The future of welding and the future of the welder’s security rest upon quality welding.  Public confidence in welding has been built up through satisfactory service of millions and millions of welds.  Public confidence can be quickly destroyed by a catastrophe that could be caused by a defective weld.  Adherence to the following rules will insure quality welds and the future of the welding industry as well as your own job security. 

1. Use only high-quality welding machines, electrodes, and welding accessories.
2. Know the base material on which you are working. 
3. Select the proper welding process to give the highest quality welds on the base material to be used.
4. Select the proper welding procedure to meet the service requirements of the finished weldment.
5. Select the correct electrode for the job in question. 
6. When preheating is specified or required, make sure that the temperature requirements are met.  In any case, do not weld on material below 32 degrees F. without first preheating.
7. Clean the base metal of all slag, paint, grease, oil, moisture, and any other foreign materials.
8. Remove weld slag and thoroughly clean each bead prior to making the next bead or pass.
9. Do not weld over cracks or porous tack welds.  Defective tack welds should be removed prior to welding.
10. Be particularly alert to obtain root fusion on the first pass of fillet and groove welds.
11. When root gaps of groove welds are excessive, build up one side of the joint prior to welding the pieces together.
12. When the root gap is excessive in fillet welding, be sure to increase the size of the fillet weld the amount of the root gap in order to maintain the strength requirement.  In some cases, it is an advantage to make a groove weld in order to avoid extremely large fillets.
13. Inspect your work and immediately remove any defective weld and replace it.
14. Observe the size requirement for each weld and make sure that you meet or slightly exceed the specified size.
15. Make sure that the finished appearance of the weld is smooth and that overlaps and undercuts have been properly repaired.  Remember that many people judge the strength of a weld merely by its external appearance.

If you are having difficulty achieving quality welds, consider further training or a refresher course at the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.  Call for a catalog today at 1-800-332-9448, ext. 5215.

Pocket Welding Guide, 27^th edition. Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.  To order a copy of this book, contact the Training Materials Dept. at 1-800-332-9448, ext. 5433 or order online at http://www.welding.org