Old foreman told me to stop grinding out every weld I didn't like

Guy named Jerry with 40 years in at the Indiana mill said I was wasting time chasing perfect beads. I spent three months grinding down every ugly weld before he pulled me aside and showed me his stuff had held up for decades with just a good cap pass. Anyone else have an old timer give you advice that saved you from making more work for yourself?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sam1mo ago

I gotta say, I hear this advice a lot and it never sits right with me lol. "His stuff had held up for decades" okay sure but was it inspected by anyone who cared or just running in a dirt floor machine shop? I've seen guys brag about their birdshit welds lasting years on a farm trailer that never sees more than 20 mph and a couple hundred pounds of hay. Meanwhile I've had QA kick back welds that looked decent just because the cap was a little too high or the toes weren't blended smooth. Different worlds I guess. It probably depends if you're building something that gets load rated or just something that sits in a corner and holds itself together. Not saying the old timer is wrong for his situation but acting like it applies to everyone is a stretch.

jordang321mo ago

Yeah I've had to grind down perfectly good welds just to pass a visual.

nelson.nancy18d ago

That bit about dirt floor machine shops is too real, my uncle's garage had gravel on the floor and his work held up fine for decades.