BS 4872 Coding

[SiPMerlin150]

Best of luck fella, out of interest how many test pieces are you submitting for £300?

I think it could be 3, an open root butt weld flat position, That i'll need more practise on, a tee-fillet weld and either a cornet to corner weld, or a lapjoint..

This price includes the taking away of the weld pieces to a lab or workshop and have them tested destructively. The pass certificate will be an additional cost, but hey ho!

I'll book a day or morning of practice before beginning the actual test joints.

I know a 4872 isn't much, but it does set me aside from other apprentices.

 

[Rrunnach]

WWA certainly appear to have a very good facility, well equipped too. However, looking at EAL L1, imho, I read you are only doing an element of a L1 unit.

I have never delivered at L1, as this qual is akin to handing out coconuts, and for a fact, the same at L2, is delivered over a one year period @ two days per week!

Anyways, it is your money, or do you receive funding??

 

[SiPMerlin150]

WWA certainly appear to have a very good facility, well equipped too. However, looking at EAL L1, imho, I read you are only doing an element of a L1 unit.

I have never delivered at L1, as this qual is akin to handing out coconuts, and for a fact, the same at L2, is delivered over a one year period @ two days per week!

Anyways, it is your money, or do you receive funding??

I'm down as an apprentice, so its funded for me. The large gaps between the full weeks at the academy are supplemented by welding at home the with positions I have been shown and by developing my own methods. I have a large pile of steel, a couple of boxes of good rods, and all of the very helpful members on this very forum to learn from!

I'm finishing up on my level 2 in february, so I'll do my coding in what i'm good at and go from there. I may stick around for level 3.

Its all new to me this, I never finished high school, and I didn't bother going to college or uni, as I never had a clue at what I wanted to do..

This is good for me, I mean I could burn every rod and weld every piece of steel they have in that place and walk away with nothing, and it wouldn't cost me anything but my time. Its free and I'm taking advantage of the funding, even though I did pay for the L1, and got funding for the 2nd level. Level 3 may have to be self funded though. Something about persons over 24 in education cannot be funded.. I will be paying for the coded tests though. I think this will be my 'calling' in life. I'm not the 'sit in office behind computer all day type'. Works for getting dirty!

 

[Rrunnach]

There is funding available for over 24 yo, but I don't know what this involves? Gov guidelines for FE swing towards 16 to 19 yo.

I also had the call too, did many years of the dirty stuff, I now much prefer to sit behind a pc in an office, much more healthier!

I sincerely hope everything works out for you and, good luck.

 

[backpurge]

I think it could be 3, an open root butt weld flat position, That i'll need more practise on, a tee-fillet weld and either a cornet to corner weld, or a lapjoint..

This price includes the taking away of the weld pieces to a lab or workshop and have them tested destructively. The pass certificate will be an additional cost, but hey ho!

I'll book a day or morning of practice before beginning the actual test joints.

I know a 4872 isn't much, but it does set me aside from other apprentices.

Don't fall into the popular trap of dismissing 4872 as an inferior qualification, it is what a lot of companies still work to (if they are working to any form of quality standard at all)

The testing and pass criteria for 4872 fillets is practically the same as 287, the visual pass criteria is a bit tighter on 287/ASME but lets be honest, if you can't lay down a decent fillet in PB with MMA you shouldn't be welding in a proffessional capacity anyway

As far as butt welds are concerned the only main difference is in 287, X ray or UT can be used but it isn't always mandatory and a lot of training centres will substitute destructive tests for X ray and UT in order to keep all the testing in house and thus keep the costs down

At £300 for 3 tests minus the paperwork they are a lot more expensive than a lot of companies but if you are comfortable with them that is the main thing, I would make sure you get the lab reports as well as the welder qualification certs, you have paid for them so they are your property

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Thank you for that additional information, Backpurge, I've learnt that the assessor is actually the guy who has tutored me all this week in MMA, so I'm more than comfortable with doing the test at this place.

Once he is happy with the test pieces, he then makes arrangements to have the test pieces transported to the testing labs where they will be tested.

For £300 quid its ok for the use of their facilities, the assessors time and of course, I am familiar with their facilities and friendly staff. They all know me now!

 

[backpurge]

That's good, you should be fine.

Don't forget you only get a maximum of 3 attempts, ie one to set up parameters etc then two attempts at the test piece.

Always find it best to treat your "set up" piece as an actual test piece, you generally find that it good enough to submit for testing

 

[SiPMerlin150]

That's good, you should be fine.

Don't forget you only get a maximum of 3 attempts, ie one to set up parameters etc then two attempts at the test piece.

Always find it best to treat your "set up" piece as an actual test piece, you generally find that it good enough to submit for testing

Yes, good idea, I've always found the warm up or practise test pieces look better than the final test piece! Must just be because you know in the back of your mind: ' This is the one, don't screw it up! ' and you end up messing it up!

 

[SiPMerlin150]

L2 mma course finished and signed off today, test pieces were allowed to be taken home. Here they are, and I know I still need to perfect my lapjoint welds, but this one was fine. These were completed with those earlier mentioned cheap electrodes. Excuse the little bits of spatter!

 

[backpurge]

Looking good, well done

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Looking good, well done

Thank you! I still keep thinking to myself that I can do a better lapjoint. I used 3.2mm electrodes at 98 amps, and kept my arc mainly on the bottom plate and traveled in such a way to allow the puddle to melt in the corner of the top plate.

(I should of sparked up a 7024 4mm and made a nice fat smooth weld )

hehehehe!

 

[wheresmejumper]

i was told that as soon as you finish the run,immediately attack the spatter with your hammer.hot spatter comes off a lot easier than cold.
for stubborn bits line them up at the tip of the hammer and whack the other end of the hammer with something e.g. a bit of steel.takes em clean off

 

[Rrunnach]

I've learnt that the assessor is actually the guy who has tutored me all this week in MMA, so I'm more than comfortable with doing the test at this place.

I know lads I tutor, I cannot assess for their final weld test, I find this surprising!!

 

[Rrunnach]

All quiet on the BS4872 front?

 

[SiPMerlin150]

All quiet on the BS4872 front?

'twas thinking it had gone quiet!

I'm looking a doing the overhead position part of the coding, so it covers me in all positions stated in the 4872 code. Oh, and for my reasons i'll be doing it in mma in 12mm, as eventually it will be crane repairs, and excavating equipment repairs for me 'down under, but I know that this coding only lasts 2 years so I will try to get work here with it before going. (Visa's for me would take the best part of a year to get)

 

[Rrunnach]

Many years ago when coded to 4872 pt 1&2, to keep current, ticket had to be re-stamped every 6 month and, I would have thought lasted for more than two year, as long as welder remains working to original code standards and parameters?

One of my old students had a leaving for Oz party last night (unfortunately I couldn't make it) definitely a good idea to get off this god awe-full island, so good luck to you and, I hope everything pans out for you!

 

[wheresmejumper]

Many years ago when coded to 4872 pt 1&2, to keep current, ticket had to be re-stamped every 6 month and, I would have thought lasted for more than two year, as long as welder remains working to original code standards and parameters

that is the current terms of bs en287

 

[backpurge]

'twas thinking it had gone quiet!

I'm looking a doing the overhead position part of the coding, so it covers me in all positions stated in the 4872 code. Oh, and for my reasons i'll be doing it in mma in 12mm, as eventually it will be crane repairs, and excavating equipment repairs for me 'down under, but I know that this coding only lasts 2 years so I will try to get work here with it before going. (Visa's for me would take the best part of a year to get)

If you are doing your tests on fillets you need to do an overhead plus a vertical up to be covered for all positions, looking at what you've done already you should manage the overhead with not much trouble

 

[SiPMerlin150]

that is the current terms of bs en287

Who stamps the ticket every 6 months? The assessor/company that you did your test at? If so, then that won't be a problem, they said all I need to do is pop in, do another 'sample' just to check I'm still welding to satisfaction, etch or nick break the sample, and stamp the ticket.

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Many years ago when coded to 4872 pt 1&2, to keep current, ticket had to be re-stamped every 6 month and, I would have thought lasted for more than two year, as long as welder remains working to original code standards and parameters?

One of my old students had a leaving for Oz party last night (unfortunately I couldn't make it) definitely a good idea to get off this god awe-full island, so good luck to you and, I hope everything pans out for you!

I thought it would be an on going certificate, 2 years isn't very long at all..

could someones welds deterioate in that amount of time if they were welding on a daily/weekly basis?

The work in Oz. is all waiting for me, my missus's family are australian and all live over there, my father in law has his own business welding cranes, repairing industrial/agricultural equipment, hardfacing mining excavators, bulldozer equipments, PATs electrical testing, and is doing very well since he launched his business 2 years ago, its only him and a mate of his. I'll either work with him, or for one of his mates who do similar work/site work.

He's told me about air conditioned/air fed welders overall suits that the big boys use over there because its so warm, especially when welding a 200+ amps.. some even have hydration packs which are drink bottles on your back fed to you via a straw! Swap out the water for chilled foster's, they'll never know! hahaha!