Pro tip: I heard a foreman in Toledo say 'a good weld is a clean weld' and it got me thinking...

He was telling a new guy to just grind everything smooth and call it a day, but I've seen too many pressure vessel failures start with a pretty bead that wasn't fused right. I spent 6 months on a refinery job where the inspector made us cut out and re-do any weld you couldn't see the root pass on, no matter how it looked. Are we focusing too much on the finish and not enough on what's underneath?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_patricia25d ago

Totally agree with @bettyfox, pretty welds can kill.

bettyfox25d ago

Wait, you said six months on a refinery job where they made you cut out any weld you couldn't see the root pass on? That's wild. I can't believe they were that strict, but it sounds like they had the right idea. A pretty surface doesn't mean anything if the inside is garbage. That foreman's advice is how you get people hurt.

wendy2719d ago

Yeah, "pretty welds can kill" is a strong take. I've seen some ugly welds hold up just fine under pressure because the person knew what they were doing. Sometimes the focus on looks means we miss the real test of how strong it is.