a noob question..i have my D1.1 welding cert in gmaw.a-36 base.1/2 thick 3g 4g also my gtaw cert in stainles and mild. 1/16 thick 1g..ive got 3monthes left at school. what should be my next goal to tackle or cert to knockout...maybe im having a info overload...
kermdawg
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If it were me I would get stick cert for unlimited thickness and a 6g pipe cert. That with your existing certs would make you a very well rounded and qualified welder.
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rickbreezy
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A great structural cert to have would be AWS D1.1 2,3 and 4g position, 7018 with backing strip, on 1'' (unlimited) steel.

A great pipe cert to have would be a 6g cert, unlimited, with a tig er70s2 root(which i think is the most common filler wire for carbon steel tig pipe welding.)

Jobs in the transportation industries, are more prone to test for aluminium(aluminium is used in transportation alot becuase of its high strength to weight ratio, and cheapness compared to.... Stainless steel or magnesium) I don't know the particulers here, but anything is better than nothing.

In my area, the first two test are considered normal, "journeymans" test certs, so these will be usefull no matter what.

Anything else you can pick up along the way, can't do anything but help you out even more.

good luck,

-Rick
kermdawg
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Doesnt either 3g or 4g qualify you for the rest(1g/2g) for structural welding, or isnt there a combo test you can take that will qualify you for all the other positions like 6g pipe does?

If your gonna get your 6g pipe cert for mild get it for stainless too. Tig isnt used a -whole- lot for pipe, and when it is its usually just for the root/hot pass.

Another cool cert to get would be orbital welding if they have it at your school. Thats one of the sweetest welding jobs you can get :)
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rickbreezy
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The 2, 3, and 4 g test ussually takes the cake in structural work. I don't know the code very well, but I do know that this test outweighs other tests, at least on the jobsite.

Kermdawg brings up a great point.

Not all certs are the same. there is no reason to take a several different pipe tests when you can just take a single 6g test, which is above all other pipe tests(except the 6gr which means 6g restricted)

So maybe ask you'r instructor about it, and try to take the tests which are more......upper level, becuase at the end of the day the whole is still worth more than the sum of it's parts.

What i mean is, an employer will be more impressed with a single 6g cert, than 4 lesser pipe certs.

-Rick
r.west
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hey thanks for all the feed back an advice you guys are grate. My instructor at school dont say or teach much.but you will weld all day hands on prep and weld tig stick mig flux dont matter. just run plates. mess up run another. But sometimes i feel like im missing alot. i gotta say i get alot from this website...so thanks agian.
kermdawg
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Everyone learns differantly. I had the fortune of havin a couple very loose lipped guys teach me how to weld so I could sit there and pick there brain. Thats just how I learn. See if you cant bug your teacher and ask him any questions you have. Thats what your payin for to go to school right? This aint high school, sit down shut up and leave me alone. Your actually trying to learn something useful here :) and payin damn good money to do it. Get your moneys worth outta him cause after your done with school its feet in the fire bro.
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kermdawg
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The AWS SMAW 4G welding certification procedure specifications are almost identical to the AWS SMAW 3G welding certification procedure specifications. This certification is very similar to the 3G welding certification with a few exceptions. The first main difference is that the AWS D1.1 4G welding certification certifies you to do fillet welds in the 1F, 2F, 4F, positions, and groove welds in the 1G, 2G, 4G, positions, but it does not certify you to weld in the 3F and 3G positions. By taking the 3G and 4G welding certifications together, it certifies you to weld plate in all positions, and to do fillet welds on pipe with a minimum diameter of 24 inches. When taking these certifications together it also put them into a single procedure. The other main difference is more customary then a procedure specification that involves horizontal and overhead welding. When doing horizontal and overhead welds they are typically done in stringer beads verses flat and vertical welds using weave
I got that off a website so I dont know how truthful it is :)
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