By following these simple guidelines you can do your part. Help prevent accidents and injuries by making sure that all welds are as strong as they need to be, and free from ANY defects. When you are welding, there is no answer “It’s good enough”, it needs to be perfect.
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1) Know your equipment. We recommend using only high-quality welders, electrodes and welding accessories.
2) Know your materials. Make sure you know what kind of metal you are welding on.
3) Choose the proper welding process for the base metal you are welding.
4) Select the correct electrode to meet the requirements of the weld.
5) If preheating is necessary, make sure the temperature requirements are met. Under no circumstances, weld below 32 °F without first preheating.
6) Clean all slag, paint, rust, oil, moisture and any other foreign materials off the base material..
7) Remove all slag between welding passes.
8) Make sure you have root fusion on the first pass if doing a fillet or groove welds.
9) If there is a large gap, build up one side of the joint prior to welding the pieces together.
10) Inspect your work and immediately replace any defective weld.
11) Make sure you meet or slightly exceed the correct weld size.
12) Make sure the finished appearance of the weld is smooth and that all overlaps and undercuts are repaired properly.
13) The strength of a weld must never be judged only by appearance.
There are many more important points one must be aware of when welding in critical situations. If you are EVER in doubt of something, ask someone else on the job site. These are simply meant as a loose set of guidelines to ensure the quality and consistency of repairs and welds.
