Are you an amateur weld inspector?

[Fixer]

I am

since starting to weld a few months ago, I can't help but notice welds I see and inspect them

At the swings with the kids, i was having a look at the stainless welds on the slide - nice and neat i thought, but then i looked at another on the same slide and it was tall and blobby - last one of the day i bet, or a different bloke did it.

Thats just one example, but i notice them everywhere i go, and have an opinion on each...

 

[rtbcomp]

I do the same with women - some are nice and neat but far too many are a bit blobby.

 

[dutchman]

.... I can't help but notice welds I see and inspect them
..... i notice them everywhere i go, and have an opinion on each...

Yeah mate, I suffer from the same disorder . Not sure why I do this, maybe it is because of what rbtcomp says
Inspecting welds does help to learn quickly though, so as long as your Mrs doesn't mind and people are not trying to get you hospitalized for it, keep it up

 

[^neo^]

used to be when i first started welding 15 years ago.
You soon realise it's the easiest job in the world to knock someone elses work and when you try doing a weld in the same position that the bloke who done the 'blobby' weld , then you understand why it looks naff!

 

[TechnicAl]

Im terrible. The wife plays hell with me.
I was once on a Ferry and found some cracked welds, to be honest, they were not structural but what do you do. Tell someone, keep quiet or what.

Many years ago I used to work on developing coatings for MMA electrodes. You can imagine what its like when you have "invented" the consumable used to weld whatever it is.

 

[MrFluffy]

Its a subset of a disease called "Im a amateur engineering inspector", where you find yourself looking at everyday objects that normal people take for granted, and start thinking "if they radiused that edge there a bit, it'd take more force and be better"...
You may find yourself self diagnosed when you catch yourself ranting about the design of something to your wife, with the words "I could do better in my shed"...

That last phase cost me 4 hrs of shed time the other day, machining up a new hinge for the washing machine door from a piece of raw stock, after mrs fluffy took advantage of my illness and said "well why don't you then". Washing machine now happily washing with door hinge strong enough to support a small elephant

 

[Bigjoe]

Not just me then! im often called a sad git for wandering off to look at welds and engineering stuff....i cant help it!

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

I have the same problem, engineering-wise, anything 'technical' is interesting to see how it hangs together but it's especially so on markets.

Wife looks at the flash (goods on display) and I check out the stall...

lengths and dimensions of metal, joints, any special hanging-brackets, etc.

It's been a while since I made a stall but if I'm ever out of work I'll be wandering around the markets touting for business so it's good to keep up to date.

Regards
Peter

 

[Hitch]

Yes, anything, have a look round it, see how its been done...

 

[Wozzaaah]

I've been spotted gazing upwards several times at work when I've spotted something interesting, usually get a text off someone along the lines of "ground control to major tom"
Next time I go to our local tesco I'll take a few pics of some shoddy weld finishing on the stainless handrail of the footbridge leading to the store. I can't believe they sent it out like it .

 

[Tractor Dave]

I'm the same, suddenly notice a weld and have a quick inspection! I also have the odd inspection when I see a Michelin lorry tyre, or wonder if thats the tyre I retreaded when i go past a lorry when in a traffic jam, can't help looking since i worked there.....

 

[Drains]

My favourite inspected welds are those on old bridge repairs and builds- railway and otherwise. It's always the vertical up MMA's that make me laugh. The dog's comment? - Ruff!

 

[Wozzaaah]

I've started noticing pipe welds more since F/J started his thread, some of them are downright ugly but I've also found a few gems. (nothing up to his standard though)

 

[Robotstar5]

Washing machine now happily washing with door hinge strong enough to support a small elephant

Are you allowed to make a statement like that these days without defining what size of small elephant was used and how long it was on the test piece.

 

[MrFluffy]

Your right, more quantification is needed :-
Start at here :-
http://www.upali.ch/weight_en.html

Decide how old constitutes small. Make second prototype and test it for yield strength and breaking strain

Or option b) smirk smugly at wife who had already picked out new washing machine from shop brochure because the door hinge was no longer available and broken.

 

[Splatfest]

Got to admit to being another sufferer of this syndrome.Since having to weld the sills on my daughters old banger and having my welding interest re-kindled.I seem to spend far too much time looking at restoration threads on various forums passing comments to Mrs Splatfest who under the constant barrage of critique has taken to looking and joining in with a comment or two herself even if she doesnt know a Mig from a food mixer
Also my job takes me into Car Dealers workshops every day and I find myself inspecting the resident Mig and sometimes tutting as some unappreciative technician (mechanic for anyone over 25 ) splodges a bit of weld underneath a car then lobs the torch on the floor or pulls the mig along behind him by it.

 

[Fixer]

We're all at it

The other day, whilst daughter no1 was playing, I was looking at a steel park bench ...I counted nearly200 inches of very nice looking welds - each 2"x1" box section was welded at 3 points, plus the legs and arm rests! must of took a good welder all day i would have thought! How much is the council (me) paying for these things

Seen some quality looking welds on some dirt cheap tools as well but the the nicest, most impressive stuff has got to be on me daughter new bike - jig built ally frame with welds that look PERFECTO!!! - like identical, evenly overlapping flat discs! Automated i guess...the bike was only like £100

 

[Drains]

We're all at it

The other day, whilst daughter no1 was playing, I was looking at a steel park bench ...I counted nearly200 inches of very nice looking welds - each 2"x1" box section was welded at 3 points, plus the legs and arm rests! must of took a good welder all day i would have thought! How much is the council (me) paying for these things

Seen some quality looking welds on some dirt cheap tools as well but the the nicest, most impressive stuff has got to be on me daughter new bike - jig built ally frame with welds that look PERFECTO!!! - like identical, evenly overlapping flat discs! Automated i guess...the bike was only like £100

Done by human hand, the overlapping discs. Some poor underpaid laddie in China, hence the brilliant price tag...

 

[weldequip]

the overlapping dics.

Have you been frequenting other sites Si?
weldequip

 

[Drains]

Sorry Steve, what overlapping dics do you mean?

The forum is having some spelling problems tonight, I think...