Welding Certification Tests - Down and Dirty Weld Testing For the Average Joe

Welding Certification is a big deal.  Jobs that Require welding like Nuclear Plants, Bridge construction, Aerospace, petro/chemical usually require a welder to pass a welding certification test before welding on anything.

But what about the thousands of hobbyist welders out there who buy a 115 volt flux core mig welding machine from Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor supply or even Craiglist?

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Do they need to be certified too?

Technically, No. But I have a suggestion for anyone anywhere that welds anything that matters... where if the weld fails, someone will get hurt or die:

This could be handlebars for a chopper, a bike rack for the back of a Jeep, a landscape trailer, or a deer stand. (All of which could kill someone if the welds failed).  The next best thing to certifying a welder is to destructively test the weld.

Lets use the chopper handlebars for an example. Obviously, you cant destroy every weld you make but what if you were to weld up a mock up set of handlebars just to prove the weld settings? Wouldn't it be worth the price of the tubing just to have confidence in the welds?

By welding a mock-up set of handlebars using some extra tubing of the same exact material type and thickness and then, taking the mock-up handlebars out back and beating the hell out of them with a BFH (big freakin hammer) you would have a pretty good idea on the soundness of the welds. If the welds broke, oh well, at least you weren't going around a curve at 90 mph. Back to the drawing board until you find out what went wrong.

This kind of testing would be an eye opener to most welders.  It is very informative when you see good looking welds that you think are fine, pop apart when subjected to the BFH test. Its gut check time and it  makes for  better welds.  Lets face it... sometimes good looking welds are not good.

Welding certification may not be necessary for everybody but a little destructive weld testing goes a long way.

Welding Certification Tests - Down and Dirty Weld Testing For the Average Joe

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