welding test bogus ???????

[jethro]

Sorry I tried to post this earlier but it told me I wasn't logged in (after I logged in) and all the text went away somewhere.......
So I will give you the short version now.....

Took a Tig test. Kind of informal one. Tested on chrome-molly tube and sheet
(1 inch .050 wall tube) and sheet about .040 T joint.
Then on aluminum T joint - about .075 inch and then on about .040 inch.
cupons were 1 inch by 3 inch for steel and al. T joints.
Here were the complicating factors.
Dirty contaminated grinding wheel for tungstens.
ONLY 1 size of tungstens (3/32) - 3 of them about 2 inches long.
ONLY one single cup - the one on the torch- a number 3 I think- and its filthy with
black crusty crap inside it.
Internal copper parts of torch were bent so 3/32 electrode was all most touching side of
#3 cup
Filthy welding table which I was only allowed an area about 12 inches by 12 inches
to work on.
NO tools supplied - just what I brought.

I welded the steel parts OK but I could tell from the slightly dirty appearance of the
bead that there was contamination there. ( I scotchbrited the steel untill bright
and shiney and wiped with alcohol- didn't touch with fingers )

i brought 2 pliars, alcohol, paper towels, new scotchbrite, SS brush, 2 mini vice grips,
gloves and helmet.

Tried aluminum cupons. So dirty I couldn't even get a puddle clean enought to get
some rod into to start a bead. I turned up the gas but really didn't help much.
( I scotchbrited, wiped with alcohol, brushed with SS brush then wiped again with
alcohol before I tacked the ends of the cupons)

I was left feeling like this guy was just playing games with me.
I met him the previous day and left him a sample of my aluminum welds. They looked great. But done on my macine and clean table and clean torch.

Why give a test- even a casual one- when you know it is on a contaminated system
without giving the applicant the ability to remedy the situation before starting the weld.
I was told that there were no other cups - just the single # 3 that was on the torch.
the dirty piece of crap that should have been thrown away long ago.
And NO other tungstens - only the three 3/32 stubs.

What was the point of all this ???????
Plus I had to drive 25 miles there and 25 miles back.

Am I missing something here??????

Or is this just a BOGUS place wirh a BS test ?????
( it happens to be an aircraft factory and FAA repair station ..... )

I don't understand.......

Will all welding tests be like this ???????? ( that was my first )

What am I supposed to take away from this experience ????????????

Tim

[justinT]

My first was just like that lol.. Except the guy giving the tests told us that he had Gas Lenses in the back but he doesnt loan his stuff out.. Why tell us then? So I went and bought my own tig rig, tungsten, files/picks, gas lenses, and a bunch of other stuff so I wouldnt be in that situation again.

[jesusno2]

A lot places I've been to did crap like that all the time. I dunno if its somehow supposed to let them see what your made of buy making gravel into diamonds or what? Or if their quality of workman ship is just that horrible. I normally scan around new shops like that and look at the working conditions and quality of work going out the door then I can decide if this is a place I would like to be acossiated with.
I'm to the point now where I'm sick of the crap people are putting out its no wonder why the chinese are beating us in goods. When your starting out you don't have the option to cherry pick jobs ya get what you can get sometimes, live and learn from that dump and move on as fast as you can.

[WeldingMachine]

It's just a hack shop, keep looking even if they do hire you...
I'm a 1 man shop with 5 different types of tungstens, 10 different cup sizes, etc.
The only excuse for a lack of consumables (and decent working area) is:
It is a cheap *** hack shop..

[shovelon]

The only thing wrong with your picture was the #3 cup. That would make it a 3/16" opening. You did not say what gas flow was.

Did you ask for a bigger cup and explain that 3/32 dia. electrode was chocking the gas flow, and that the cup opening should be 4 times the dia. of the electrode?

Maybe he was looking for a self starter.

Twas me, I would give him a call see if you could resolve the issue. Maybe you can retest.

[jmtebbens]

Nobody will ever fault you for being prepared. That being said, you should have known what equipment/parts were available for the test. It would be one thing if you were told that they had all the lenses and cups and then showed up to a different situation. However, you never asked before hand.

You should always carry your equipment with you. That way, when you saw that the equipment is sub-par, you could have pulled out your own stuff and really looked like a professional that is ready to go to work.

All that being said, the shop is probably a hack operation and you will do good to not work there.

[Tool Maker]

The last test I took for a job was realy simple they took me back to a big welding table covered with felt, piled high with polised square Brass tubes 40 thousands of an inch thick and said weld up a little table which was there on a blue print. WOW I had never worked on felt I had never welded brass tubing , And I had no Idea what to do. but I was always taught when you dont know what to do fake it. Theres more jobs to look for. I got the job and loved it. All the time I was there I worked on felt and everthing was precut and polished. Mac

[VPT]

A real pro would have taken that junk and turned out perfect welds.

[brucer]

maybe thats why they were trying to hire another welder.. other guy probably quit because of not having supplies to work with.

cant work without tools

[Country Metals]

Originally Posted by VPT

A real pro would have taken that junk and turned out perfect welds.

When I worked at the steel yard, our saying was you can't always make chicken soup out of chicken ****

[jethro]

Yeah, if I had brought my own torch and cups and tungstens most of that wouldn't
have done me any good as mine is a water cooles 20 size and he had air cooled.
And YES, I did ask beforehand about more cups and tungstens. - to no avail.

I noticed some of the welds on the Jig that was sitting on the table , they looked good,
as you would expect to see in a repair station situation. There had to be another welder
that they did the "real" welds with. I got the impression that this was a back-up welder
that they don't use any more. (hence the lack of cups and bent torch)

I guess the the part of this that aggrivated me was that though I am sure I'm not the
best Tig welder out there I did go into the test with a searious and honest attitude -
and this guy was just screwing arround and wasting my time. It seemed like I cared
more about what I was trying to do than he did. I have worked for bosses like that
before. Still don't understand that attitude. But I do know I don't want anything to do
with his "work atmosphere" . If he treats you like that when you don't even work there
yet ---- how will he treat you when you are his employee ???? We know don't we !
Oh, by the way - he offeres no health insurance, no benefits of any kind - AND a whole
30 minuites for lunch.

That nite I got out my dynasty and started doing identical aluminum cupons as he had.
I could get the cupons to weld with some difficulty. I had to use the pulser on it.
Even the best ones had just a slight deformation on the back . That was a cold as
I could go and still get enough heat to get the rod to wet in. I only had 3/32 rod though.
I will try again when I get some 1/16 rod.

I happen to know the FAA inspector who inspects repair stations. Maybe I will inquire
of him un-officialy what kind of reputation this place has......... he maya or may not
want to tell me......

Seems like there is always somebody out there laying in wait to try to rope you into
a one sided deal !

In the meantime I will continue to practice and forget this Sandwitch artist !

Tim
PS Thank you all for the replys, I just wanted to see if I was crazy ! (way crazy I mean !)