That inspection note about my weld prep made me change everything

Had a QA guy come through the shop in Gary last Thursday and he pointed out something I’d been doing for years. He said my bevel angle was way too steep on 1 inch plate and it was causing root pass issues I didn’t even realize. I was running a 37 degree bevel but he showed me 25 works way better for heavy wall stuff. Took his advice on the next job and the fit up was night and day different. No more grinding after the root pass to fix that undercut I kept fighting. Has anyone else had an inspector give you a tip that actually made your welds look cleaner?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.parker1mo ago

Huh, 37 to 25 is a pretty big drop... most guys I know run 30 on heavy wall and it's fine, 37 seems like a lot for sure. Glad it worked out though, nothing beats that clean root pass feeling.

charlie_lane851mo ago

Yeah, I actually used to think 30 was the magic number for everything. I remember arguing with an old timer once about it, telling him 30 was what the textbook says so it has to be right. Then I got this job where the root pass kept looking like garbage and I couldn't figure out why. Finally listened to a CWI who said try 22 on that particular wall thickness and it was like a lightbulb went off. Now I'm way more open to what inspectors have to say because some of those guys have seen way more metal than I have. The difference in how clean the bevel feels during prep is real.

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