CaptTomJ404
New member
Holy Schnikes!!!! Terrible welds. Those open pockets and stacked spots are going to trap water and rust big time. Almost like they used Flux core wire instead of proper shielding gas. Me no likey....me no pay.
Please critique the weld quality (photos enclosed)
- Thread starter plowhog
- Start date
PA Plumber
New member
Brought me out of the woodwork on this thread...
Looks like a heavy duty gate/fence system.
The welds can be fixed/replaced.
I would want this corrected even if it meant splitting the cost with the installer to have a welder come out and make it right. Or...just hiring someone to come out and fix it up.
I am sorry for your hassle. Unfortunately, this type of work is getting more and more prevalent.
I am curious to see how this turns out.
Looks like a heavy duty gate/fence system.
The welds can be fixed/replaced.
I would want this corrected even if it meant splitting the cost with the installer to have a welder come out and make it right. Or...just hiring someone to come out and fix it up.
I am sorry for your hassle. Unfortunately, this type of work is getting more and more prevalent.
I am curious to see how this turns out.
kjack1960
New member
It looks like they were welded in the wind using a wire feed welder with argon . I change my wire out to flux core that doesnt require the use of argon that just blows away in the wind when welding outside . I am a do it yourself person and can do a better job than that . I would be worried that he had enough heat with the argon blowing away to penetrate well enough to hold , looks mostly like surface weld to me .
have to agree with kjack1960. In terms of quality, crappy welds. If wire feed was used, and because of size, It was dirty metal and, or, shielding gas was not used or flow to low allowing oxygen to affect weld puddle. I have a Lincoln 120v buzz box and crank the shield gas rate way up when welding outside always get a better weld than that for an amatuer welder.
rocco611
Silver Member
looks like it was done with a low current mig welder. I would have them fix it . Use the proper welding equipment grind out most of the weld, then weld them with the proper current with better penetration. I would grind them out and stick weld with 6011 rod.
bartjoebob
Silver Member
I'm no welding expert and can't judge how strong those bonds are But I know rust forming when I see it, and look at all the cavities in the weld! How's that not going to cause more that in the elements? Also maybe my standards are a little high but if paying a professional welder to do work like this I expect to see them laying dimes. This looks high school shop class level
Bikenstein
New member
The guy who installed these is not a welder by any sense of the word. I've had total rookies run a bead first time better than what I'm looking at. I welded for 49 years. Oilfield, offshore, shipyards, job shops, power plants, construction, industrial, pipe, tubes, water towers, everything from airplanes to artificial legs to gorilla zoo cages. It doesn't take a lot of weld to hold plenty of weight, but other factors to consider or the strength and penetration of where the weld starts and stops. If that is a weak area, it can cause even a good weld to eventually fail, such as leaving a crack in a crater at the end of a weld. I can't even tell where most of these welds start or stop. You can't tell much at all except the machine was set too cold and a lot of ugly stuff was ground off. They need to be ground out and welded over. As for powder coating, it's hard to tell from the photos but it seems there are a lot of flaws in that paint job for it to be powder coated. You must have done a flat or semigloss black. I also owned a powder coating outfit with a huge oven and never did a job that looked that bad from the pics. I could be wrong on that but it would be hard for me to trust a guy who would have a "Welder" like that do the installation. I would check into it or have someone you can trust look at it. Good welds don't need to be ground on.
mgstevens
Silver Member
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Yikes! I have only been welding - flux core - for about a year. Only a handful of projects, and my welds are already better than that. Although I've had a few (or more) that looked like this, I would never ask someone to pay for something as unacceptable as this.
Best suggestion: Get it fixed by a good welder, which is the right thing for your property. If vendor agrees to pay/split/etc you are lucky. I would not let the vendor who did this try again.
Best suggestion: Get it fixed by a good welder, which is the right thing for your property. If vendor agrees to pay/split/etc you are lucky. I would not let the vendor who did this try again.
kpsp50
Silver Member
I have taught high School welding at the end of the year my students could weld better than that that is a $10 an hour job if that good luck I would get a professional welder out there that is certified while the guy is there that did the welding and let them 2 hash it out