Penetration failure (wife immediately giggles)

Random campground dumpster lid repair: Hot glue might have been more effective.

LOLed lickum stickum. Post it note.

Grade 10 metal shop (1983)…. Teacher: “gather round people” (as he was known to say…) Me: standing in the corner (oh dear, he is holding up my ’welded’ shop project). He proceeded to tear apart with his bare hands & bin my project, this is how not to weld! Have never again since used insufficient ‘heat’ ;always remembered that valuable lesson. Funny thing is really liked and appreciated him through to grade 12 metalwork… I think he would be pleased to see I can now lay a decent bead with 7018/ 223 arctec! (Especially if flat & horizontal lol!).

I've seen cold lap before but those beads didn't even try to fuse to the bin. One of the reasons Mig isn't the best option for welding. It's why Lincoln was very late to game with Mig welders.

Wow, that's a lot of filler metal. What is it?

JaredV said: Wow, that's a lot of filler metal. What is it? Click to expand... For steam.

I think that is expensive pieces of tubing.

I've seen that pic. before with comments concerning the welding. Some say the weave is way too wide but guaranteed on something like that there would be a very specific weld procedure to follow. Several years ago I was involved in a discussion concerning weave width. There was a guy who was a CWI (certified welding inpector) and thought he was the authority on most things welding. He was saying max. 3 times rod dia. for 7018. I dad done much wider weaves on critical X-ray quality large pipe and vessels. To get a definitive answer I e-mailed an engineering firm ran by by one of the head writers of the ASME welding codes. He said the 2 1/2 and 3 times rod width is an old wives tale. On stainless and some alloys where you need to limit heat it applies but on general steel piping he would challenge ANY weld procedure limiting the weave width. He said on mild steel and low alloy steel the extra heat is a benefit and results in a stronger weld. I think because it partially acts as stress relieving. The weld in pic. looks like it might have been done with metal-core wire and possibly with some kind of automation. Not sure why the narrower portion looks to have a bunch of bumps on it?? Impressive weld though.

Wondered your take.

Interestingly in searching for the correct answer I also contacted a place that had an ad on the net. They did weld testing, quality control and weld procedures. That guy was in the same group as the ones saying max. 3 times rod diameter so obviously didn't know what he was talking about. I was shocked after I heard from Walter Sperko who co-wrote the ASME code books! You can have a weave as wide as you want as long as it's a sound weld. That made sense to me since a wide weave is basically a series of horizontal welds. Not really that different than multipass stringers on a flat/horizontal weld. Walter also said that on piping there is very little difference in grain structure between a weaved weld vs stringer beads. On certain applications stringer beads are required.

I learned so much about welding by just looking and paying attention . I worked at a place were we had to be tested every so often. There was a guy there that could lay very good looking beads. We were tested one time and they were going around telling guys if they passed . They told me I passed then I happened to be close by and they told him he didnt. Stuff like that made me a better welder.

JaredV said: Wow, that's a lot of filler metal. What is it? Click to expand... The kind that comes on a roll......

It has been said welding is the most tested trade yet a lot of people don't think welders need to know much. It is one trade where you can't fake it. I much preferred a weld test when applying for a job than just submitting a resume. Lots of people enhance their resume but can't back it up on the shop floor. Better to see what they can actually do. That said I hated guys that thought they were God's gift to welding. Doesn't matter how good you think you are. Everybody will have the occasional X-ray fail.

Funny thing, men just can't help themselves, they are drawn by a mysterious force to wander over and stair at someone's welds, something about welds causes deep study. Along the lines of looking at tire tread patterns at the tire store. Must go back to Tonka.

When you have an idea what a good weld looks like it makes you cringe when you see crappy welds on things that could have catastrophic consequences if they failed. Think things like trailers and hitches. Owning a welder doesn't make you welder. It takes a lot of practice yet trailers are one of the most common first projects when somebody buys a welder. Scary stuff.

Welder Dave said: When you have an idea what a good weld looks like it makes you cringe when you see crappy welds on things that could have catastrophic consequences if they failed. Think things like trailers and hitches. Owning a welder doesn't make you welder. It takes a lot of practice yet trailers are one of the most common first projects when somebody buys a welder. Scary stuff. Click to expand... Like the 'chicken scratch' welding on my buddy's lifted F350...Serious cracking of frame, both sides at front spring mounts....I have warned him (scary for sure!). Ex mining exploration pickup, severe abuse. Some genius 'welder' fixed it!