Kinda caught me off guard just got a call for a new job and asked me to take a few welding tests on Monday one of which is a stainless 6G test. Im assuming it will be 2" Stainless schedule 80. I have never taken a 6g test any tips?

 

Walk Da Cup.

 

Search TIG welding walking the cup


Some know what the heck it is some dont.

Usually i dont like giving out my secrets becasue it took me years to perfect my welding skill. Walking the cup is resting the bottom of the cup like the bottom half,and you just rock it left to right and walk it around the pipe. If you are good, you will get a weld that looks like a robot. Take your time relax. Usually there is no hurry to weld.. so dont be FAST about puttin down a bead.

Walking the cup will make your arm scream forearm. i would suggest getting a wrist stregnthner. things that look like (A) spring in the middle squeeze to get strong. This technique is key to 6g tests. The 6g is on a 45 degree angle. Take the Welds in 4 sections if you can. Tack it at 12 3 6 and 9 4 equal spots.
Weld from one to the other or as far as you can see. Than re position Start a little bit back into old weld to make look simmilar Blending start and stop.

Finish weld out Either do it in half or all 4. from one half to the other or just from 1 tack to the next. like clock work. I havent done a 6G in years but when i was in school for welding, I would pratice 6g stainless all the time. going to a school is alot diffrent than a job or home. You can use what ever you want Electric wise, Material wise and what not for free when there is a larger cost outside to pratice, get correct metal, you know what i mean? I set up every type of weld i could. Only thing i never welded on was Titanium. I primarily weld SS tig. These metals are simmilar im pretty sure its possible to do. Have welded everything inbetween from Aluminum to Zirconium

 

let the pipe cool between pass's! i've seen many of welders bust welds because they were in a rush, and didn't let the pipe cool. watch for shadow lines in the root. other than that, you know how to weld. steady hand, and do your thing.

 

If you don't already know how to walk the cup I don't think a 6g test is the time to start learning. Weld how you feel most comfortable. Nail the root and the rest is cake.

 

walk the cup and take your time, especially with stainless.

 

lol...exactly. Don't roll in there with your 1hr of cup walking experience. Weld how your comfortable.

 

I definitely agree with the not going in there trying new things. I also like to divide the pipe into 4 sections and tackle 1 section at a time. Make sure you don't overheat the pipe trying to get done in a hurry, but also make sure that you aren't taking all day, because noone wants to hire someone to do production work when they don't produce anything.

 

" DONT LISTEN TO ME "


Funny how No one Mentioned the Walk the cup technique.


Funny how I mentioned Walk to cup



Suddenly Everyone Has Their take on it.


Do this, Dont do that. Blah Blah Blah.

Welding is such a big part of me that i never worried about anything. Ever. Anything.

My first welding job i was asked to take a test. it was like 8 weld tests. Wanted me to weld in every position, 1-4g 1-4f- 6g?

Some of them positions may not even be required.Just might want you to take the test to see what you can do. What exact type of work they have you doing 6G all day?

Making a longer story short. I never second guessed my self on any test. There was a point in my life where i was almost nationally reconized by Vica and Nocti in a national welding competition I placed 1st locally. worked my way up the pole. Bragging aint ****. But knowing what your doing and how is what counts. All my accomplishments really dont mean much to anyone. To me they show how years of hard work payed off. Currently i do not weld for a company becasue they dont pay enought these days for welders. I weld for my self and private well know customers


Bottom line Go in with what you got. And yea Be comfortable. Last Major welding operation i was working on was this bullshit haliburton oil refinery crap. Multi Billion dollar company, and they insulted me with a offer. Had me in there 4 times. took the tests 2x and other 2 times they wanted to discuss pay. On top of that they wanted a 60hr MINIMUM a week. atleast 12 hr days and saturday alterations. Was a bit too much for me. was going from welding on a positioner 10 hr a day to that ****.



Walking the cup is not hard. It is so easy its not funny. How can you go wrong? seriously. I never ever knew about walking the cup but some how i figured out to have robot smoothe weld beads. I would reccomend trying it. for all we all know you could have the touch for it and people telling you to stay away and not to go there could be seriously wrong. I wasnt aware of walking the cup untill years after i found what i was doing on flanged pipe joints and all other Pipe Joints butted together was walking the cup. Who would have thought?

 

practice

 

lmfao at this guy. ^^^^^
we should all be thankful that you mentioned walking the cup. thank god for your presence. honestly, i wouldn't walk the cup on a root. no freaking way. hot/fill/cap, sure. root, nah.

you remind me of many prima donna. welders who think they're to good to work in the field on crappy days, or shouldn't have to set their welding machines up, pull their leads into a pipe rack (yes, i work in oil refineries, and i'm a fitter), etc. **** cracks me up. let me fit for you for 1 day. i'd have your ****ing hood spinning. you'd be so bowed up, while i'm ****ing off, you'd drag in 1 day.

 

This thread just got funny lol

Good luck with it

 

efjoe91, are you joking, or serious?

 

Where's the secrets?

 

i just capped my 2g 6" sch40 carbon. i dont walk the cup, and my instructor said i can root better than he can.

you dont have to walk the cup. i am still new at it, and personally i am not comfortable at doing it.

i get a chain clamp, post up, and free hand it.

i have a stupid question though in reference to his 6g stainless. is back purging necessary here? i ask because a friend in my class is taking the same test except 2" sch 180x and he is back purging.

as said, dont roll in there and try something you arent comfortable doing. do what you know. i have taken all my fillet tests, open v, and 2 pipe tests so far free handing.

 

Thanks everyone!

I have done a little walking the cup but im still not totally comfortable with it yet. Main thing im not sure about is the root pass on something that size should i go for on a gap or i should have one at all. Hope that makes me not sound too ignorant.

 

Back purging is necessary any time you have full penetration.

 

id try 1/16 gap and lay 1/16 filler right in it. when is the test? do you have time to go to a local CC and practice? I know its like $180 at my school and you get 14 days.

 

Unfortunately the test is today Monday i have a tig and some 1018 pipe to play with maybe a couple pieces of 1.5in schedule 10 from a manifold i just finished. im going to spend a couple hours practicing before the test. gonna try to use some cup walking and see if im confident with it.

Thanks again everyone for the responses i will try to practice using the tips is was given

 

tell us how it goes

 

Well i just got back from the test and honestly i was not nearly as difficult as i was making it out to be. I set a 1/16 gap and used .045 filler for the root pass. I dont know why i was nervous i definitely should not have been but i inevitably i was i got great full pen almost all the way around but about 3/8" or so at the 10 o'clock position (about the easiest area) i fed too much filler and had a few little filler wires sticking into the pipe. i wish i could have taken some pics to post. The cap pass and the rest of the root IMO looked great too bad i got nervous or whatever happen on that small section.

It was my first time taking a 6g test i wish i would have gotten a little more time to prepare and actually get the proper size and material to practice on. I'm confident that if i were to go back and do it again i would have no problem passing. I guess i will have to wait and see what the manufacturing supervisor says here in a few hours.

 

Funny how you were the first one to post, how the hell was anyone else supposed to mention it? Do you think your the only one that knows how to weld in this forum? The "secrets" line was the best though. Are you some type of pioneer in GTAW? I assume someone taught you and weren't afraid to tell you their "secrets".

Under_boost...dude, I had to laugh at your post. I was a fitter at MOBIL in Chalmette, LA, then Exxon in Baton Rouge, LA years back. So true...what you said...so true...so damn funny too...lol. So many cocky *** welders in the field that think their God's gift.

 

Dude, that's cheap. Wish they had that sh*t around here.

O.P.....did you end up back purging it or no?

 

Yes the test was back purged

 

you didn't leave the cold wire in the root for the x-ray did you???????? tell me you did a suck back on it.....or ground that small section back out and re-ran your root????