What is the worst welding job you've ever had?

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While doing some GMAW Pulse in the deisel fuel tank of a certain naval vessel today, I was reflecting on my previous jobs for my employer.  After some contemplation of the jobs ive done over the past four years, i've decided this is the absolute worst welding job i've ever had to do.  The tank I'm in is 120 degrees or so due to dozens of strip heaters keeping the metal up to temperature, and I spend 12 hours every day in the bays of this tank (about 18 inches wide at their widest point) clad welding using GMAW Pulse/spray, and SMAW when the need arises.  The largest site i've had to do was 65"x 30", and I did half of it while turned upside down, and a quarter of that in a mirror because it wasnt visible.  There are over 200 such sites in this tank.  I have been in here for three weeks.  Not only that, the metal has been permeated with deisel fuel and thats all you smell when you strike an arc. (regardless of how many times they washed it.  On occasion, a weld that we are repairing will randomly explode because desiel fuel seeped in behind it somewhere and built up pressure.  At one point it was so hot that my 125 degree temp stick melted in my pocket.  Several sites have been done while basically standing on my head.  Thankfully, we should be finished by this weekend.  so, the WHOLE POINT OF THIS POST WAS to create a place for everyone to post and tell us what their absolute worst job welding was...wether it be the actual PLACE they worked, or one specific job in general.  Feel free to let me know that i'm not alone.  Now, if you'll excuse me, i have to go to sleep....i have to work again in 9 hours..... "Real power is an arcair hand torch with a piece of 3/4 inch carbon and 1500 amps.  You feel like Zeus throwing a lightning bolt."
Reply:Had to be doing the waste gate in a waste treatment plant.They claimed they had pressure washed the gate and area before I got there. Well using hip boots I got into the tank started to repair the top of the gate and all of a sudden the computer automatically cycled the tank by opening the gate!! All of a sudden I was neck deep in _hit.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Welding gratings for sheep to stand on in a meat processing works with 12" of sheep droppings and urine soaked into it about 6" below where you were striking the arc. 1/8" expanded mesh being welded to 1" x 3/8" bar frames. Company bought cheap "flat" mesh and the welds continually broke and someone was there full-time. A good reason not to upset the foreman! After a day of that, your overalls stank and even after a shower, you could still smell it."One of the things we have to be thankful for is that we don't get as much government as we pay for." (Charles Kettering)Mitch 180 (NZ)Lincoln SAM-400-220 + ?-400 Fordson Major + 2 x Tractapac Humber 80 + Procut 40 PlasmaMiller Spectrum 375
Reply:Done lots of waste water treatment plant rebuilds or repairs.  Word of caution.  The "bugs" (micro-organisms that actually digest the waste) are there by the billions.  They can and will enter through the pores of your skin, and could cause you to become very ill.  So insure the plant operator washes down the area (while you watch them) prior to entering any area you are repairing.  Also, while in these plants that use "low pressure/high volume air" to "roll" the waste water so the bugs do their work, BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL around these tanks.  If you trip and fall in, you're going to the bottom.  There is zero floatation in these tanks.  Result?  Drowned immediately unless you can catch something to keep you above the water line until rescue.  Another health safety issue.  If you need to go down in a tank, even if it's been washed throughly, insure a fan is blowing fresh air in the tank.  Any accumulated Methane Gas will consume your breathing oxygen, and again, death could occur.  Before you do any Waste Water Treatment Plant repairs, know what your facing.My worst welding experience was a Pig Farm I used to do repairs at.  Had to work in the pens with the pigs and everything else in there.  Farmer refused to move them.  Got peed on once by one, had some pig s*** stuck up inside my helmet head band (took a week to find that),  DW wouldn't let me in the house after being there, had to undress in the garage so clothes could be washed immediately.BTW, the pig that peed on my back:  I watched until he went for a drink at the automatic water gizmo,  As soon as he stuck his mouth on the spigot I struck an arc on the grating it was mounted on.  Should have seen the sparks come off his teeth and tongue.  Just like the 4th of July.
Reply:Originally Posted by specterHad to be doing the waste gate in a waste treatment plant.They claimed they had pressure washed the gate and area before I got there. Well using hip boots I got into the tank started to repair the top of the gate and all of a sudden the computer automatically cycled the tank by opening the gate!! All of a sudden I was neck deep in _hit.
Reply:Tractapac and Paweldor both have it right! The job stinks. The steel may look clean but as soon as that heat hits it what may have appeared clean  all of a sudden sinks into you and your clothing.pawelldor was also right on about the safety issues. I was wearing hip boots and oh yeah a full facepiece apr (respirator). They did have non-exploding fans all over the place (yes methane is very explosive).  I also failed to say that they had me wearing a full body restaint (at the time I didn't know why) it was that restaint that saved  me from going under when that computer cycled that tank. Of course after that I had to throw the hip boots, clothing and my APR away.  They did have a full washdown facility on site for such accidents. But that stuff does get into your skin  and despite all the washdowns and cleaning you stink for days especially your hair.I also ended up sick they thought I had hepatitus. That was the last time I ever worked at any waste treatment plant. That plant now has  their own onsite specially trained & certified weldor.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Didn't happen to me, thankfully but it happened to our building maintenance guy.There's a main 12" sewer line coming form our main shop of about 80 people and flows to an oil separator (for the steam bay etc)  then it's pumped up to our four sewage lagoons to be treated. It plugged up with someting one day and I don't know what he was thinking but he procedded to climb down into a 48" diameter concrete pit that the line emptied into down 'bout 4' from the surface and poke in 3' or so with a long piece of small rebar. Well it worked, the line unplugged alright, all over him standing on the ladder with no fall restraint gear at all, there was s**t, oil, asswipe, rags, you name it he wore it.Same guy a few months later at the lagoon which is four 20' x 30' 12' deep concrete tanks was removing an aeriator and fell in....Mike
Reply:Well once in that stuff was enough for me.That site I was at now has OSHA, EPA and more regulations than you can shake a toilet plunger at. Last time I drove by and saw one of their guys out there welding he was in something that reasembled a space suit. That has got to be hard to work in.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Underwater in a nuc plant or repair inside the fuel cell of a 747.
Reply:A NASTY DUMP truck  Repaired the lower decking on the rear end.  It was full of black, stinky caked on somethingoranother weld it like you own it
Reply:Originally Posted by qaqcUnderwater in a nuc plant or repair inside the fuel cell of a 747.
Reply:hah, these are great.  Thanks for making me feel better about the ****ty job ive been working on.  In some cases, thats literal too.  three more:  #1) The stories about sewage reminded me of working in the Sanitary tanks on submarines.  The metal was sandblasted but as soon as you start welding you smell **** all day long.  #2) We spent two months one time (12 hour shift rotation, no days off) clad welding a turtleback (for those of you who dont know, just imagine a huge round dome made of 1/4" steel).  When we got done clad welding the ENTIRE thing, the engineers decided that it wasnt worth it, and told us to cut ALL the plate off the frames, and weld new plate on.   That was just about the worst call i've ever seen in my life.  so we did two months more work that should have been done in the first place.  #3) Carbon Arcing Lead Ballast.  got a little cadmium overdose from that couple of weeks.....keep em comin...."Real power is an arcair hand torch with a piece of 3/4 inch carbon and 1500 amps.  You feel like Zeus throwing a lightning bolt."