• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Hey..........Lets play "what REALLY happened?!"

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,275
Location
sw missouri
Just because a guy was a pipeline welder, doesn't mean he's great at everything, or even very many things. . I used to know a guy we called "underwater welder". He was always going on and on about all the certs he had - but when it actually came to fixing anything, or to build something without a "fitter" or drawings and someone else to cut all the pieces, he was lost. He could pass tests all day long, but I think he was the only one impressed with his welding certificates.
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
Just because a guy was a pipeline welder, doesn't mean he's great at everything, or even very many things. . I used to know a guy we called "underwater welder". He was always going on and on about all the certs he had - but when it actually came to fixing anything, or to build something without a "fitter" or drawings and someone else to cut all the pieces, he was lost. He could pass tests all day long, but I think he was the only one impressed with his welding certificates.
I think he worked for me a few years ago too. Sumbeesh could run rod, but couldn't cut a piece of pipe to make a simple 45 degree elbow. He didn't last long.
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,275
Location
sw missouri
I think it takes a certain type of person, to be able to run rod all day long on a piece of 24" pipe that's 1 1/2" wall. I set a bunch of steam pipe in a powerhouse and at a natural gas storage facility, and I about lost my mind just holding it in place for them, I couldn't imagine running that bead all day long.

I don't mind building something, or patching something together, but I don't have the patience or the ability to concentrate that hard on that bead for hour after hour after hour.
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
I think it takes a certain type of person, to be able to run rod all day long on a piece of 24" pipe that's 1 1/2" wall. I set a bunch of steam pipe in a powerhouse and at a natural gas storage facility, and I about lost my mind just holding it in place for them, I couldn't imagine running that bead all day long.

I don't mind building something, or patching something together, but I don't have the patience or the ability to concentrate that hard on that bead for hour after hour after hour.
7 years ago I did an irrigation job with 3,000 feet of 42" .541 wall pipe and 2.5 miles of 24" 3/8" wall pipe. It was around 3.5 hours with 2 guys and 3/16" 6010 to fill a joint on the 42" stuff. And I was one of the guys. Three of us would rotate on the welds so I could crane the next joint into place. When we got to the 24" pipe I had 4 welders working 2 joints at a time (one was me) and a guy on the excavator setting pipe for us. We threw down a bunch of pipe in 60 days. I think we were busting out 14-15 joints of 24" per day.
 

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,438
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
7 years ago I did an irrigation job with 3,000 feet of 42" .541 wall pipe and 2.5 miles of 24" 3/8" wall pipe. It was around 3.5 hours with 2 guys and 3/16" 6010 to fill a joint on the 42" stuff. And I was one of the guys. Three of us would rotate on the welds so I could crane the next joint into place. When we got to the 24" pipe I had 4 welders working 2 joints at a time (one was me) and a guy on the excavator setting pipe for us. We threw down a bunch of pipe in 60 days. I think we were busting out 14-15 joints of 24" per day.
No capping off with 7018:eek:
 

Howey75

Active Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
39
Location
IL
I thought it was pretty common for rearends to develop a crack and seep oil in that exact spot.ive seen some welded and welded a couple myself with no problems yet.
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,260
Location
Canada
Pipeline by hand is predominately downhand XX10 rods ran really hot! I worked in a few vessel shops. The better shops had welders weld and fitters and steel fabricators cut and fit pieces. The most valuable guys in the shop were the welders who were also good fitters and could fit there own pipe and read piping blueprints. I worked with a few of these guys and they made fitting look easy, it isn't.

I also worked in some oilfield shops. One in particular a guy thought he was the worlds greatest fitter because he could fit one piece at time in place to run piping for a mud tank. Another guy there who ran his own rig, was a really good fitter, and said the guy couldn't look at a piping blueprint with 4 pieces and fit them on a bench. I knew this to be so true having worked as an apprentice welder at one of the big vessel shops. They could look at the print and fit 90% of the pieces allowing for expansion and contraction to get the right finished length. Once in place only a few welds had to be done in position. The worlds greatest would have been totally lost. I was never fortunate enough to get to work a lot with fitters. I did do a lot of cutting of pieces and got pretty good with a torch though. People would comment on my cutting and then ask why I always cleaned the tip before I started. Duh! I worked for a cheap employer who didn't have a shape cutter and had to cut triangle hinges out of 3/8" and 1/2" flat bar using a cardboard template, tack 3 of them together, drill the hole and then grind them all the same. Grinding 1 1/2" thick steel isn't fun so I got pretty good at accurate cutting. Here's my tip when following a soapstone line, don't cut down the middle of the line or your piece will be too short. Cut on the outside or inside (when cutting a hole) of the line so you get the right size.
 
Top