Welding Certifications

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Just curious, but if I wanted to get some welding certs (I am a hobby welder) to improve my skills for building things that will go on the road (such as trailers/hitches), what certs would I aim for?  I have a MM 251, so I will just be doing GMAW.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:I don't know the actual AWS sections that would apply, but you would probably want to test out on 3G (vertical) and 4G (overhead) 3/8" plate. That would cover you thru 3/4" plate steel in all positions and if you wanted to cover tube, then add 6G as well. I'll pm you a link you might find helpful..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:Thank you.  I appreciate it.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:I say you got it backwards, skills come before welding certs.  Welding certs are normally considered the final test of your skills and should reflect your skills but in life that is not always the case.  There are people that can pass a cert test but not weld good enough out in the field and there are people that can weld out in the field but not pass a weld test.  If you want to test yourself  I would get some 3/8" plate 6" L x 3" W and do a grove weld with backing vert up and overhead postions then cut out some 3/8" wide samples an inch from the top and bottom.  find a way to bend them around a diameter of about 2 " and see what happens.
Reply:Certs are also costly to get and if you dont have any reason for getting them, your probbaly better off putting the money to other uses.  The cert will not give you any extra experience, it just tells other people that you were capable of making a passing weld once under perfect conditions. Have we all gone mad?