Pipewelding . . . .

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Well boy's & girls, just thought i'd type a few lines to keep you up to date on my foray into pipewelding !   When I get interested in something, I starve for information, and i'm interested in pipewelding !   They're putting in natural gas line here in town, and i went out to the job-site and asked if i could watch.   I fully expected the weldor to tell me he doesn't have time for me....but , it turned out that he's a really nice guy !   "Of course you can watch" he said.  It's 6 1/2" i.d.  X-42  low pressure gas.  He's got a Lincoln SA 200 on the back of the truck (with a Red-Seal engine) that has seen better days.  3 passes....1st & 2nd with 1/8", and cap with 5/32".The rod is Lincoln 5P+.   They say a picture is worth a thousand words.....and I "saw" a wealth of information today !I think the most important thing I learned was how the root pass was put in.   Stick the rod right down in the bevel and just "wipe it in" !  (almost looked to me like you could put the root pass in without a hood !).  2nd pass is whip....Last pass is side to side weave.  I had a great day and just though i'd share it with you friends !  {see attachement} . . . . . Attached ImagesI'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:Next thing you'll be askin how to mount a tiny video camear behind the lense so you can be Mr Cameraman and make welding videos.Been wonderin what you were up to.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:FRANZ ! . . ..Good to see yer' still kickin' !   I've been working like a wild man lately........(wish these "snow-birds" would go back up north to die !I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:Here's another pic. or two . . . . . . .I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:*DUH* . . . . . Attached ImagesI'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:.........and one more........ Attached ImagesI'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:Last one,....I promise.......... Attached ImagesI'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:Markopolo, I've done a mile or 2 of the lines that have to be bored underneath road & such. Not all of them for gas. Some of them are for electrical & comm. lines. Some have to be done by cert. weldors & x-rayed, some don't. Guess it all depends on the application, company,city,&/or state.Good money in that stuff if you can get hooked up with a couple of utility companies.
Reply:Thanks John C . . . . .The weldor doing the work on this line told me that every 10th joint is X-rayed.I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:You are talking about two completely different things. John C is describing case pipe or casing pipe that is used as a protecting sleeve, usually at road, river or rail crossings. Casing can be welded by just about anybody, but many outfits will still use legit pipe welders. Markopolo is talking about natural gas distribution lines and they are always welded by certified welders and most require retest every 6 months, a few retest every year. Welds are tested by x ray, random destructive testing, pressure test or a combination.JTMcC.
Reply:Thanks J.T.McC.......I've been told that pipeweldors are a very talented breed....and the guy I watched today made that very apparent to me !   Not only did he make it look very easy (like a conductor with an orchestra)....but he was TALKING to me while he was welding !   A really great guy !I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:Thanks JTMcC,I wondered when I replied if I was talking about the same thing. I guess the pipe I welded was just the casing for the plastic type gas line when it crossed under the road.BTW JTMcC, what part of the states are you at?
Reply:We are based out of N.W. Arizona, but work from sea to shining sea : )JTMcC.
Reply:J.T.....When I was watching the weldor working on the gas pipeline....he was using 5P+....which is a 6010 rod.Would regular (red flux) 6010 work as well ?What's the difference ?   Thanks......I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:5P+ is better rod (and made for) beads (root pass) on pipe, it's an improvement over 5P in that role but it has a real tendency to pinhole on the cap. Regular old 5P is still better rod for the cap.Every procedure (on lower grades of pipe) I've seen for years calls for 5P+ bead.Some call for 5P+ hot pass, fill and cap.Some allow 5P fill and cap.Some give the welder the choice on the cap.On higher grades of pipe (and some places use this on lower grades as well) you start using 5P+ bead and 70+ out.Higher still you get into 70+ all the way.These rods have been changed by Lincoln, but I haven't yet seen the new rods in the field, they should be showing up soon tho.  5P+ becomes 6P+, and 70+ becomes 8P+. JTMcC.
Reply:Thanks J.T.   I appreciate your reply.   The guy I was watching was using 5P+ all the way.1/8" for the root and fill and 5/32" for the cap.Interesting thing:   I noticed that when he went from the 1/8" to the 5/32" rod, he didn't change the setting on the diesel.I believe he had it set at 120 - 190 on one dial and 40 on the other.   I'm not sure what the 2 dials are for.....I think one is voltage and the other is amps.I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:I used to weld low pressure steam pipe (<15lbs) and we used 6010 for the root and 7018 for the cover.  This was all three and four inch diameter and we did it in two passes.Get it hot and hit it hard...
Reply:This gas pipe is 6 1/4" i.d. and it looks to me like about 1/4" wall.He does it in 3 passes.....Root, (run straight down),  Fill (whip), and the cap, which he does side to side.Last edited by Markopolo; 04-25-2004 at 09:01 PM.I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:Originally posted by Markopolo I noticed that when he went from the 1/8" to the 5/32" rod, he didn't change the setting on the diesel.I believe he had it set at 120 - 190 on one dial and 40 on the other.   I'm not sure what the 2 dials are for.....I think one is voltage and the other is amps.
Reply:Thanks MAC !   appreciate that !I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:So how long from start to finish would it take him to complete the joint? Not counting prep time on the joint, just from when he starts the root pass to when he's done with the final cap pass (inlcuding brushing and whatnot).When you say 'whip' do you mean stepping as in step rod?
Reply:Is he using a motorized torch attachment to cut the bevel on the pipe? Or is he free handing it?
Reply:I didn't time him, but it seemed like about a half hour for all 3 runs.  the 2nd pass....whip, or step i guess some people call it....is back and forth staight along the joint, no side to side.As for the bevel.....it's an oxy-acetylene device that fit's over the end of the pipe.....does a fantastic job !I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:I used one of those once(for the life of me, I can't remeber what it was called) but it was for pipe of at least 12".  Once you got it squared up, it did a great job with almost no griding needed.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:This is my first post I loged in and surfed around, saw pipe talk so stoped here. I just got my pipe certification so ive still got pipe on the brain. Its good to see that you where able to hang with that guy, to me pipe welding is a true art and when you master it its good $$$$.no you cant fix it with a hot pass.BORN TO LOSE, LIVE TO WIN.Brainfarth, You are probably thinking of a H & M Pipe Beveler. They come in various sizes. Cool machines!!Link to H & M
Reply:Originally posted by wolfgangwelding This is my first post I loged in and surfed around, saw pipe talk so stoped here. I just got my pipe certification so ive still got pipe on the brain. Its good to see that you where able to hang with that guy, to me pipe welding is a true art and when you master it its good $$$$.
Reply:MAC.....148 amps ? . . . . .That seems kinda' high for what he was doing...don't you think ?   And I will say this:  That's what I THOUGHT I saw the dials set at......I very easily could have been mistaken....(I only glanced at them).I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:by the dial spots you said that gives it 148 amps ....give or take afew and seems about right for switching rods and not messing with machine....you got to understand what the dials say and what is the really being drawn is to different things ....them numbers is only there for referance....like making a mark on something to see if it movesLast edited by boilerman; 04-28-2004 at 09:34 PM.
Reply:Thanks Boilerman ! . . . .I guess every welder runs a little different.    On my Thunderbolt XL, 148 amps with 1/8" 6010 would drill a hole right through the landing !I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:Markopolo,He may have had quite a bit of welding cable still wrapped up. Did you notice? I nomally have about 150 ft. of ground & stinger hooked up, so I have to run a little hotter by the settings. If I can get close to the work, then I have about 50 & 50 ft. of each. That makes a difference.
Reply:Thanks John C....I never thought of that !   That makes sense.I'll be the LAST one to let you down !
Reply:Marcopolo, I see that that weldor was doing "stock" joints above ground. When I was welding gas line (8" & 12") we worked over the hole, and sometimes in the hole. We were doing high pressure lines for gas transmission. I have a few pics of the last length and the "Last Joint" of the job, just before I left the company. That was back in New York state in 1979. Long time ago. I was running an SA-200 and using P-5 3/32" hot pass, 1/8" filler pass, and 5/32" cap pass. Boss liked his welds capped "Dime high and Nickle wide". The pic of "the last joint" shows some water in the bottom of the hole. After making the adjustments to the pipes, with the aid of the cable on the pipelayer boom and the backhoe, twisting the pipe into exact position, I welded the joint. When I finished the last quarter of the cap and stood up to open my hood, I got drenched with ice water. My helmet had been down in the water and filled the top of it up. I was wet, and as the pics show, it was winter. (January) Needless to say, I was not comfortable until we got all packed up and I got in the truck to warm up. I never did any more pipeline welding after that day. It was good money, but I was much younger then too. My boss liked me because, as he said, I was " the only damn pipeliner that could sit on the pipe and do all 4 quarters without changing positions". I was pretty happy to know that I was one of very few who could weld with either hand. He said that in his 28 years of pipe laying I was the first he had actually seen work. Attached ImagesLast edited by oldebrush; 04-30-2004 at 05:31 AM.
Reply:Here is that pic of "The Last Joint".The pipe came to this last joint from holes bored about 80 to 100' each under two railroads (Penn Central, and Norfolk & Western). The hole was about 6 ft. deep. I had to ride in and out on the backhoe bucket. The company was Turner - McNerney Pipeline out of West Falls, New York. Good small outfit. The son of one of the owners is shown putting a spacer on the last length before we pushed it through the 12" case pipe. Attached ImagesLast edited by oldebrush; 04-30-2004 at 05:35 AM.
Reply:This is my first post on this site.i just got my first pipe cert. about a year ago.8 inch sch.80 -6G-Position.welded so many practice coupons before the test ,my neck   felt like it was stuck cocked to one side.been welding about 20 years.boss thought it was time i got some paperwork .used 6010 root and 7018 for the fill and cover pass.
Reply:That looks like too much fun, I wish I could leave my toasty warm shop to do some pipe in a sloppy wet ditch,, hawww.urkafarms.com