Welding Tips and Tricks

I was going to call ASME but I know of you guys deal with these daily. I am currently doing a cert test to ASME 1X but I am wondering is this enough.

Background.....I work in the food industry and in my particular department we have many pressure vessels (tanks and pipes) steam heated water pipes for the most part same for the tanks. We currently use a contractor but with my skill level they are looking to bring more in house. I currently do all the sanitary process piping along with just about all he fabrication and repair.

Does the company need to look into an R Stamp? I honestly do not know if the contractor holds it or not but after seeing some of the repairs I question it... We do have 2 boilers but they are currently outsourced which will continue as far as the tubes etc...

Any vessel that's certified by an ASME "U" stamp manufacturer gets an "R" stamp when it's repaired. Vessels that are certified will have a data plate with the "U" stamp, mfgr. National Board number, capacity data, MAWP, date of original test, and other miscellany. Any vessel that's been repaired will have an additional data plate with the "R" stamp, board#, co. name and date of repair/retest on it, for each occurance.

The piping is a different animal. No "R" stamp is required on repairs. As long as you've been properly qualified, and have a qualified inspection/documenting procedure in place, you should be fine. Most of my piping repairs only require me to be qualified. I DO have one coming up where I have to be certified (and I am), because the test pressure is 9600PSI, but I'd have to do some reading to see if that's an ASME thing, or (more likely) a customer specification.

I've also done steam pipe for a reputable ASME shop, and I only had to qualify, not certify.

To the best of my knowledge, your Co. will only need the "R" stamp to do vessel repairs/retests in-house.

There should be a few more answers come along that will clarify and confirm or refute what I've written. Braehill does similar work to mine, but is higher up the "food chain", so can likely give you more detail.

Steve S

Rick,
I've read Steve's response and I didn't see anything that I can refute. We normally use an outside contractor to do boiler repairs for liability reasons. Piping is done in house by our certified welders.

@Steve,
The food chain has us all hanging at the same level when the sh!t hits the fan. You just can't see who's on the other side of the chain from where your at, that's all.

Len

"like"
damnit!

I repair boilers and piping in central Florida. My company is required to carry an R stamp to weld on the pressure vessel itself, or in piping between the boiler and the first header valve. I must be, and am certified to weld on those areas and related piping. (6g sch120) To weld after the first header valve you only have to be qualified.


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Thanks guys, I had a long talk with the welding inspector at the test facility and he basically told me the same thing. I just want to "CMA" because I know the contractor is not overly happy to see more of the work he use to do be brought in house and in my hands.

Walking the cup with my weak hand (LEFT) had been interesting, but I have actually felt pretty good about it. This will be my first 6g test, and from I get so far they are going to make use walk the cup the entire time. Friday I spent all day walking the cup and doing beads around 2" schedule 80...man that will wear you out after 7 hrs!

@ Steve...9600psi damn!

True story.....I tested a guy once that came in and bragged about being certified to weld around 10,000psi. Now remember, this guy, although very nice, would not stop bragging about being the best and certified. One of my requirements is to weld a piece of pipe to a piece of plate. The welder is responsible to set the machine and when he is done, I fill it with water. If it leaks you fail..... He failed.
-Jonathan

I've known to many of those guys.

Makes me want to tear something up, just thinking about it, all the trouble they've caused me.

~John

Superiorwelding wrote:True story.....I tested a guy once that came in and bragged about being certified to weld around 10,000psi. Now remember, this guy, although very nice, would not stop bragging about being the best and certified. One of my requirements is to weld a piece of pipe to a piece of plate. The welder is responsible to set the machine and when he is done, I fill it with water. If it leaks you fail..... He failed.
-Jonathan

Was his name John Ketch?

Long shot, but...

Rick_H,

The test will not and should not specify "walk" vs. "freehand".

The test has parameters you must follow, but the method is NOT among them.

ASME makes no distinction.

Do what feels right. If anyone argues, tell them what to go do with themselves. Tell them to show you where the WPS says you can't do what you're doing...

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:



Do what feels right. If anyone argues, tell them what to go do with themselves.

Steve S

Great advice.
Could've saved me from tons of problems.

Man....

~John

Braehill wrote: @Steve,
The food chain has us all hanging at the same level when the sh!t hits the fan. You just can't see who's on the other side of the chain from where your at, that's all.

Len

I prefer not to think of myself as "low-hanging fruit", but I do see your point...

Steve S

I am probably going to really catch it for this, but I tig welded up a flaw in the (welded) seam on a very old 1 gallon or so pancake propane bottle, and after several years, me, the patio, the bbq, well, we're still here.

Years ago, I welded 2 spin-on oil filter housings from Cat 235 excavator engines. They were about 5 or 6" 'round & about 12" long. I wanted to make a small air tank. They had 1/8" pipe plugs on the 'bottoms''. I filled the tank with water, screwed in a "tee" with a guage & a grease fitting. Used a grease gun and got a pinhole leak at about 750 - 800 psi. Re welded it, let it sit for several months & threw it away. This is / was the reason I went ahead & welded the propane tank, which on a hot day prolly would not reach 175 psi or so.

Otto Nobedder wrote:

Superiorwelding wrote:True story.....I tested a guy once that came in and bragged about being certified to weld around 10,000psi. Now remember, this guy, although very nice, would not stop bragging about being the best and certified. One of my requirements is to weld a piece of pipe to a piece of plate. The welder is responsible to set the machine and when he is done, I fill it with water. If it leaks you fail..... He failed.
-Jonathan

Was his name John Ketch?

Long shot, but...

Steve,
I don't remember, it was at least 4 years ago.
-Jonathan

Otto Nobedder wrote:Rick_H,

The test will not and should not specify "walk" vs. "freehand".

The test has parameters you must follow, but the method is NOT among them.

ASME makes no distinction.

Do what feels right. If anyone argues, tell them what to go do with themselves. Tell them to show you where the WPS says you can't do what you're doing...

Steve S

I asked today and was told cup walking was not required but they teach it since it helps steady things up for most guys. While I agree at times I whipped my tig finger out and went to town free hand...personally felt better and more comfortable as I was coming up and around tje pipe in 6g.

Rick_H wrote: I asked today and was told cup walking was not required but they teach it since it helps steady things up for most guys. While I agree at times I whipped my tig finger out and went to town free hand...personally felt better and more comfortable as I was coming up and around tje pipe in 6g.

How'd the instructor feel about your work, and more importantly, your use of the TIGfinger?

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:
How'd the instructor feel about your work, and more importantly, your use of the TIGfinger?

Steve S

Skeptical I'm sure.

Tig Finger is just a crutch for poor technique.....

~John

AKweldshop wrote:

Otto Nobedder wrote:
How'd the instructor feel about your work, and more importantly, your use of the TIGfinger?

Steve S

Skeptical I'm sure.

Tig Finger is just a crutch for poor technique.....

~John

Wouldn't completely surprise me, but an open-minded man would ask questions. This is how the TIGfinger grows... one amazed person at a time.

I'm just kidding.
I have three of them.

I use them pretty much every time I tig.

Thought I'd get Jody in a cold sweat.
He says he's not had one negative email regarding them.

Just kidding though, every tig beginner needs to buy a couple of them....

~John

Actually he really liked the tig finger and has seen them in the past. I had it with me when I took all the AWS 17.1 tests a few weeks back. He tried it then and was amazed at how good it worked right over a fresh alum weld. My classmates were cutting fingers from stick loves...I sent them to Jody's website. I'll be honest I was skeptical when I first stumbled onto Jody website and saw the tig finger but I wanted to show some support and bought them. Now I use it all the time, sure beats burning my Tillman loves to my finger.

He told me I could free hand since my cup walking was more then acceptable...

What these classes have taught me was confidence. I always thought I was a decent welder but all of us do...lol They have asked me a few times why are you here your a very good competent GTAW welder. My response is paperwork....

You get a pretty good range of welders in these classes that is for sure...

Root Pass, Hot Pass and Backside....

Here's some more...

Wahoo!!! Nailed the test today, I am offically certified

Congratulations! I'm sure that you're glad that it is done.

Congrats man!!

~John