Appreciation post: The old-timer who changed my mind on pre-heating thick plate

I used to skip it on anything under 2 inches, but after seeing his crew's welds on a 2.5-inch pressure vessel in Baton Rouge, I'm a full convert. What's your go-to pre-heat method for heavy sections?

4 comments

4 Comments

keith1644mo ago

My old foreman used to call my no-preheat habit "wishing on a star." He finally got through to me with a rosebud torch on some 3-inch jig plate. Now I just accept the extra time.

jessica3314mo ago

Ever try to weld cold plate and just make a sparkly mess instead?

blairm774mo ago

My first boss caught me trying to weld 1-inch cold and just laughed for a solid minute. @jessica331, I know that sparkly mess all too well... I'm a rosebud guy now too, no matter how much I grumble about it.

-1

xena_hernandez981mo ago

Have you ever just sat there watching your cup cool and started questioning your life choices? I wasted a whole Saturday on some inch plate cause I thought I could skip the preheat and just "be fast." Ended up with cracks that looked like a spiderweb. Now I run my rosebud for a good 15 minutes at least before I even strike an arc. It's annoying but beats grinding out cold cracks or begging the foreman for a redo.