"Professional" welders? Hardly!

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These welds were completed by paid FULL TIME Los Angeles County "welders."  These welds were done at a county facility.  Hell, I guess one only needs a pulse to get hired with the county!  Seriously, don't "craftsman" take pride in their work anymore, even if its a simple weld job for a gate????Pic 1 of 2: Attached ImagesLast edited by SuperArc; 01-23-2013 at 05:02 AM.
Reply:Here's Pic 2 of 2..... Attached ImagesLincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:On the job training - works ever timeThe main thing is not to panic or get excited Bobcat 250, X-Treme 12VS,  MM211Meltabo, Milwaukee,Porter Cable,Dewalt,MakitaVictor O/A, Ingersoll-RandEvolution Rage2, 40 amp PlasmaLincoln 225 AC/DC
Reply:Originally Posted by RenagadeOn the job training - works ever time
Reply:In the mid 1990s I fired a total of 12 certified welders on a project. Every weld was to be 100% VT, and UT'd, these 12 welders would walk away from the joint with pin holes the size of your little finger nail.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Don't be too hard on him. He may file a stress claim.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:ive seen worse honestly.
Reply:Ouch.  I was at Disneyland over Christmas break, and was checking out structural welds at our hotel, and at the amusement park.  Saw a lot of bad stuff.-AaronJet 17.5" Drill Press1942 South Bend 16x84 Lathe1980s Miller 320A / BP --- 2013 Power Mig 2562012 Jet 7x12 Horizontal BandsawVictor O/A Setup
Reply:Originally Posted by SuperArcA little background..... This particular welder has been a paid FULL TIME welder with Los Angeles County for 19 years. He told me.  He collects great pay and benefits, so I guess he doesn't have to try hard anymore.  He sits around in our office, using a computer for a couple hours per day, surfing the Internet.  Gotta love a government unionized worker.
Reply:The more of this i see, the better i feel about my rookie welds. Shows that he doesnt care about his work any more than his boss does.JobSmart MIG125Lincoln AC225-SLincoln Pro-Mig 175Dewalt GrindersRidgid ChopsawIR Garage Mate CompressorAny thing worth doing, is worth doing right.
Reply:The more of this i see, the better i feel about my rookie welds. Shows that he doesnt care about his work any more than his boss does.JobSmart MIG125Lincoln AC225-SLincoln Pro-Mig 175Dewalt GrindersRidgid ChopsawIR Garage Mate CompressorAny thing worth doing, is worth doing right.
Reply:Job security,    fix it so it holds for a while then you can go fix it again in a couple years.     After 19 years his whole job is probably repairing his own previous work:beer:Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Thats just crazy, I could weld better with my eyes closed Having said that, Last summer i went on a rollercoster ride at a local amusement part and was horrified to see the state of the welds on the actual rides I can't help but want to check the state of the welds, am i normal??
Reply:before you rush to judge anyone's work think back to that day you had the flu, were working outside freezing your wheels off with wet feet and your shield had a broken filter plate. i had the mis fortune in my long and sometimes undistinguished welding career of having to work under less than ideal conditions then come upon said work years later and say to myself,"wtf, did you do this"? i would like to meet the welder who never, ever made a less than perfect weld. show me that person and i would say he hasn't done much welding.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderbefore you rush to judge anyone's work think back to that day you had the flu, were working outside freezing your wheels off with wet feet and your shield had a broken filter plate. i had the mis fortune in my long and sometimes undistinguished welding career of having to work under less than ideal conditions then come upon said work years later and say to myself,"wtf, did you do this"? i would like to meet the welder who never, ever made a less than perfect weld. show me that person and i would say he hasn't done much welding.
Reply:Some of the worst welds I have seen have been by fence guys. My favorite was a job where I had the company come back to install the latches they left off a mechanical yard gate that was the brown vinyl coated style. You could still smell the burned vinyl material long before you could see the "welds." Company sent one of the PM's out to discuss their work. The fact that I had to waste my time telling them there work was unacceptable was...unacceptable.
Reply:Whats wrong with those welds??DerekMiller 211
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderbefore you rush to judge anyone's work think back to that day you had the flu, were working outside freezing your wheels off with wet feet and your shield had a broken filter plate. i had the mis fortune in my long and sometimes undistinguished welding career of having to work under less than ideal conditions then come upon said work years later and say to myself,"wtf, did you do this"? i would like to meet the welder who never, ever made a less than perfect weld. show me that person and i would say he hasn't done much welding.
Reply:When I see welds like that it makes me wondered what made them say "well that's good enough", and they are finished. They should have at least filled it full of caulk and smoothed it over.miller... 225g, s32p, 250x, 304, 12vs, MSW41     victor o/a thermal dynamics cutmaster 50 lenco panel spotter        hobart hf-boxG3 Farms.....raising cattle, hay, kids and hell, ...oh yeah I'm a fire sprinkler contractor by trade.
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderbefore you rush to judge anyone's work think back to that day you had the flu, were working outside freezing your wheels off with wet feet and your shield had a broken filter plate. i had the mis fortune in my long and sometimes undistinguished welding career of having to work under less than ideal conditions then come upon said work years later and say to myself,"wtf, did you do this"? i would like to meet the welder who never, ever made a less than perfect weld. show me that person and i would say he hasn't done much welding.
Reply:Wouldn't have been so bad had he done a better job with the paint NickESAB CaddyTig 2200iPowermax 45MM140 (Sold)
Reply:Originally Posted by SuperArcThe welds were done the other day, with a heat surge in our local SoCal weather.   It was about a nice 77F, no rain, snow or whatever.  He has the BEST county provided equipment ever.  I posted a comment several months ago about the brand new Lincoln equipment his office just got.  The county has deep pockets for the welding crews' equipment.  I saw it first hand the day the equip was delivered and just drooled over it. He wasn't sick. I talked to him earlier that day.  As far as him working under "less than ideal conditions," lets see..    Well he had a nice dry climate; he was not bothered by anyone around him;  and the weld was a simple gate bracket that he drove his welding truck over to. I can't possibly come up with anymore excuses for the guy, other than he just doesn't give a $h!t about his work product.  He's a government worker, that gets paid no matter what the outcome.  That's the problem with lazy people that are tenured with their jobs.  It happens in all classes of professions.   I'd like to add that if he was sick,  had a bad day or whatever it was that you suggested earlier as an excuse for the guy, then he probably shouldn't have been doing the project in the first place.  Instead, he should have taken a vacation day or something.
Reply:All joking aside, after reading the conditions he welded under....I have to say that the obvious lack of care put into the job, even though it was small, shows a lack of character.  G3farms said what makes him say "that's good enough?"  I have stated what I think made him say that.  I kid around and make fun of buddies when they are still learning and make welds like that....no excuse for someone getting paid.Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by Gerry1964Granted, I've had my Bad days, But look Doc This person can't even weld on a good day, I guess this was probably done by some Blind bloke who lost his arms during the war and has started to weld using his *** cheeks to hold the stinger Seriously, even on one of my bad days my welds are still 99% better than that
Reply:The difference is knowing it is bad and not fixing it. Yes I have made bad welds that is when you get the grinder out and fix it. It might hold but I will know and it would bother meMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammerOriginally Posted by farmshopThe difference is knowing it is bad and not fixing it. Yes I have made bad welds that is when you get the grinder out and fix it. It might hold but I will know and it would bother me
Reply:Super,This is one of those threads that unfortunately, makes WW look bad by coming across with a "holier than thou" attitude.I don' t know you from Adam, but  I've read your words before and have never seen such malice.  I don't know why you would put so much effort into pointing out these welds when you yourself said "it happens" everywhere.  Unless you stood over the weldor you don't know the whole circumstance, maybe he was rushed as this doesn't appear to be a high priority job.But none the less, if you didn't tell the weldor personally about these welds, and instead smeared them across the 'net, I doubt your grit and integrity.This may not make me friends, that's not why I'm here.  But this kinda stuff really gets to me.Lincoln SA 200Esab Caddy 160Thermal Arc 201TSMiller Dialarc HFI don't like making plans for the day because then the word "premeditated" gets thrown around the courtroom....
Reply:farmshop "I would know and it would bother me"
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderi know it feels good way down deep in your heart of heart's to flame another man's inferior work especially if you think you can do better but never say never cause you never know what tomorrow could bring.
Reply:I have had bad days and bad welds, but never that bad.  And those that were bad, I fixed.  Thats no excuse for someone with 19yrs experience.  If I were in charge of his department, he would be looking for another job because I would have canned his ***.Last edited by smawgmaw; 01-23-2013 at 08:46 PM.A few of my toys !LinuxMintManjaroMiller Roughneck 2E Lincoln WeldPak 100HTP MTS 160 Chicago Electric 80amp Inverter   Victor O/A
Reply:Originally Posted by smawgmawI have had bad days and bad welds, but never that bad.  And those that were bad, I fixed.  Thats no excuse for someone with 19yrs experience.  If I were in charge of his department, he would be looking for another job because I would have canned his ***.
Reply:Originally Posted by docweldergloat and preach while you're young boys. just hope your eyes don't go when you get a little older and have family's to support. remember, god don't like ugly.
Reply:Originally Posted by smawgmawGloat and preach to someone else, bud.  You and I are almost the same age.  My eyes arnt what they used to be when I was younger either.  The one thing I do have is the pride and responsibility to perform the work that I am getting paid to do, and to perform it to the best of my ability.  I dont care if someone has a family to support, bills to pay or whatever.  If they dont have enough pride to even attempt to perform quality work for which they are getting paid, then apparantely they are not concerned about supporting their family and therefore neither am I.  I cut one loose last week and it looks like I will weed out another by the end of this week.  They are not working for the present government where they might expect a free ride, they are working for me.
Reply:... but just look how shiney silver those welds are!Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Originally Posted by dubl_tSuper,This is one of those threads that unfortunately, makes WW look bad by coming across with a "holier than thou" attitude.I don' t know you from Adam, but  I've read your words before and have never seen such malice.  I don't know why you would put so much effort into pointing out these welds when you yourself said "it happens" everywhere.  Unless you stood over the weldor you don't know the whole circumstance, maybe he was rushed as this doesn't appear to be a high priority job.But none the less, if you didn't tell the weldor personally about these welds, and instead smeared them across the 'net, I doubt your grit and integrity.This may not make me friends, that's not why I'm here.  But this kinda stuff really gets to me.
Reply:Maybe he ran out of gas or left his grinder in the shop. Who knows. I sure do hope he didn't just say "that's good enough". I really don't think a veteran would do that. Least I hope not. But we weren't there and don't know. Might be a "oh Hell. I'll let the punk tackle this. I gotta read my newspaper." I'm just thinking outside the box. I would never leave it like that but most of my experience has a test right behind it. I have thrown some doo doo on handrail that was being grinded smooth later. I mostly welded handrail downhill in the field. Didn't make much difference. Just so long as it doesn't come apart. Thanks for reading!
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderi know it feels good way down deep in your heart of heart's to flame another man's inferior work especially if you think you can do better but never say never cause you never know what tomorrow could bring.
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderi know it feels good way down deep in your heart of heart's to flame another man's inferior work especially if you think you can do better but never say never cause you never know what tomorrow could bring.
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderi know it feels good way down deep in your heart of heart's to flame another man's inferior work especially if you think you can do better but never say never cause you never know what tomorrow could bring.
Reply:Originally Posted by JimboSliceMaybe he ran out of gas or left his grinder in the shop. Who knows.
Reply:41 posts, and nothing here has been said anywhere near as harsh as would be said out on the job site!  Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderdon't lump all worker's in the same sh!t pile! as a municipal welder of very long standing i would put the productivity of my shop up against anyone's.
Reply:Something I did notice was that the plate does not sit flush with the pole, so I am guessing they were trying to meet the clearance necessary for the latch to work correctly and did not have a proper spacer. They decided to try and fill it with weld instead, which means they were probably holding the plate in mid-air at the correct distance and run the weld in between.until it stuck. Since weld was never meant to be used this way there isn't a right way for them to do it anyways... they should have gotten a spacer.Understandably it's not a quality job and there are better ways to do it. Ultimately there's no reason to judge just for the sake of it unless you are their boss, seeing as this is not something safety-critical.Last edited by Rora; 01-24-2013 at 07:29 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by ANVILI think you shouldn't let the Internet get you all upset son.  After all, isn't posting pics and "shop talk" what this is all about?  I don't think the OP ever put the welder's name out.   It's anonymous.   Unless, he's talking about you maybe.
Reply:Originally Posted by SuperArcHere's Pic 2 of 2.....
Reply:Originally Posted by Gerry1964To be honest if tomorrow meant i was welding like that then my days as a welder and fabricator would certainly be over !Doc, Not meaning to start an argument but being self employed for the past 15 years, i can't afford to do welding like that and i take extreme pride in my work and try and make each weld i do a good one.Generally i've never been out of work since i was 18 so for me thats saying something about my standards. Which may or not be higher than the next man, but either way they are the standards which i have chosen to go by. I'm an extremely proud person and take extreme pride in my work, theres nothing better after 10 hours hard graft but stepping back and saying to yourself, "That looks good"Municipal workers or council workers like what we call them in the UK are the butt of every day jokes, They are well known for doing work of a lessor quality, may be through inferior materials or a limited timeframe but i know for a fact they will not produce good quality work because they are not getting paid enough full stop.The guy who attempted to weld whats in that picture hasn't got a clue about welding and probably has never used a welder in his life, but to be honest its not the poor welder that is the butt of jokes about his welding, it has to also be his supervisor who assigned him to the Job and finally the manager who OK'd the work in the end, the whole group is a complete fail, and should really leave welding to people who know what they are doing.So whilst people are saying what a crap welder he his its not against the person individually but against the whole scenario that enable work to be done like that in the first place. Can you see where i'm coming from mate Take care now
Reply:if any of the forum weld police disagree why don't you get together jump in your car's go over there and kick his a$$! loli.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderif any of the forum weld police disagree why don't you get together jump in your car's go over there and kick his a$$! lol
Reply:gerry, it sounds like you're warming up the car?! go get him matey!! loli.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by docweldergerry, it sounds like you're warming up the car?! go get him matey!! lol