Tips for pipe welder interviews.

Do you have any tips to help prepare for an upcoming pipe welder interview?

Are there common interview questions that come up again and again?

The most common questions personally are, can you pass a weld test, how many years experience have you had, what type of rod would you use for 304 stainless to carbon, Do you have any pipefitting experience, would you make a lead person, Do you see yourself as a team player who works safe with little supervision. These questions are very common. The best advise I can give is be confident and honest. Being nervous and lieing are the two mistakes that we look down on.

it depends on what kind of inspector you get, there are good ones and bad ones. then look at the job you are looking for. most just want to know if you can weld, they dont care about your personal life. if you are welding mild steel it dont matter what kind of rod you would use to weld stainless unless it will be involved in your job. but you do need to know what kind of test will be involved for the position you are hiring on to do. if you can pass a 6g then you will ok for any other job they throw at you, just remember what kind of metal you are working with, then worry about your rod selection, and heat range!!!!

You got to spend time in the trenches in order to move up. Always remember your fellow workers and peers did the same thing, and took the same tests. Your uncle, take care.

Well for one thing, I can tell if you can weld just by asking you a few questions. For example: What does GMAW, TIG, SMAW, etc... mean? What does walking the cup mean and what method of welding is it used? Just to name a few questions.
Having worked in an ASME code shop for over ten years, I can tell you this that there is more than one type of TIG rod or wire that can be used to weld 304 to carbon.
Most inspectors not only judge your welding ability, but the confidence you show while taking the test.

Gmaw: Gas metal weld.
Smaw: submerged arc weld.
Tig: Tungsten arc weld.
Walk or freehand. Stainless And i have worked alos in a poultry plant as a plant mechanic and electrician, and welded a hell of alot of stainless using heliarc. Tig is alright i prefer mig. I have used static welders if you no what they are. I'm 46 not 18.

Rick Houltzhouser in Dodge Center, Minnesota said: Gmaw: Gas metal weld.
Smaw: submerged arc weld.
Tig: Tungsten arc weld.
Walk or freehand. Stainless And i have worked alos in a poultry plant as a plant mechanic and electrician, and welded a hell of alot of stainless using heliarc. Tig is alright i prefer mig. I have used static welders if you no what they are. I'm 46 not 18.

What kind of cover gas were you using to heliarc with?

Electric arc. Or use gas tungsten ether one is tedious and you really have to have a steady hand to do. Assciated with neck cramps and sore eyes, plus wrists.

Rick Houltzhouser in Dodge Center, Minnesota said: Electric arc. Or use gas tungsten ether one is tedious and you really have to have a steady hand to do. Assciated with neck cramps and sore eyes, plus wrists.

With all do respect the question was what cover gas you were using. Most people don't know this but the term heliarc arrived from the cover gas used to perform the procedure of weld, and that would be helium. That cover gas is seldom used anymore. The normal gas used today is mostly Argon. So to use the term heliarc and not use heilum as your cover gas would be an incorrect term. I'm 50 and been doing this for over 23 years in ASME and field work welding pipe. The term tig will cover any type of cover gas used. Thank you.

Good information. Thank you. I would like to know what is the gap on stainless pipe 10-40-80 schd. and what angle do you hold the tig torch to the bottom and do you start at the bottom or 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock for the root pass? I' am having suck back on the root pass a lot. Also should I be running the amps at 70 or more or less? Michael at freeme_U@yahoo.com

L Reeves in Dallas, Texas said: What kind of cover gas were you using to heliarc with?

argon compr.

Rick Houltzhouser in Dodge Center, Minnesota said: Gmaw: Gas metal weld.
Smaw: submerged arc weld.
Tig: Tungsten arc weld.
Walk or freehand. Stainless And i have worked alos in a poultry plant as a plant mechanic and electrician, and welded a hell of alot of stainless using heliarc. Tig is alright i prefer mig. I have used static welders if you no what they are. I'm 46 not 18.

OK, i just stopped in to read a few posts, am I the only one that noticed that he answered smaw wrong?? I was taught in school it was "Shieled Metal Arc Welding"? Thought i would throw that in.

Michael Dulaney in Connersville, Indiana said: Thank you for the advise on the tig questions. I do grind the land out on stainless. The purge part is not done because it's in line in a ethenol plant, so we use a flux paste painted on the inside. We also found that running an oxygen regulator (on high) cools the weld and leaves a nice gold finish. We have to deal with the wind a lot. So you say to start at 6:00 o'clock on the bottom for the root? And what is 60-80% you referr to? I use a number 8 screen jumbo cup for a cooler weld and better cup walking, what do you prefer? Finally, what causes suck back? Thanks again. Michael at freeme_U@yahoo.com

First this is my opinion so it may vary. When ever T.I.G welding and wind is an issue, to insure a quality weld you have to build a wind barrier or "hooch", I have never been in a position where this was not possible. I have worked in few Ehtenol Facilities but my experience has shown that they focus more on production than quality, but a great enviornment to learn the trade in. Oxygen regulators are best to use but can be used wrong, they provide you with more gas flow when needed also good for wind, but best for purge. I never tig without one..lol. when using one dont forget your creating molting metal even a cooling gas like argon when P.s.i is to high will blow your filler out, somtimes even causing it to become dark in color. Depending on the diameter of the pipe you normally have four to six tacks on a correct fit, thats when the fit becomes yours the fitter is no longer responsible. You have to quarter it, So start at 6 stop at 9 o'clock, then start at 3 come up to 12 stop.. this stops your fit from drawing up one way or the other. I prefer a 5/32" gap so I can back feed my root in. it keeps the bottom from falling out and causing suck back. I like to Burn bout 60-70 amps depending on the machine. when stainless is welded correctly it should have nice shinny silver color,gold is to hot but close

Rick Houltzhouser in Dodge Center, Minnesota said: Gmaw: Gas metal weld.
Smaw: submerged arc weld.
Tig: Tungsten arc weld.
Walk or freehand. Stainless And i have worked alos in a poultry plant as a plant mechanic and electrician, and welded a hell of alot of stainless using heliarc. Tig is alright i prefer mig. I have used static welders if you no what they are. I'm 46 not 18.

Gmaw is gas metal arc welding. commomly known as short arc (SMAW )is shield metal arc welding. commomly known as stick. TIG is known as (GTAW) gas tungsten arc welding, commomly known as heliarc. The other question here was what welding rod is commonly use to weld 304 ss to carbon. the answer is 309 (walking the cup is a term use when welding heliarc. The best advice for a young man starting in this field is dont be afraid to ask question hang around knowledge (old folks)become more useful by learning other things related to the welding field like pipe fitting, blueprint reading. technical aspects of welding because eventually as you get older you may not want to weld anymore. most important create your own network,most jobs are found this way, calling the folks and companies in your network. pile those phone numbers.by trying to improve every day and becoming your worse critic. (I will make that weld Better mentality) as you grow keep certs. you still will have to test most everywhere you go but if you have them sometimes they will help you in a resume or a job opportunity, especially some overseas jobs. good luck may God bless you.

Rick Houltzhouser in Dodge Center, Minnesota said: Gmaw: Gas metal weld.
Smaw: submerged arc weld.
Tig: Tungsten arc weld.
Walk or freehand. Stainless And i have worked alos in a poultry plant as a plant mechanic and electrician, and welded a hell of alot of stainless using heliarc. Tig is alright i prefer mig. I have used static welders if you no what they are. I'm 46 not 18.

shielded

I worked with a talented welder of 62 years age. He said if he had to do it all over again he would have definately picked something other than welder. There is a lot of truth in learning other things. Take a look at the average age in a boilermaker crew. There is a reason why they are young, not many 50+ boilermakers still welding tubes. Only way to go as a welder is to work into foreman ......or something else. Or bench work when you get older.

high wind velocities can cause porosities in the weld,what must be done to prevent this from happening?

yes here's a tip bring everything you need to interview. gloves, hood etc...alot of folks forget you could take a test after interview. also bring copy of resume if that is what they went by. be ready for drug screening test too. good luck
JJ

I need a tip on welding uphill on stainless stick on a flat surface.

pipe welder fitter 35 years exprince

Maybe my question wasn't fraised right! A jobbing agency sent me to company for what I thought was a 6G test on carbon pipe and it turned out all he wanted was me to run a MIG bead downhill on a piece of carbon plate and an uphill stick bead on a piece of stainless plate. (no openings on either plate) and the MIG work was fine but on the stainless stick I was trapping the slag after about an 1 1/2" to 2"'s up on both sides of the bead. I tried adjusting the machine but was having the same result. Anybody out there ever had the same problem!

Michael Dulaney in Connersville, Indiana said: Thank you for the advise on the tig questions. I do grind the land out on stainless. The purge part is not done because it's in line in a ethenol plant, so we use a flux paste painted on the inside. We also found that running an oxygen regulator (on high) cools the weld and leaves a nice gold finish. We have to deal with the wind a lot. So you say to start at 6:00 o'clock on the bottom for the root? And what is 60-80% you referr to? I use a number 8 screen jumbo cup for a cooler weld and better cup walking, what do you prefer? Finally, what causes suck back? Thanks again. Michael at freeme_U@yahoo.com

The use of solar flux is not common anymore. Most places use argon or nitrogen for purge instead, the main 3 reasons for suck back when welding stainless are (1) too much purge volume specially when hot passing the weld. as you weld over the root the gas pressure will blow out the root sometimes it wont let you tie in the root when rooting and you have to turn the gas down. (2) welding with your heat set to high over an already flush root. (3) welding over the root and not feeding enough filler metal.
I believe that your problem is a combination of 2 and 3
For the wind problems it is important to use wind brakers. either plastic or tarps.
And when it comes to cups I use a #10 with jumbo gas lens and a #12 for caping.
the reason why the converted oxigen regulator you are using works better is because it lets out a higher volume of gas shielding a larger area around your welding area from oxigen.

Rick Houltzhouser in Dodge Center, Minnesota said: Gmaw: Gas metal weld.
Smaw: submerged arc weld.
Tig: Tungsten arc weld.
Walk or freehand. Stainless And i have worked alos in a poultry plant as a plant mechanic and electrician, and welded a hell of alot of stainless using heliarc. Tig is alright i prefer mig. I have used static welders if you no what they are. I'm 46 not 18.

Hey! R u Kidding ... SMAW- means Shielded Metal Arc Welding ... Not a Submerge ...Hahahaha ....

none of you guys know how to purge right!!! jion your local UNION apprenticeship program and get paid to learn!

I have been practicing my welding on pipe for past few months, my biggest problem is the 309L stainless stick rod,3/32. The test is on 2" pipe in the 6g position. This is carbon pipe.Tig root is good, that is also 309 with a purge. Any tips for the stick from 6 to 12? Thanks ,please respond ASAP!!!!!!!

all ways test your the 309l on a pipe that you are not takeing the tes and make that you have the righi heat and when you do have the right heat then you can tahe the test