How many certifications do you have?

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I just wonder what most welders have.  I'm figuring the average welder has 1, but that's figuring on most not having any at all.  I'm thinking that out of those certified, the average will be about 7.  Just guesses really.  Lets see what everybody's got...Military certs?ASME certs?AWS certs?
Reply:none..........although I've been called a certified a$$hole on several occasions.A true democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for lunch.
Reply:I have one current, a log book I haven't bothered with for almost ten years and a pressure log book that I never needed after I got it.  I primarily work as a fabricator and weld as needed.   The trick is to figure out what qualification you need then go for it.  After that the doors will open.
Reply:Yeah, I understand that the average welder probably doesn't even need any "official" certifications...and I'm sure it's not cheap to pay for it if it's comming out of your own pocket.  I've been luck enough that employers pay for them for me.  The job I have now, we have a welding engineer onsite, and the shop is qualified to do its own testing.  I'd imagine any certification I wanted, I could get if I asked to do it.lotechman:  log book?  I dunno if this is just something you wrote down what you did in, or if it's some sort of "official" something...or something else...    so I'll ask.  What is this?Proud to be a UNION worker.  Better pay, better benefits, better work environment.  UA Unions = working for the working class!!
Reply:2: TIG root, 7018 cover and 6010 root, 7018 cover (which also allow 7018 backed and TIG up th 1/2 qual thickness) for HP service (NBIC/ASME shop certs, AWS standard procedures) Both 4G (I think-- long story with our former QC mgr) Need to do 6G, but, to be honest, even if I can throw the coupons, I wouldn't trust me for a circumferential critical weld open root. My roots tend to suffer around the circle.
Reply:Log books are a way to keep a record in this Province of Canada.  The provincial trades qualifications for a welder are listed as certified to an "A" "B" or "C" certication.  "C" requires about seven months of schooling and five months working in the trade.  When you have the time signed in your log book you submit it and they put a cute little seal in it.  People have tried to falsify the entries so there is a fee to check it out."A" level is the pressure level qualifications including TIG.You still have to qualify with the boiler inspection branch and they have their own log book.  As with most pressure work, if you don't work for six months at that weld procedure that you tested and have entered in your pressure log book you have to retest.Then of course if you want to work across Canada you can get the interprovincial Red Seal.  I just love getting nice stickers :')
Reply:just got my first one this week on chrome moly tubing..... not quite sure what it means but they did the bend test and i passed,  and i have a 1080 hour cert from the state of ct. for basic welding, wht ever that means...came in a nice booklet and then i  have 2 motor sports classes under my belt from lincoln electric............. dawg
Reply:I dont carry any anymore.  An interesting note PW that is on some of these forums said that a job he did in at Ford they asked for a builders licence, took a cert paper in leiu of that,,, ha,,  guess they just wanted to see SOMETHING.  Makes them feel all warm inside I guess.  He has a nice rig,, and the same as mine, when they see it show up they forget about it,, hahahahahaLast edited by Sberry; 05-06-2004 at 11:17 PM.www.urkafarms.com
Reply:I used to work for a company doing process piping.  We made all or own pipe racks for the trucks.  Of course they were all stainless steel.  Each one was custom made to fit the truck.  When you're getting paid to make them, you take the time to make sure it's as nice as possible.  Or boss liked them that way anyway.  We always had the nicest on the jobsite  Proud to be a UNION worker.  Better pay, better benefits, better work environment.  UA Unions = working for the working class!!
Reply:In all the years I been at this, I've concluded Certification is a complete whorehouse.   I've run across guys who had a 3 ring binder full of paper who couldn't weld **** to a shovel, and I've run across old boys who put an X on the back of their paycheck who could weld anything you asked em to.Back in the 70s, there was a big scandal cause some TV show checked all the credentials of everybody working on a new Nuke, and better than 90% of the people working there had phoney paper.In today's world, it seems like any job requiring certification does so immediately before you start work, on site if the job is big enough.  I do wonder if the people doing the testing themselves have real credentials or just more paper from a mailorder operation.We live in a world that has come to overly rely on paper representations, and not on a man's skill, because it makes it easier for the damn lawyers to interplede additional defendants when the **** hits the fan.Any system that relys on paperwork can and will be corrupted.I no longer have a single certification, because I'm damned if I'll put a dollar in a politician's pocket.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:My shop tests people as needed under ASME sec IX. We don't take outside paper, usually do bends in house,  but we have qualified welders with the xray of the completed weld when we are confident they can do the job-- bad shot, cut it out and do it over.
Reply:I worked as a contract weldor for an engineering test facility. When a company called the engineers for procedure qualifications I was hired by the company needing the paperwork  to test it. When the testing was over I was paid and given a 1099 form. This made it legal.I got to where I would take the paperwork only for the dates. I'd throw the older stuff out. It was redundant. Last count, I had (mumble) certifications and I know there are more on file. On top of that I've got the CWI/CWE and the NCCER Craft Training Certs for welding.It all becomes so much paper to keep in a folder in a drawer.
Reply:A.S.M.E 6G R [restricted]the restricted stamp does`nt mean i`m only allowed to weld certain things, but just the opposite! means i passed the 6g test with a restriction [or obstruction] in place...gotta have this to weld pipe below deck.....the big thing about my certs are that they certify me to weld pipe for MY company![as these guys will tell you, certs from your last job really dont mean a thing], but i`v been submitting these for about 5 yrs now and no-one has ever qeustion`d it! [of course, i`m NOT bidding high-pressure steam pipeing in nuke plant, there my certs would prolly get me a spot in line to be TESTED! as it should be!] but i am doing a lot of work for HILLSBOROUGH/PINELLIS county`s and they JUST LUV having a "paper trail"it never hurts to look,unless they`r WELDING!
Reply:None, and I make a living as a welder.  I was "coded" in the Navy.  Never taken a civilian test but you only "certify" on a process and thickness (usually double the thickness you test on) If I ever needed it for a contract I'd test but have never been required by a customer to certify soo.......Ron ShopFloorTalk Millermatic 350P, M-25, M-40 gunsDynasty 300DX, Coolmate 3, Crafter CS-310 TorchTrailblazer 302, 12RC, WC-2430A spoolgunSpectrum 2050Thermal Arc Plasma Welder PS-3000/WC-100B
Reply:Being a boilermaker for almost 30yrs. have tons of papers. Used to have to test on just about every job, now they have what they call common arc which is a bunch of contractors that you test for all at one time. Usually a 2in. heavy wall tube tig first pass and 7018 out. So I have them to. Do agree with other posts tho that some "welders" can have the certs but would'nt let them tack chicken wire to the hen house.   revpol
Reply:Years ago I was certified at a shipyard in dualshield(all pos with 3/64(I think)).  Tested there and the coupon sent out.  I never saw the paperwork, they kept it in the office. I never asked for it, guess I could have asked and renewed it after I left there.  Then I was tested for .035 stainless(all pos) inhouse.  I'm not sure how that all worked with the state, but I do know they had to keep my welds for the inspectors. But as of now, I have no certs.  That is soon to change.  But the 6G has to be the hardest weld to pull off because of the obstruction. I've had to weld it in real life and I kinda doubt that would have passed xray. Hats off, kllrjo.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:Just got mt AWS cert. about two weeks ago. The specific cert. is ASME 6G pipe, Thickness on the pipe is schedule 120. That certifies me for pipe in all positions and unlimited thickness on plate. The cert. was 6010 root and hot pass then 7018 fill.no you cant fix it with a hot pass.BORN TO LOSE, LIVE TO WIN.
Reply:What is a hot pass?
Reply:Hotpass= typically the second pass.  For the 6010 root and 7018 filler procedure, you burn a bit hotter in order to more completely burn out the slag left behind from the root pass.Proud to be a UNION worker.  Better pay, better benefits, better work environment.  UA Unions = working for the working class!!
Reply:I have been told on numerous occasions that I'm certifiable ... but I have no paperwork to back this up
Reply:textbook answer engloidno you cant fix it with a hot pass.BORN TO LOSE, LIVE TO WIN.
Reply:Here's one I'll probably never use again.AWS D1.6 1G-1F (FCAW ER308LT) That's Structural Stainless Steel with flux core. 1/16" to 3/4" thick.I'm just glad the customer paid for it!
Reply:My last job was working for a firm that made equipment for the beer brewing industry. you did not get a foot through the welding shop door without EN287 (European equivalent of AWS codings), tickets had to be current, up to date, and relevent to the processes being used. And you had to have your photo laminated onto your certificates to prove they were really yours!The worst that could happen if a weld failed in use was some part - finished beer getting spilled.Now I work for a big metal finishing company, mostly doing tank repairs, and similar maintenance welding. Thousands of gallons of cyanide, strong acids, toxic nickel and chromium compounds are in those tanks. The LEAST that could happen is a minor environmental disaster, the worst does not bear thinking about.Nobody at this company has ever asked to see any proof of my competence to weld, and I have never done a weld test for them. When I started the boss asked me if I could weld AC stick overhead. I said yes and that was it. The money is good and the work is interesting so I'm not going to rock the boat by telling them that their entry procedures are rubbish.I'm not very clever,But I can lift heavy things.
Reply:Originally posted by wolfgangwelding textbook answer engloid
Reply:Have one cert.  -6G position 8inch sch.80,welded about a dozen pipe joints since i got it .and that was over a year ago.do mostly fab. work and some repair on heavy equipmentFor AME certs, all you have to do is weld once every 6 months (and keep proper documentation) in the process you certified in...For example, if you tested on 6010-7018, 6g, 6" schedule 80 pipe, and didn't weld it for 5 months, you'd have to...    just show that you stick welded ANYTHING or any material before you hit the 6 month mark.You don't necessarily have to weld on the exact thing you certified on in order to keep your certification up.  So, all I have to do to keep all my certs is to show I have ran mig and tig before 6 months passes.  (We don't do any stick.)  That covers all the material type certs, positions, and such that are either mig or tig.  Many companies will be a bit tighter, but it's really not reqired by the codes...although many interpret the codes as requiring it.Proud to be a UNION worker.  Better pay, better benefits, better work environment.  UA Unions = working for the working class!!
Reply:Engloid I meant that as good thats just the way I would have explained it.     I planed out how to record my cert. and keep it up to date by starting a log book and having my Foreman sign of in it every six months. From what I understand you have to make the weld that you certified in every six months. I could be wrong  I don't usually make the weld that I certified in at work but to be safe I will do it every six months.  I did not have to do the cert. for work I did it for the fame and glory so to speak   But it will help me in my side work to  be code certified.no you cant fix it with a hot pass.BORN TO LOSE, LIVE TO WIN.
Reply:The previous welding engineer we had at work said that you had to do the specific weld procedure every 6 months...but he never made us do it.  He just signed them off all the time for us.  In our shop, we do a large variety of things, and he knew we did these things anyway, so tracking it specifically would just take time for nothing.Our new welding engineer said that it wasn't necessary to do the specific procedure, only to do the process.I've seen guys with certifications that couldn't weld 2 sticks of butter in a 1000w microwave, and I've seen guys with no certs that could weld anything....  but having the paperwork never hurts.Our shop gives $1.00/hr extra if you become an AWS Welding Inspector...and they will even pay for the classes, and the test (if you pass).Proud to be a UNION worker.  Better pay, better benefits, better work environment.  UA Unions = working for the working class!!
Reply:In construction pipe welding, just about everything is good for 6 months, regardless of what the code allows. And few if any companies will accept anyone elses papers.Every job, for the most part, means a test. If the job last's more than 6 months, then that means a retest. The Steamfitters do have a program similar to the Boilermakers common arc, but again those papers aren't accepted by every contractor and they are only good for 6 months.For that reason I take anywhere from 15 to 25 test's per year.JTMcC.
Reply:Engloid Thats cool that your co. will pay to get you your cwi cert. But I think its worth much more than 1.00 an hour. I would still take advantage of it, beats paying the big bucks for that test your self.       I think Im going to take a year or so off, and then go back to school and start prepping for cwi cert.      JTMcC I know a few guys the same  as you they do construction and take alot of test per year.no you cant fix it with a hot pass.BORN TO LOSE, LIVE TO WIN.
Reply:Originally posted by JTMcC In construction pipe welding, just about everything is good for 6 months, regardless of what the code allows. And few if any companies will accept anyone elses papers.Every job, for the most part, means a test. If the job last's more than 6 months, then that means a retest.
Reply:BS degree today in Business Organizational ManagementDid you learn that the professors don't have any idea of what happens in the real world, and that they have to teach because they cannot do?Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:Originally posted by Franz BS degree today in Business Organizational ManagementDid you learn that the professors don't have any idea of what happens in the real world, and that they have to teach because they cannot do?
Reply:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4951979/Seems I mentioned this before, and I really love the statement the GooBurMunt can't tell wich schools are real as opposed to diploma mills; Here's a hint, do they advertise on matchbooks and in the back of Popular Mechanics?  It definitely, once again, proves the STUPID level of government employees.Then again, I'm only a graduate of Farmers United Central Kentucky University, and I don't know sh!t.  Mayhaps I oughta go to work for the government.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:Engloid, That is pretty cool that they give the test for free.  I was recently asked if I was CWI and it sparked my curiosity about what was involved so I checked out AWS http://www.aws.org/education/schedule.html and couldn't believe how much it cost. I talked to a friend who told me that the people inspecting his welds only made from 12 to 14 an hour.  Amazing how one of the most expencive certs you can get pays such a bad wage.  Maybe these guys were low on the totem poll, but I would think the wage would be higher.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:I have 23 current certifications, some are ASME, some are Military, and some cover both. I had our welding engineer print out a list of them for me the other day, and I have no clue what some of them even are...hahaHe uses some kind of code or something that's new to me.  The last guy used the old GMA01-01-05, or GTA43-43-1, and stuff like that.  I don't really know this new guys system yet.  It's stuff like M1A2...  anybody familiar with this?  Know a site I can find a "key" or something to decode all this?
Reply:WABO ANSI/AWS D1.1, D1.3, D1.4.Sheet Steel: FCAW, All Positions, Down, E71T-GS, 1/16"-1/8", w/o backingStructural Steel: FCAW, All Positions, Up, E71T-11, Unlimited Thickness, V-grove <=1/4" root w/backing plateStructural Steel: SMAW, All Positions, Up, E7018, Unlimited Thickness, V-grove <=1/4" root w/backing plateCarbon Steel Pipe: SMAW, All Positions 6g, E6010 Root/E7018 Hot & Cap, 8" SCH 80, open root w/o backingCarbon Steel Pipe: SMAW/FCAW-G 75/25%, All Positions 6g, E6010 Root/E71T-1 Hot & Cap, 8" SCH 80, open root w/o backingAlthough i've been job site certified many times, I don't consider that a certification.  But oh well.Last edited by WelderBoy; 09-03-2007 at 01:12 PM.
Reply:I have never had a cert. but I have worked in everything from plant shutdowns, to fabrication, to some pipework over the years.  I have had a few jobs over the years, and one currently doing some pipe work for the state, that I did have to test for.  The only jobs that I have worked on requiring a cert allowed me to test at the job site, and I have never seen any paper work to go with them.  No more than I have been asked for a cert I just don;t see how I could justify the cost out of my pocket to get one knowing I wouldn't be able to keep it current, but hey, I'm just a lowly inexperienced welder.  Maybe I will reach the (big dawg) status of being certified one day.     ~JacksonDang, I just realized this thread is over 3 years old!!  WELDERBOY Go practice and quite playing in the archives.  Haven't you got some railings to be building? I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:No current certs. All mine have been in house or jobsite qualifications. I have notes on 32 of them with at least another 10 that I don't. They include Carbons, SS, MIL, Monel, Inconel, Duplex and SuperDuplex.I started in structural, switched to pipe and then found my niche...pressure vessels. When I had to leave that for supposed health reasons my next stop was Ag/Earthmoving Equipment (D14.3) where I've been for several years until recently. Like I said, never held an "official" cert but the tests were the same for liability reasons. Now due to economic changes in my area I'll probably be going back to my roots, new construction, still researching. If I can find enough business to stay home I'll go that route and maybe pay for some real certs if I have to.Anything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT
Reply:As mentioned before, certifications run out. Time and the company you work for are the common causes of not being "certified"In the case of ASME certifications a person certified with company A would still have to test if they went to work for company B however if the person went back to company A within 6 mos, they would still be current. This is somewhat aggravating when you work as a non-uniion boilermaker since company B's welding does not count toward maintaining your certification for other companies. You can weld EVERY DAY and then gho back to company A and have to test again. This can be aggravating when you have to drive 500+ miles just to see if you have a job.With union boilermaking it is a little better. Multiple contractors may witness your test and you are certified for working with all of them with only one test. The individual companies report continuity with the process to a central organization. (Commonarc.com). This keeps the welder current as long as he/she is working for a participationg company that he/she is certified for.For other codes such as AWS D1.x the rules vary within the various AWS codes. The individual manufacturer or contractor is responsible for certifiying welders. I am pretty sure these do not transfer to other companies.I am current with the Boilermakers for 6G 2-3/4" OD Carbon GTAW Root With/Without Purge and E7018 Fill and Cap(14 Contractors)  and 6G 2"NPS Inconel with GTAW root (Purge Required) and SMAW fill and Cap.( 9 Contractors).For other companies I am current with GMAW Pulsed for F44 filler metals All positions, Plate (Inconel)GTAW PIpe With/Without Purge, Inconel Up to .436 wall 1" Min Dia.GTAW/FCAW pipe, 6G(All Positions), With/Without Purge, .250 GTAW and Unlimited FCAW.Previously but not current certs include1/2" Min Dia pipe joints with consumable inserts for Carbon, Stainless, Inconel, and Nickel Copper. N/S 250-15001" min in dia pipe same as above and Copper Nickel. Carbon Steel/Stainless Steel, Inconel, and Nickel  N/S 250-1500,Mil Std 248C and Bevel Canopy Seals N/S 250-1500 /389-0317??6" Dia 6010/7018 Open Root ASME Sec IX1" Min Dia 6010/7018 Open Root ASME Sec IX1" Min Diameter Smaw with E7018 open root. ASME Sec IX2-7/8" Min Dia with GMAW Short Circuit ASME Sec IXR-CoCr hardfacing with GTAW.  Mil Std 248And some others.I have probably taken the ole 2" Schedule 80 pipe in 6G or similar 30 or 40 times. The one inch pipe tests in the Navy were done monthly regardless of the welding done during the month.Y'all have a nice dayGeraldLast edited by gaustin; 09-03-2007 at 05:51 PM.Have a nice dayhttp://www.weldingdata.com/
Reply:At one time carried one ASME cert but started in a new career out of welding and let it drop. I never stopped welding just stopped on the jobsite. LE has been my career for a long while. When i started working for the Federal Bureau of prisons I went on loan to facilities and did most of their fab work. made most of their bar window sets, class 4 crash gates, all kinds of stuff. One thing about the govt you got a big time budget.(all kinds of money to spend on goodies ) I ended up doing one pipe job for them(12" water) They said I was suppose to have been certified to do it but no one else around the prison could weld pipe and it had to be done so they ok'd it after they looked at a test piece.
Reply:Man there's some flash harry quals around here I deal in pipe, carbon pipe.  Most outfits I work for just get me to do a production butt unless I haven't worked for them before.Over here you qualify to the companies proceedure, so quals can't be transfered.  Suits me, keeps the riff raff out so keeps the rates up, sweet.I'd rather be hunting........USE ENOUGH HEAT.......Drifting around Aussie welding more pipe up, for something different.....wanting to get home.
Reply:Originally Posted by FranzIn all the years I been at this, I've concluded Certification is a complete whorehouse.   I've run across guys who had a 3 ring binder full of paper who couldn't weld **** to a shovel, and I've run across old boys who put an X on the back of their paycheck who could weld anything you asked em to.Back in the 70s, there was a big scandal cause some TV show checked all the credentials of everybody working on a new Nuke, and better than 90% of the people working there had phoney paper.In today's world, it seems like any job requiring certification does so immediately before you start work, on site if the job is big enough.  I do wonder if the people doing the testing themselves have real credentials or just more paper from a mailorder operation.We live in a world that has come to overly rely on paper representations, and not on a man's skill, because it makes it easier for the damn lawyers to interplede additional defendants when the **** hits the fan.Any system that relys on paperwork can and will be corrupted.I no longer have a single certification, because I'm damned if I'll put a dollar in a politician's pocket.
Reply:AWS- D1.1,D9.1,D14.3.My 1.1 cert was done with 7018 stick 3/8 base plate beveled and butt welded 6"coupon ovehead and vert. up.My 9.1 is sheetmetal code mig SS,Blk iron 10gage and under all position also tig ss and aluminum all position.14.3 done FCAW all position also.
Reply:12 although i only have papers on my aircraft certs. but at this point i don't know if any of them are current. the aircraft certs were supposed to be good for 5 years but since i haven't worked their in 2 i don't know. the others were for pressure vessels in FCAW, SAW and a GTAW Ti tube cert as well. i doubt those are any good any more.Last edited by quasi; 03-14-2009 at 04:52 PM.
Reply:AWS D1.1 all positions AWS D1.8 with the rat hole   NCCCOCDLCrosby group certified riggerWreckmaster 2/3, 4/5Certified Flagger and traffic controlEVOC40hr. HazwopperCSLB (California State Contractors Licence)AISC Certified FabricatorAlso certified R-12 handler.And some other crap that doesn't mean shat other than I jumped through useless firery hoops and did a little song and dance.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Well after over 50 years of welding, fitting, cutting fabrication, working at Pratt & Whitney& Hamilton Standard, GE, Martin Aerospace, and more that make me feel older as I post them here they are only resume filler, reason for a filing cabinet, old Xerox boxes or wall art. point is like many or most here we get the job done (hopefully right), we enjoy our work ( or not) and am capable enough to earn a living at it.Tomperhaps its just the ole fart in me talkingCo-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:carry one current cert for stream pipe ua21 for the union guys 6G 2" sch 120. have had several others over the years but let them go  local 502
Reply:Almost forgot got,OSHA 10 HR Safety certification card also.
Reply:I've got a handful of them done to asme/aws standards. But considering I'm not at that employer anymore they don't mean a whole lot, other than I'm able to say that I've passed them before and am confident I'd have no issues obtaining them again.I don't doubt that there's some corruption, but in my limited experience the tests(the administrators) were extremely stringent.   Those experiences have been valuable to me.browndogwelding.com@welderassassinMy Blog on The Fabricatorfacebook.com/BrownDogWelding