Welding water tight

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Whats the best way to practice water tight welding? Having to learn so i can get a job.
Reply:Cut six 4" x 4" squares of sheet or plate and weld it together to form a box. Drill a hole in one side and fill it with water. Is that what you're looking for???"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:I guess it is. i miss typed earlier. Im having to teach my cousin to weld so he can get a job welding at the river. They told him to learn to weld "water tight" I figure that they mean welding to were no water penetrates or the weld dont leak. im a junior in highschool and have been in vo-tech welding for advanced welders for 3 yrs and have a decent idea of what im supposed to teach him to do but not really sure.
Reply:Just practice welding. Any weld that weld thats not water tight is a weld with flaws.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:The same way you get good at anything and that is to practice. There are no shortcuts or special drills.  Spend every spare moment welding, not reading about welding or thinking about welding just welding, when you become proficient at welding, as in smooth beads, wetted in edges, good penetration, vertical, overhead, left handed, right handed, and become able to do all of it without thinking about it being watertight or strong enough or whatever you will be on your way to becoming someone employable. It really has to be something you love though, you are going to get burned, flashed, sh!ts gonna get in your eyes, sparks can and will get in your ears, down your shirt, up your sleeve, through your gloves, in your shoes, and in your lap. You should be able to keep a bead going while you are getting burned, most times you will be able to tell while it is happening just how bad of a burn it is. I cannot stress enough the importance of practice till it becomes second nature because the art of laying down good beads is just one part of this trade and a very minor part. After you can weld okay you still have to learn about materials, design, planning, measuring, jig building, hoisting and rigging, and a whole lot more. Laying down good welds is just a means to an end.  Carpenters don't sit around talking about how good they can hammer a nail do they? Sorry if this seems like a rant but I do really love my trade and all it encompasses, it's has been over 20 yrs for me and I learned all this stuff the hard way.                   Good luck to you.
Reply:ok thanks and can any of yall give me some tips on 6010 and 7018 welding?
Reply:you could also grab some dye penetrant and developer to check your welds.its not terribly expensive, and will detect even the tiny of tiniest holes in minutes.but yea, just practice all you can.cut out the incomplete fusion, as that will nearly Always leak.undercut not so much... but it's still a flaw in a weld under any means.if you end up welding a box, and fill it with water... try to put it under pressure as well.that will help find leaks!but a dye penetrant/devoloper will be a sure bet of finding a leak, and exactly where it is.. so you know what to look for.
Reply:Not a good idea to try pressure testing on your own with no training!  There are procedures to follow to make sure no accidents happen.  One mistake could ruin your day real fast.If you can't get dye check, use penetrating oil (or some other very light oil) in place of water.  Water has surface tension that will keep it from seeping through small cracks (defects).  Penetrating oil will creep through small cracks without adding pressure.  Just takes a little time to seep through."The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the State, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government."  Teddy RooseveltAmerican by birth, Union by choice!  Boilermakers # 60America is a Union.
Reply:Originally Posted by Hassyou could also grab some dye penetrant and developer to check your welds.its not terribly expensive, and will detect even the tiny of tiniest holes in minutes.but yea, just practice all you can.cut out the incomplete fusion, as that will nearly Always leak.undercut not so much... but it's still a flaw in a weld under any means.if you end up welding a box, and fill it with water... try to put it under pressure as well.that will help find leaks!but a dye penetrant/devoloper will be a sure bet of finding a leak, and exactly where it is.. so you know what to look for.
Reply:I have to quote Brad Pitt's character, Aldo the Apache (Lt. Aldo Raine) from Inglorious Bastards."You know how you get to Carnegie Hall, doncha? Practice."Bill LambertArgon WeldingABQ NMSic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
Reply:there is all kinds ofpressure. putting  a garden hose to something aint gonna hurt you........
Reply:Too many people don't think in terms of a garden hose, they're thinking air compressor.  And if a little is good, then more is better.  And therein lies the problem.  Things can get ugly fast.  Unfortunately , common sense isn't."The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the State, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government."  Teddy RooseveltAmerican by birth, Union by choice!  Boilermakers # 60America is a Union.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadthere is all kinds ofpressure. putting  a garden hose to something aint gonna hurt you........
Reply:Originally Posted by Hass^^not like a common household compressor can go that high anyway
Reply:Kentuckyboy,     One thing is to have your cousin run the rods on the hotter side of there range.  For example with 7018 1/8" if someone is comfortable running it at 110 amps you should have them run it at 120,130, and 140amps.  They should get use to running as hot as they can with having no undercut and still produce a nice bead.        Also starts and stops are very important in producing a leak proof weld.  Have your cousin practice those on a t joint by doing short welds and if you want test for leaks you can also use diesel.
Reply:what is it that he s welding at the river ? if hes patching a bulkhead there is no need for pressure testing it . just practice your welding . if your closing locks in a sheet wall  practice your welds , start at bottom and weld up to close lock as you go , you may get wet as you go, so get a few bucket and fill with dirt ans sand and pour outside water , so as to slow water or stop it long enough for you to weld shut .. but practice your welds. if your going to test plate welds 1lb 2lb of pressure as use soapy water on your test piece if it leaks you will know by all the bubbles
Reply:Originally Posted by KentuckyboyWhats the best way to practice water tight welding? Having to learn so i can get a job.
Reply:Starts will get you frequently. Practice starting the next bead. One of my former employers did a lot of water cooled equipment for steel mills. We had some guys that just could not get stuff welded water tight. The leaks would start as the level of water got higher. It would look like a sprinkler, lol.
Reply:I welded water storage tanks as one of my first welding jobs for 18 months. They were 12 ga boxes about refrigerator size and some larger. Used 6011 exclusively with Lincoln tombstone AC buzz box. To test we used 1-2 psi air pressure and diluted dish detergent in a squirt bottle. This process worked great, and doing it all day everyday, you learn to get good at it. They brought in a mig welder for me to try but it slowed down production and produced more leaks, so we stayed with the 6011.As others have said, good welds are leak free, even if there is no way to pressure test and requires practice.That was 30 years ago and to this day I keep a squirt bottle of soap in my shop for leak testing anything, especially flat tires.
Reply:practice, practice and more practice. then weld practice plates from one side only then using the carbon from an acetylene torch "paint" the weld completely then spray diesel/wd-40 on the unwelded joint on the reverse side. any leaks will show right away. study these areas and refine your technique.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Just so you guys realize this. 1st post was 1/10/2010 and the main discussion ended the next day. Almost 4 years ago....No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWJust so you guys realize this. 1st post was 1/10/2010 and the main discussion ended the next day. Almost 4 years ago...
Reply:We can probably arrange it so you get thrown behind bars if that would help... Of course you'd probably be asked to fix something while you were there. .No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWJust so you guys realize this. 1st post was 1/10/2010 and the main discussion ended the next day. Almost 4 years ago...
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWWe can probably arrange it so you get thrown behind bars if that would help... Of course you'd probably be asked to fix something while you were there.Originally Posted by Kentuckyboyok thanks and can any of yall give me some tips on 6010 and 7018 welding?
Reply:Originally Posted by walkerweldIt is called "The Lazarus Principle".  I too have been guilty a few times. Most often found in newbies.  No harm.
Reply:i work for a aluminum trailer manufacturer and we do a lot of water tight rendering trailers. the key is to over lap your finishes when starting a new bead  i over lap them an inch or more. another thing is make your beads as long as possible , with stick you are limited til the rod burns up but for mig you can run as far as you want as long as your steady enough too. less starts and stops equal less chance of leaks.
Reply:A good coat of paint can make lots of bad welds water tight. I'm with the practice crowd.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWJust so you guys realize this. 1st post was 1/10/2010 and the main discussion ended the next day. Almost 4 years ago...
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWJust so you guys realize this. 1st post was 1/10/2010 and the main discussion ended the next day. Almost 4 years ago...
Reply:Originally Posted by Hass^^Well, common sense would tell you not to do very high pressures not like a common household compressor can go that high anyway (well, granted 125psi or so is quite a lot depending on the unit size.)But if you're dumb enough to do such a thing...