bbirder
Bronze Member
"Yesterday I couldnt spell welder. Bought a new macine today and now I are one"
Please critique the weld quality (photos enclosed)
- Thread starter plowhog
- Start date
Looks like mine - not too good…
The bottom line, really is… …the welds don’t look good. If the gate itself, looked as bad as the welds, would you accept it? The welder at the least, should have cleaned up the welds,(grind then) to look better. I already see rust in the welds.
andre12a
New member
Not enough heat and poor technique. These welds dont indicate sufficient penetration to be reliable. When i was in welding school the only way that the instructor tested our welds was by breaking them on a press and studying the penetration. Even welds that look smooth at times did not pass. These certainly wouldn't.
This is horrible work. My son is a welder/fabricator and takes a great deal of pride in his work. Those welds were done by a complete amateur. Your contractor likely thinks no one will take a close look at this. I would reject this job.
hcallaway
Platinum Member
It sure looks like stick welding. When someone makes my welding look good maybe great I would question their skills. Heat penetration is questionable. They kept adding beads hoping to strengthen the welds. It may hold but I would use a grinder clean up the welds and see the penetration. Make a new pass smooth out the welds and paint. Those little pits and holes will collect moisture. Just not an ideal weld.
That is not a good job of welding. The bead should be straight and even. Those beads are like that because the rod or wire kept sticking and they had to take it off and start over. Piss poor job.
coast40
Bronze Member
From the OP in post 39- "The gate construction welds are visibly different. To me, they look smooth and professional. The owner said he will redo all the hinge welds. The person who did the gate welds will redo the hinge welds."
It pays to read ALL posts...
It pays to read ALL posts...
pilotweld
New member
Plowhog, I'm a welding contractor and in the same trade continuously for over 50 yrs.
I'd not buy that kind of welding.
Powder coat cannot be patched with more powder (since it needs to be baked in oven)
Powder coat must be ground off or sanded off in the area of repair in order to weld by any process.
sorry to say but that weld quality is in the category of HIDEOUS!
I don't think those welds will last. They should ALL be replaced, and NOT just welded over!
My 15,000 lb work truck will eat too much fuel for me to come fix it.
Wishing you all the best.
Larry the bald guy on the LEFT Coast.
PS: STILL working my trade at 71yrs with no intention of slowing down (well... not more than I am already!)
in the year of covid (2020) I processed over 90,000 lbs of heavy steel with help from several
other local shops. Today, I fixed the steering spindle mount on a 60,000lb elevator used to load
igloos on UPS freight planes at Oakland airport. Sure, I'm still busy and love ever bit of my trade.
It's a few of those customer types that occasionally aggravate!!
Take care!