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A simple change to our weld prep routine cut our rework rate in half
For years, our standard was to grind a bevel, wire brush it, and weld. We'd always have a few sections that needed grinding out and redoing, maybe one or two per big vessel. Last fall, on a pressure vessel job for a plant in Toledo, the inspector was really strict. He made us wipe every single joint with acetone after the wire brush, right before the root pass. I thought it was overkill. We did it, and that entire job had zero porosity on the X-ray. Not a single repair. We switched to always using a solvent wipe now, and our rework rate has dropped from about 5% of joints to under 2%. The time we save not having to cut out and reweld bad spots more than makes up for the extra minute per joint. Has anyone else found a small prep step that made a huge difference in weld quality?
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alicep327mo ago
That pre-heat step is a good one, but it's for a different issue. Pre-heat helps prevent cracking, especially in thick material or cold weather. The acetone wipe is about removing moisture and oils that cause porosity. Both are important, just fix different problems.
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