How many certifications do you have?

[Engloid]

I just wonder what most welders have. I'm figuring the average welder has 1, but that's figuring on most not having any at all. I'm thinking that out of those certified, the average will be about 7.

Just guesses really. Lets see what everybody's got...
Military certs?
ASME certs?
AWS certs?

[Crithpy_Critter]

none..........

although I've been called a certified a$$hole on several occasions.

[lotechman]

I have one current, a log book I haven't bothered with for almost ten years and a pressure log book that I never needed after I got it. I primarily work as a fabricator and weld as needed.
The trick is to figure out what qualification you need then go for it. After that the doors will open.

[Engloid]

Yeah, I understand that the average welder probably doesn't even need any "official" certifications...and I'm sure it's not cheap to pay for it if it's comming out of your own pocket. I've been luck enough that employers pay for them for me. The job I have now, we have a welding engineer onsite, and the shop is qualified to do its own testing. I'd imagine any certification I wanted, I could get if I asked to do it.

lotechman: log book? I dunno if this is just something you wrote down what you did in, or if it's some sort of "official" something...or something else... so I'll ask. What is this?

[enlpck]

2: TIG root, 7018 cover and 6010 root, 7018 cover (which also allow 7018 backed and TIG up th 1/2 qual thickness) for HP service (NBIC/ASME shop certs, AWS standard procedures) Both 4G (I think-- long story with our former QC mgr) Need to do 6G, but, to be honest, even if I can throw the coupons, I wouldn't trust me for a circumferential critical weld open root. My roots tend to suffer around the circle.

[lotechman]

Log books are a way to keep a record in this Province of Canada. The provincial trades qualifications for a welder are listed as certified to an "A" "B" or "C" certication. "C" requires about seven months of schooling and five months working in the trade. When you have the time signed in your log book you submit it and they put a cute little seal in it. People have tried to falsify the entries so there is a fee to check it out.
"A" level is the pressure level qualifications including TIG.
You still have to qualify with the boiler inspection branch and they have their own log book. As with most pressure work, if you don't work for six months at that weld procedure that you tested and have entered in your pressure log book you have to retest.
Then of course if you want to work across Canada you can get the interprovincial Red Seal. I just love getting nice stickers :')

[arcdawg]

just got my first one this week on chrome moly tubing..... not quite sure what it means but they did the bend test and i passed, and i have a 1080 hour cert from the state of ct. for basic welding, wht ever that means...came in a nice booklet and then i have 2 motor sports classes under my belt from lincoln electric.............

dawg

[Sberry]

I dont carry any anymore. An interesting note PW that is on some of these forums said that a job he did in at Ford they asked for a builders licence, took a cert paper in leiu of that,,, ha,, guess they just wanted to see SOMETHING. Makes them feel all warm inside I guess. He has a nice rig,, and the same as mine, when they see it show up they forget about it,, hahahahaha

[Engloid]

I used to work for a company doing process piping. We made all or own pipe racks for the trucks. Of course they were all stainless steel. Each one was custom made to fit the truck. When you're getting paid to make them, you take the time to make sure it's as nice as possible. Or boss liked them that way anyway. We always had the nicest on the jobsite

[Franz]

In all the years I been at this, I've concluded Certification is a complete whorehouse. I've run across guys who had a 3 ring binder full of paper who couldn't weld **** to a shovel, and I've run across old boys who put an X on the back of their paycheck who could weld anything you asked em to.
Back in the 70s, there was a big scandal cause some TV show checked all the credentials of everybody working on a new Nuke, and better than 90% of the people working there had phoney paper.
In today's world, it seems like any job requiring certification does so immediately before you start work, on site if the job is big enough. I do wonder if the people doing the testing themselves have real credentials or just more paper from a mailorder operation.
We live in a world that has come to overly rely on paper representations, and not on a man's skill, because it makes it easier for the damn lawyers to interplede additional defendants when the **** hits the fan.
Any system that relys on paperwork can and will be corrupted.
I no longer have a single certification, because I'm damned if I'll put a dollar in a politician's pocket.

[enlpck]

My shop tests people as needed under ASME sec IX. We don't take outside paper, usually do bends in house, but we have qualified welders with the xray of the completed weld when we are confident they can do the job-- bad shot, cut it out and do it over.

[stever]

I worked as a contract weldor for an engineering test facility. When a company called the engineers for procedure qualifications I was hired by the company needing the paperwork to test it. When the testing was over I was paid and given a 1099 form. This made it legal.

I got to where I would take the paperwork only for the dates. I'd throw the older stuff out. It was redundant. Last count, I had (mumble) certifications and I know there are more on file.

On top of that I've got the CWI/CWE and the NCCER Craft Training Certs for welding.

It all becomes so much paper to keep in a folder in a drawer.

[kllrjo]

A.S.M.E 6G R [restricted]
the restricted stamp does`nt mean i`m only allowed to weld certain things, but just the opposite! means i passed the 6g test with a restriction [or obstruction] in place...gotta have this to weld pipe below deck.....the big thing about my certs are that they certify me to weld pipe for MY company![as these guys will tell you, certs from your last job really dont mean a thing], but i`v been submitting these for about 5 yrs now and no-one has ever qeustion`d it! [of course, i`m NOT bidding high-pressure steam pipeing in nuke plant, there my certs would prolly get me a spot in line to be TESTED! as it should be!] but i am doing a lot of work for HILLSBOROUGH/PINELLIS county`s and they JUST LUV having a "paper trail"

[Shade Tree Welder]

None, and I make a living as a welder. I was "coded" in the Navy. Never taken a civilian test but you only "certify" on a process and thickness (usually double the thickness you test on) If I ever needed it for a contract I'd test but have never been required by a customer to certify soo.......

[revpol]

Being a boilermaker for almost 30yrs. have tons of papers. Used to have to test on just about every job, now they have what they call common arc which is a bunch of contractors that you test for all at one time. Usually a 2in. heavy wall tube tig first pass and 7018 out. So I have them to. Do agree with other posts tho that some "welders" can have the certs but would'nt let them tack chicken wire to the hen house. revpol

[Brainfarth]

Years ago I was certified at a shipyard in dualshield(all pos with 3/64(I think)). Tested there and the coupon sent out. I never saw the paperwork, they kept it in the office. I never asked for it, guess I could have asked and renewed it after I left there. Then I was tested for .035 stainless(all pos) inhouse. I'm not sure how that all worked with the state, but I do know they had to keep my welds for the inspectors. But as of now, I have no certs. That is soon to change.
But the 6G has to be the hardest weld to pull off because of the obstruction. I've had to weld it in real life and I kinda doubt that would have passed xray. Hats off, kllrjo.

[wolfgangwelding]

Just got mt AWS cert. about two weeks ago. The specific cert. is ASME 6G pipe, Thickness on the pipe is schedule 120. That certifies me for pipe in all positions and unlimited thickness on plate. The cert. was 6010 root and hot pass then 7018 fill.

[tjb]

What is a hot pass?

[Engloid]

Hotpass= typically the second pass. For the 6010 root and 7018 filler procedure, you burn a bit hotter in order to more completely burn out the slag left behind from the root pass.

I have been told on numerous occasions that I'm certifiable ... but I have no paperwork to back this up

[wolfgangwelding]

textbook answer engloid

[SDean]

Here's one I'll probably never use again.

AWS D1.6 1G-1F (FCAW ER308LT)

That's Structural Stainless Steel with flux core. 1/16" to 3/4" thick.
I'm just glad the customer paid for it!

[one_rod]

My last job was working for a firm that made equipment for the beer brewing industry. you did not get a foot through the welding shop door without EN287 (European equivalent of AWS codings), tickets had to be current, up to date, and relevent to the processes being used. And you had to have your photo laminated onto your certificates to prove they were really yours!

The worst that could happen if a weld failed in use was some part - finished beer getting spilled.

Now I work for a big metal finishing company, mostly doing tank repairs, and similar maintenance welding. Thousands of gallons of cyanide, strong acids, toxic nickel and chromium compounds are in those tanks.

The LEAST that could happen is a minor environmental disaster, the worst does not bear thinking about.

Nobody at this company has ever asked to see any proof of my competence to weld, and I have never done a weld test for them. When I started the boss asked me if I could weld AC stick overhead. I said yes and that was it. The money is good and the work is interesting so I'm not going to rock the boat by telling them that their entry procedures are rubbish.

[Engloid]

Originally posted by wolfgangwelding
textbook answer engloid

I dunno if that's good or bad.
I've read a lot of BS in books abot welding.... that's why I've actually never read a complete book about it.

Originally posted by one_rod
My last job was working for a firm that made equipment for the beer brewing industry.

My guess is it was almost all stainless process piping and polished pipe. That's some gravy work. I used to work for a company doing that stuff. I did work at Slimfast, JFG (mayo, peanutbutter, coffee and more), Pepsi, Coke, and more. Easy work, but good clean work.

Originally posted by one_rod
The money is good and the work is interesting so I'm not going to rock the boat by telling them that their entry procedures are rubbish.

Yeah, do that when they starte bringing in less qualified guys and paying them the same as you, or something that might threaten your job. ...haha

[boilerman79]

Have one cert. -6G position 8inch sch.80,welded about a dozen pipe joints since i got it .and that was over a year ago.do mostly fab. work and some repair on heavy equipment