Passed AWS cert

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I just saw the X-Ray of my 3G weld for the structural AWS certification and I passed with no defects. Thinking about the 4G next so the cert. will be unlimited.
Reply:Good job on passing.  The only thing that sucks is that any place that will hire you will retest you even though you have your cert(s).  Just a few things to keep in mind.  How confident were you in passing? Did you have your fingers crossed?  Would you be able to pass 2G,3G and 4G one right after another?   The place I work for currently had me do all 3 test one after another when I was first hired.  The reason I ask about your confidence is that again where I work, I've known welders who pass the tests when hired, but then when tested out in the field end up failing.       On your test plate did you run stringers or a weave?  How many amps were you running? The last question is have you done any bend test on your welds?
Reply:Thanks. Well the main reason I wanted to get the cert was because I work for my fathers business (he is the only other employee). We do a lot of heavy equipment repair and it is good to have something to back myself up with when trying to "sell" my welding. I feel that it helps show some experience at the least. I was pretty confident in passing, I have been welding steel plate using 7018 since probably the first time I picked up a stinger when i was in middle school. Of course I have just recently really honed my skills. As for the test itself I was running about 95 amps using a weave pattern. On my final pass i raised the amperage to about 105 because it was looking like the bead was getting a little high and i had some iregularity. I made my cover pass and it looked pretty good visually. The cover pass was something I had trouble with until jacking up the amperage and burning through the weld rather than over it. I did a bend test on some other welds, but not the one that was x-rayed. I will be doing some practice in the 4G position and see how that goes.
Reply:congrats.many moons ago I had a 4g stick cert. As everyone knows the hardest part isn't welding overhead it's just getting comfortable and in a good position. What thickness did you weld? Go for the 1" to get unlimited?Nowadays all my welding is on thin material and I don't have a cert above .125" anymore.  It's fine though I kinda like welding the thin stuff.
Reply:Nice job man, even if you dont need to test for a job, its good to have. Plus it makes you feel better about your skills.
Reply:Originally Posted by kb1ftxI just saw the X-Ray of my 3G weld for the structural AWS certification and I passed with no defects. Thinking about the 4G next so the cert. will be unlimited.
Reply:Congratulations!Work HARDER, not smarter! ------------------------ Miller Bobcat 250Millermatic 251Lincoln Precision TIG 185Hypertherm PM 600Hobart 135 HandlerOxweld 400 FlameMaster