Hit 500 patch welds in a row without a redo, still shocked

Counted up my repair log from the last 6 months on that tank farm job outside Houston and realized I hit 500 patch welds without a single grind-back. Honestly didn't think I was that consistent, especially with the humidity messing with my rods some days. Anyone else keep a tally and get surprised by their own numbers?

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1 Comment

tylerpark17d ago

That 500 number is just a count of what you wrote down, not proof of quality. I've seen guys on our crew brag about zero re-dos and then the X-ray shows piping full of slag you can't see from the outside. Humidity wrecking your rods means you should be grinding back more, not less, because a wet stick leaves porosity on the cap that looks fine until it fails. Patch welds on a tank farm are usually cosmetic anyway, so catching your own mistakes is way easier than on a pressure seam where it actually matters. If you're not hammering out some of those caps to check penetration, you're just patting yourself on the back for saving time, not for doing better work. I'd trust a guy who admits to ten grind-backs over someone who claims five hundred clean ones, because that second guy is either lying or not looking hard enough.