Back in my stock car days in the 70s, we were installing some ramps on a truck bed. One of the guys in the crew had just completed a one year welding course and was a certified boiler welder so he welded the brackets on and they were pretty welds. When we started driving the car up the ramps, the brackets came off and the ramps dropped to the ground. He hadn't gotten penetration into the truck bed welding vertical down. I ground the pieces and welded them using vertical up and it wasn't pretty but it held. We used the truck for 2 more seasons until they hit a deer and crashed it.
Well, there's the problem. He was just a welder. Had he been a weldor, things would have gone much differently
At 78 years old, and welding since I was 13, my best advice is to spend some money and buy a dedicated to welding pair of prescription plastic lenses. Put your helmet on and run a short bead. Then measure from the weld bead to your nose. Tell the optometrist that distance, and save those glasses for welding.
Lots of reply and enjoyed reading . The reason for the post about this was two fold one is I don't post much here a want to show my face . but the second was because after welding for some 40 years I was question about my welding couple weeks ago. Funny my eye are gone and was rushing.......
That would explain the 3rd degree burn scars on the end of your nose You are supposed to use glasses for welding, not use welding as a test for glasses.
Been there, welded that. That said, I am getting shaky, which sucks. The beta-blockers help, but not enough. Lately, I have been sending out work to my former assistant.
I appreciate your condition. I butt weld in 1" long segments, then check to make sure I am still on the joint. I've done some pretty welds that just ran away.
I work in the steam and gas power plant industry, we are only allowed to weld on items that we have tested and hold certifications on, which is a lot. I think at one point I had more than 12 different certs. Most companies like the one I work for need you to be able to weld anything and everything. Also, your certs don't go with you, you change companies, you retest all over again. I hated that part.
There are O/T automotive type welding certifications. Aluminum chassis welding has to be done by a certified welder from that manufacturer (Italian).
I have a technical degree in Welding/Metallurgy and a class 1-A welding certification. The certification test is 1" plate in both overhead and vertical positions. The test is given in SMAW or arc welding as it is commonly called. I'm not sure what your question is, but I have built four car's over the year's and have never used a "stick" welder. All I use in building my car's are MIG or TIG. Like I said, I don't know what you are asking for, but most of the weld's I have seen on this site are beautiful and probably done by guy's with out certifications.
HUH? The only certified welding I have even done was structural and on a bridge or building you have to certify for every contract and if you work on a bridge for more then 6 months you have to recertify and that happens every 6 months. I have built all sorts of thing that one would assume you would need to be certified but have not needed to be certified. Most race chassis get certified by the governing body and the welder/fabricator isn't certified by anyone. Anyway, HUH?
I worked at a dealership and the owner wanted an extended cab car wedge car hauler. At the time you could not buy a long wheelbase extended cab 1 ton. So in comes a new 1 ton. we cut it in half, added 5 ft to the middle, and put on a Hodges wedge bed off a wrecked car hauler. I welded what I was comfortable with and had a local fab shop help on the frame which we doubled and fish plated past the joints. When we extended the exhaust the owner wanted to get rid of the cats. I told him not a good idea. Our driver came back from his first trip out if state and said when he hit the weight scales they rolled under the truck to make sure all the emission equipment was there, and ask about weld certification. we never thought about needing a weld certification. Driver played dumb on the weld cert part. Inspector said it "look's well built, some of these things are a nightmare". I try to go by the the theory do you homework and know your limitations.
My welding teacher at the Honolulu Community College answered that question. In the first class , one guy said "I'd like to get certified". Teachers said certification is very specific. a certain pipe, large steel beams, up side down... And he said You guys probably will not get certified here unless your working on specific task. You'll get Satisfied not Certified.
not for the welding but for the building of SFi cert car .. they still sells the modules , I took the home school long time ago but never took the tests (I don't need it any more ) and he still offers the day school at his shop too .
I taught myself to weld. It was absolute crap. But I got some guidance from a few older guys and after 5 years of light welding and practice I felt confident enough to build a complete chassis. But I have been certified by my ex wife as an ass...does that count?
I got ASE certification back in the late 70's when I worked at a large truck repair shop. (OTR semis) and ICAR later when I was rebuilding wrecks that had to be state inspected. I enjoy welding to this day. Cheaters in my helmet, and lights on the mig guns really help us old guys. I still hire others to do the aluminum... Did anyone else ever hear that there were more alcoholic welders (sic) that any other profession other than doctors?
Spent 45 years as a weldor on a lot of things. Most chassis welding requiring certs usually require testing the welds by x-ray or magnaflux. Doesn't mean the weldor needs papers.
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