TIG Cert info??

admin

Hello There!  I am new to this site and love it! I started out welding heavy equipment  back in 89' while in the Marine Corps and have been in the metal industry ever since.  Worked with mills. lathes, wire EDM, lasers, water jet, shears, and breaks. I am now 35 years old and a 2nd year apprentice in the Sheet Metal Union Local 105 in So. Cal. So with all that said and now you know where I'm coming from , My question is............. Where can I get some info about getting a TIG cert? Joint prep, types a tig certs, what the actual test consists of, material thickness?  I looked at the AWS web site and could not find anything.  Will probably go for a  light Gage steel Tig cert of some sort. 4G overheadThe boss wants me to get certified so he can bid on jobs that require a certified welder.Thanks for everones helpEGG
Reply:I'm no expert on certs or how they are used in industry, but I think it is a misconceptions about being/becoming a "certified welder".  I've heard a lot of people over the years talks about being a "certified welder", but there is not one simple welding certification.  As I understand it, certs can be very specific.  First it depends on the industry which code you are working to, AWS D1.1 structural steel, ASME IX boiler and pressure vessel, API 1104 petroleum piping, MIL spec whatever, or internal company requirements.  The code or specification will spell out what testing is required and what material, thickness, diameter, position, process, etc. you will be certified to weld after passing.  In my experience with DOE and automotive industries involving automated welding, the welding process qualification requirements were possibly based on some existing code such as ASME, but were customized by the customer and were called out in their own spec and sometimes noted on the fabrication drawings.The customer is responsible for specifying the codes/specifications that will be applied in fabricating their weldments.  Your ASME cert for a given material, process, position, etc. may not be of any use if some other type of cert is being asked for.  That's my understanding.