Another "can you fix this" thread

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Got the phone call and then the photos. A boat getting a new aft house.  She is not happy with the look, of the welds, and knew something was up, when she was seeing cracks and holes in her new aluminum. So she call a welding inspector to give her some opinions. This is what he was looking at. Attached Images
Reply:She asked me to price out removing the bad and replacing it. The person that made the welds has not been paid and I hear that he is attempting to take this to court. He wants to be paid for these "welds". Attached Images
Reply:Holy Crap FB! That guy should pay her to say he was never there!I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:These look like aluminum stick welds!You can see the crazing in the slag cover, the slag splatter, and that runny liquidified slag apperance (right vertical corner in the last picture).  Heck, hardly any of the slag coating has been removed - a big no-no as it will absorb moisture and corrode the surfaces.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:I bet his defense will be, "They're not pretty, but they'll hold"! "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've welded SMAW aluminum that looked better than that crap. I'd photo document every inch of it for her court case, and then after repairing the whole thing, photo document to show the judge what welds should look like."ALL DAMAGE, NO CONTROL"
Reply:Ugly welds for sure.  The boat owner may need some legal advice on when to undertake repairs to avoidissues around treatment of evidence given the possibility of litigation.
Reply:Looks like he forgot the shielding gas"Liberalism is a mental disorder" Dr. Savage
Reply:Seagulls!Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:What I can not understand why some people are trying to do this type of work, when clearly THEY SUCK!You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein
Reply:Don't start into it before the court case is over! Don't want to be destroying the evidence now... even if you do take pictures.Miller Performance AD Helmet - Camo Edition Soon to have: Jackson HSL 100 - Forest Digi CamoMiller Thunderbolt AC/DC((Currently at welding school))
Reply:Originally Posted by LightsDon't start into it before the court case is over! Don't want to be destroying the evidence now... even if you do take pictures.
Reply:That's horrible! I can't weld and I know that is some crud work! That guy needs his head Examined.
Reply:Those are definitely stick welds.  That gray, goopy-molten-plastic-looking flux is a dead giveaway.  Horrible job of it at that too.  I ONLY use those rods as a last resort kind of deal.  I worked at a ski hill for a few years, and used those aluminum electrodes for third-shift repairs on fixed-mount snowguns, because the guns HAD to be running, and there's no good way to get them off the 30 foot towers and into the shop while the hill is covered in snow.  (and there was no way in hell I was humping the suitcase MIG and a tank of argon up the ladder with me  )  Even doing out-of-position stick welds, 30 feet in the air, -10 degrees F, with a 25 mph wind blowing... my welds didn't look that bad, and I'm only self-taught.
Reply:How do you intend to get rid of that mess?
Reply:Originally Posted by darnellHow do you intend to get rid of that mess?
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardShe asked me to price out removing the bad and replacing it. The person that made the welds has not been paid and I hear that he is attempting to take this to court. He wants to be paid for these "welds".
Reply:Those are not stick welds.  Just a piss poor job with MIG.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Wow!!I'll be the first to admit that I've had projects that I 'bit off more than I could chew', but damn, that's horrible.  How could anyone try to collect $$ on that??  I've had to cut my losses before and buy proper equipment, or farm out bits of a job, but this is insane!!  Why would someone who couldn't weld alum. take on an alum. fab job....??I can't see much detail of the building as far as fit-up.  What was his scope of work??  What will yours be??  I'd seek advice from her lawyer on having a 3rd party document/evaluate the idiots work, and if he did more than just (attempt to) weld on the project; come up with a way to evaluate his percentage of completion.  Being that you'll literally be "destroying" the evidence, I'd over-document everything....  Boatloads of pics, maybe a walk thru video, etc.....  Good luck, and keep us updated with pics!!Last edited by bottlefed89; 04-13-2012 at 02:58 PM.
Reply:wow...that almost boarders on criminal..do you need any specisl licenses to weld on boats in a structural manner?..would any government agency be able to inspect for seaworthy and also document the crap unsafe work?..Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:Originally Posted by roadkillbobb..would any government agency be able to inspect for seaworthy and also document the crap unsafe work?..
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardThat wont work, she needs to be out working the boat next month.
Reply:Is he serious with that mess?
Reply:This pic makes me think is was an attempt at wire feed. Attached Images
Reply:Stick or MIG?Here's the evidence for STICK!Here's the evidence for MIG!Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-AcetAh I see. Either way it SUCKS the big one.Just confirmed it was wire .030 argon. The guy spent the first 6 hours reading the instruction book.Last edited by Fat Bastard; 04-13-2012 at 07:08 PM.
Reply:That looks like my "build a box" from the other thread.
Reply:Disgusting..That is just plain unbelievable..And he wants to get paid????????...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Maybe he should use argon looks like when I forgot to change the c25 bottle to argonMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:Originally Posted by Rick VStick or MIG?Here's the evidence for STICK!Attachment 141171Here's the evidence for MIG!Attachment 141161
Reply:Good lord...if anything like that ever came from my hands I'd flat out just sell all my welding junk and quit while I was ahead on the first bead.From the one picture I would wager he probably blew more holes in brand new material than just that one. I hate to think of removal and then the material costs on top of that. How much of that is really salvageable FB?If it weren't for the fact that she's stuck with all this crud in her boat(can't help but feel bad), you could almost put this up as a comical farce for "What Reading The Manual The Day Of, Gets You"HTP Invertig 221-DV -- get's dragged everywhere.Syncro 200 -- "The Boat Anchor" at the lab.Lincoln 125 MIG
Reply:Looks like a goats a$$ sewed up with a coffee weed.
Reply:im sure she price shopped and this gentleman was the cheapest and now its going to cost her 3X as much to get this thing straitened out than it would have to do it right the first time.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:Oil covered aluminum will create welds that look like that. I weld aluminum every day and those look like poorly prepped 5356 welds on dirty aluminum. That's my 2 cents.
Reply:Hey FBIs that a boat in Seward or Whittier?
Reply:I think duelie hit the nail on the head!  FB, please keep us posted on the outcome.  This should prove interesting.  Bob
Reply:I do not know anything about boats or what an "aft house" is but judging by the first picture it looks big. That is going to be a job cleaning up and rewelding everything.Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:She needs to sue him!  One for the horrible mess someone will need to come and clean up.  Two for the lack of aesthetic quality the finished product will invariably have due to having the poo removed.  Three for the down time she will have.  Four for punitive reason that he misrepresented himself.  People wonder why professional weldors have attitudes when it comes to real world work.  Most of the time people show only their best and hide the rest.  It is the rest that will typically look like this.  I reworked a trailer that was tracking wrong.  One side was welded, ugly and was cracked, and the other side was loose.  The "weldor" had missed the joint altogether and didn't know it.  The weight of the trailer and the "bead" on the frame kept the spring assembly in place well enough for him to drive to Houston and back home.  although the drive back home he noticed the trailer was tracking funny and the tires would smoke due to hitting the frame on the rear portion of the tire.  I don't know how he managed to keep the tires from overheating a disintegrating.
Reply:I'm speachless.
Reply:Nothing several HOURS with a Die Grinder and some good open-flute burrs won't fix Have fun and charge LOTS...Drink lots of milk and mask up if you can. Last edited by Black Wolf; 04-14-2012 at 03:56 PM.Later,Jason
Reply:It's MIG.  The crazing cracks in the slag you highlighted are not from the electrode but are aluminum oxide that was not cleaned from the surface of the metal and floated to the top of the bead after the weld.  It also appears that there was a problem with insufficient shielding gas so there may have been a lot of additional oxides produced during welding.  Second, the fluoride slag appears to be a previous weld that has cracked.  Nothing about this says stick and the pieces of MIG wire a a dead giveaway.
Reply:Originally Posted by akpolarisHey FBIs that a boat in Seward or Whittier?
Reply:She should contact a lawyer, then consider what to do. If it makes more sense to cut the whole abortion off and save it as evidence, that may be a way to go.I'd take exhaustive pics of it inside and out and put them on the web with the "welders" business information, and put a sign next to the boat if it's in public view. Whoever perpetrated that feculent disaster deserves never to do business again.
Reply:Is the perpetrator of the botched welds somehow posing as a professional?  Publicity of a suit against the perp could destory him professionally.  If the perp has any kind of a name to defend, I am confident the perp would not want this work exposed in the local press.  The perp's liability insurance company should be alerted that they have been exposed to a major possible claim.Oh, you say that there is no insurance or reputatuon involved and the boat owner hired the lowest bidder from the big box storeparking lot? too bad.Can the "weldor" be sued for vandalism?I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:Looks like a coat hanger abortion . Holy S+++
Reply:Was curious if this project has progress any further.
Reply:Originally Posted by Swamp ratWas curious if this project has progress any further.
Reply:+1, I'd love to hear her side of the story when pricing out the bids. If that is the truth, and she wanted cheap, well then.......I would not touch that project until the courts are done with. Even though she needs it right away. I would pass.  Originally Posted by Dualieim sure she price shopped and this gentleman was the cheapest and now its going to cost her 3X as much to get this thing straitened out than it would have to do it right the first time.
Reply:I wish you guys would stop posting pics of my welding honestly, with almost 7 billion people on this earth... are you surprised?seems to me the boat owner tried to go with the cheapest weldor/fabricator.  you get what you paid for.
Reply:definatly not stick welding, but a horrible attempt at mig thats for sure. Unfortunately these days we have idiots like that runing around who are self proclaimed "welders" with 20 minutes every saturday in the garage helmet time. Hopefully HE has to climb back in there and grind everything out properly and then someone else come in with skill and do the work.