Picked a 2.5 hour preheat over a 30 minute one and it paid off

Had to weld a 6 inch thick plate for a pressure vessel repair last Tuesday. My foreman said just use the small rosebud and go for 30 minutes, but I went with the big heating setup instead. Spent 2.5 hours bringing it up slow and even at 200 degrees per hour. The weld came out clean no cracking at all. He walked by and said I wasted time but I didn't have to redo anything so whatever. Has anyone else had to argue about giving a thick piece enough soak time?

3 comments

3 Comments

benclark26d ago

Man, nothing like a foreman telling you to rush a preheat on 6 inches of steel. I'd rather burn the extra gas than deal with a crack repair on a pressure vessel, that's a nightmare waiting to happen. Your time savings are just gonna get eaten up by the rework, so good on you for sticking to your guns.

paul28625d agoMost Upvoted

That 6 inches of steel bit is wild. Ive seen a 3 inch weld crack from rushing before and that was bad enough. @williamb29 is right, gas is cheap compared to the headache of a repair. I still remember watching a guy try to fix a crack on a 4 inch vessel and it just kept opening up on him. Took three shifts to sort it out and the foreman was still blaming everyone but himself lol.

williamb2926d ago

Foremen always forget gas is cheaper than a repair...