Old timer at Local 74 told me I was overgrinding my bevels

He said I was spending way too long on prep and actually making the weld harder by taking off too much material. Switched to a steeper 30 degree bevel with a land and my root passes have been way cleaner on 1 inch plate. Has anyone else had to unlearn textbook stuff from a salty journeyman?

2 comments

2 Comments

reeseperez26d ago

Hell yeah, man! @jamiew53 hit the nail on the head about that middle ground. I had the same thing happen to me, a crusty old pipefitter told me I was burning through rod and wasting time with textbook angles. I started doing a 30 degree with a 1/16th land on most stuff and my root passes got way more consistent, especially on thick plate like you said. Those textbook angles work great in a shop with perfect fit-up, but out in the field with a little warp or a breezy day they just cause headaches. I learned the hard way that grinding off too much leaves you chasing the puddle too. So yeah, listen to the salty guys but don't throw out everything you learned, just adapt it to the job.

jamiew5327d ago

My old instructor back at Tulsa Welding School drilled that textbook 37.5 degree bevel into my head. Took me about three years in the field to realize he was teaching us how to weld in a perfect lab, not on dirty steel with cold morning starts. I see where the old timer is coming from, but I think there is a middle ground. On thicker plate like your 1 inch, yeah, a steeper bevel with a land can save you filler rod and cut down passes. But I have seen guys go too aggressive on that and end up with lack of fusion at the root, especially if your fit-up is a little wide. For me, it depends on the joint and how much I trust the backing. I keep a 30 degree bevel in my pocket for most things, but I will still open it up to a 37 if I have tight fit-up and need to really see my puddle.