Weld looks pretty bad for a pro

[Richard.]

Personally , if I know there is welding required on a job, then I will ask the site what power they have and find out if it is suitable for what we need to use it for . That would be done well in advance of going to site.
That would be my responsibility, not the customers.
If their supply is not up to it, (or they don't know) , then I would send the guys out suitably equipped to do the job. Between us we have engine driven, battery and inverter welders capable of running off 13amp, so have most instances covered.

I agree with all of this and certainly ain’t defending the welder because he did everything wrong but what I was saying was when I was running site jobs the supply was specified before the job and the responsibility was solely put on the customer to provide as agreed. If he didn’t supply the job stopped. Different companies different requirements but we were not responsible for the size and quality of the mains incoming for electrical powered equipment.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

when I was running site jobs the supply was specified before the job and the responsibility was solely put on the customer to provide as agreed

That's because you were setting about it correctly.

 

[zeppelin builder]

I agree with all of this and certainly ain’t defending the welder because he did everything wrong but what I was saying was when I was running site jobs the supply was specified before the job and the responsibility was solely put on the customer to provide as agreed. If he didn’t supply the job stopped. Different companies different requirements but we were not responsible for the size and quality of the mains incoming for electrical powered equipment.

if i would be doing any site work i would take a diesel welder and 110 v tools . not much grunt out of portable welders on 110 volt supply (which he should be using )

even with the most basic 240 v buzz box of reasonable output a good welder could present an acceptable job

plants like the kemppi miniarc on 240 v are realy good but the 110 v version struggles on the larger electrodes

 

[DennisCA]

I am constantly confused about this talk of 110v stuff outside of North America.

 

[Robotstar5]

I am constantly confused about this talk of 110v stuff outside of North America.

It's mainly for building sites and industrial stuff using 55-0-55 volt centre tapped to earth supplies for operator safety.

 

[dobbslc]

110 volt tools on site in this country. RLV reduced low voltage, max of 55 volt to earth on 1 phase and 65v to earth on a 3 phase transformer.

@Robotstar5 beat me to it!

 

[Hitch]

Richard, surely it's the fabricators / welders responsibility to provide a suitable power source ? The whole thing should have been bolted in my opinion but it sounds like they have circumnavigated the CE by site fabbing.
If I sent my boys out on a job that involved welding and the cutomers power source wasn't up to it, then it would be my responsibility to provide them with something that was.

If I know i'm out on a site welding job somewhere Im unfamiliar with, thats the first thing I ask... "Whats the electricity supply like?" I'd be suprised if any welder with any kind of real experience wouldnt ask that same question.
If there are any doubts what so ever, I throw the genny in the truck. If its upto scratch, then all well and good. If its not, run a lead out to the truck. Most people are using inverters these days, which happily run on a 3pin plug.
Whey you are paying iro £40/hour to have someone come and weld, you expect them to have everything they need to be self sufficient if neccessary?

On a side note, I recently did some site welding of my own steelwork for my loft conversion. I had no electricity to the whole house bar a couple of double sockets on a temporary supply the other side of the house whilst it was rewired, already running 110 box and temporary lighting... No issues with welding from that, just run a decent lead out.

 

[Hitch]

This guy isn’t a welder and he shouldn’t of taken the job on. I’m qualified highly enough (welding inspection cswip 3.2) to tell you all those welds are immediate failures because there is no such criteria I’ve ever seen or worked to that would contain such a poor acceptance level.

I'd agree with that. No disrespect to anyone here, but there is plenty of chancers about that say they can weld, or used to be a welder, just because they managed to tack a patch on the back of an escort van 10 years ago.
Interesting though, that hes left all these high profile jobs like the Shard that hes welded up, and now ended up welding the odd beam on the cheap for a builder.

Perhaps when our CSWIP renewals are due Richard, we can have a trip up to the shard, and use some of the welds there as the examples for the course. Shouldn't be a problem finding all the defects! Got to be better than some of the TWI samples they had when I did mine.... Thats an inclusion...oh no, its a piece of broken off pencil where people have been poking at it, its a gas pore really

Good thread this....Lee has had a number of qualified welders, the MD of a fabrication firm, a couple of CSWIP weld inspectors.... and plenty more all say its a pants job.

 

[addjunkie]

On the lecy.. I have a little thermal arc inverter, happily runs a 3.2 on the end of a good quailty 50 m extension.

 

[brightspark]

just need someone to go round now then and tell em its crap and get it sorted

 

[Ian James]

All the mobile welders / fabricators I know allways turn up on site complete with there own power supply capable of supplying there needs

 

[KemppiFrog]

Mind boggles on this one..levels of incompetency from the top of the builders outfit. They use a bloke like this on a job... any previous? Really frightens me as to what gets passed when the client has no idea.

 

[Richard.]

If I know i'm out on a site welding job somewhere Im unfamiliar with, thats the first thing I ask... "Whats the electricity supply like?" I'd be suprised if any welder with any kind of real experience wouldnt ask that same question.
If there are any doubts what so ever, I throw the genny in the truck. If its upto scratch, then all well and good. If its not, run a lead out to the truck. Most people are using inverters these days, which happily run on a 3pin plug.
Whey you are paying iro £40/hour to have someone come and weld, you expect them to have everything they need to be self sufficient if neccessary?

Absolutely agree hitch. It is down to the welder to be prepared and carry out his checks. My post was more aimed towards advising the op that this could well of contributed to the mess on his steel work if the guy didn’t check and didn’t try to resolve the issue. Our big site jobs back in the day we’re carried out on big cement plants and power stations and part of the deal was for the company to supply us with X number of X volts X amps supplies for the equipment. It was stated in the quotation and they would usually get it right. Like I said earlier different companies adopt different ways of doing things. Our way was company responsibility to provide sufficient supplies. Which are as follows .............
like I also said earlier it was just an fyi for the op not a defence for the poor standard of work

 

[Farside]

So met with builder, welder and building control today. Explained all of my concerns, welder gets on the offensive and starts showing me pictures of the huge structures he's worked on and helicopter platforms he's welded on rigs and that he's worked on the Shard etc. He then starts giving me a lecture of how those welds would hold at least 60 ton etc. he would never put anyone in any danger.

That there - that's the funniest bit. Not that I'm having a laugh at your expense, far from it.
The useless prat who welded that should be booted off site. His so-called 'credentials' are a waste of time. Maybe he was a hod-carrier at the Shard, but if he was in any responsible for any welding there, I'll eat a monkey.

 

[Farside]

There's no way on God's green Earth that that 'welder' ever worked on helicopter platforms offshore.

Ah now, we don't know that for sure. Some of them are now at the bottom of the sea...

 

[Richard.]

All the mobile welders / fabricators I know allways turn up on site complete with there own power supply capable of supplying there needs

I do a bit of mobile work sometimes now as a sideline if it can’t avoid it. I throw the inverter in the boot. I don’t take a generator but the guy at the other end is made aware in good time that ideally a c16 breaker is required to run a 3.2 and I’ll bring a sufficient extension lead. There is nothing wrong with passing on the info and asking them to provide. Sometimes on the private jobs in somebody’s home it’s not practical to roll up with a genny if a breaker change and a good lead will do it.

 

[addjunkie]

Ah now, we don't know that for sure. Some of them are now at the bottom of the sea...

I worked on an offshore installation build in spain, when we got offshore with it there were the usual issues.

One finding when a module interconnection weld leaked....all were apparently done by there one and only coded guy. He must of been superman as there were so many certs with his name on it.

 

[Ian James]

Richard.I have got to admit that they mainly do larger jobs like the one in the original thread I didn't mean to mislead

 

[Richard.]

if i would be doing any site work i would take a diesel welder and 110 v tools . not much grunt out of portable welders on 110 volt supply (which he should be using )

even with the most basic 240 v buzz box of reasonable output a good welder could present an acceptable job

plants like the kemppi miniarc on 240 v are realy good but the 110 v version struggles on the larger electrodes

The old Fronius transpocket 1400 mv was the best I’ve used on 110v supplies. On a 16 amp supply it would punch a 2.5 in at 100amps flat out. On a 32 amp supply you’d get 3.2 low hys singing. Was a truly exceptional machine for poor site supplies

 

[Richard.]

Richard.I have got to admit that they mainly do larger jobs like the one in the original thread I didn't mean to mislead

I know what you mean mate. And yes your right mobile site welders setting up for a few shifts nearly always go in with an arc gen and and 10 gallons of red.