Warning: My haste ruined a deep weld.

Now I never rush setup, though partners complain about time.

4 comments

4 Comments

Wasn't there a study or something that showed most weld failures come from poor prep work? I heard a trainer say once that rushing setup is the biggest cause of callbacks. He compared it to trying to paint over rust, it just doesn't stick right. I've burned that into my brain now so I slow down even when I'm in a hurry. It's boring but it saves so much trouble later.

leehall21d ago

Wait, you guys are still rushing prep? I saw a weld fail from a tiny bit of grease the other day, it was wild. The whole thing just peeled apart like a sticker.

jakewhite1mo ago

That's a tough lesson but good you learned it. Seen so many guys get a cold start or poor penetration from rushing the prep, and then you're grinding out a flawed weld all afternoon. Taking those extra minutes to clean and set up right always pays off way more than the time you think you're saving.

mary_nelson711mo ago

How many times have we all rushed prep to save five minutes? @jakewhite is totally right, because that little bit of mill scale or moisture turns into a huge headache later. I finally learned to just force myself to do the full clean and tack, no shortcuts.