A foreman in Gary told me something I still think about every time I see a new weld

We were doing a full tube sheet replacement on a big water tube boiler, maybe ten years back. He stopped me before I struck an arc and pointed at my ground clamp. He said, 'That's not a handshake, it's a hug. Make it tight.' He showed me how a loose ground on the rusty shell was giving him a bad read on his meter, showing clean when it wasn't. I check my ground connection twice now, every single job. Anyone else have a small tip from an old hand that stuck with you like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_dylan1mo ago

Got a guy who told me to listen to the weld, not just watch it. Said a happy weld sounds like bacon frying. Now I'm just hungry and judging my work by breakfast food.

phoenix_carter18d ago

So is it really about the sound or just another way to say you've got your settings close enough? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for using your senses, but bacon sizzling changes pitch depending on how much grease is in the pan, same way a weld sounds different with gas flow or filler rod. I'd rather focus on what I'm seeing with the puddle honestly, that tells you way more than any breakfast noise ever will. The sound thing is a nice trick for newer guys to stay engaged, but it's not some secret test of quality.

susana661mo ago

Remember my shop teacher saying a good weld bead should look like stacked dimes. Spent a whole semester trying to make my beads that perfect.