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5 keys to becoming a successful pipe welder

Simple pipe welding advice based on classroom and real-world experience

Welder working inside of a large pipe

Pipe welding can be made simple as long as you’re able to break it down into small parts. Doing so makes the process—even on complex parts—more manageable and less intimidating. Getty Images

There is literally no downside to being a well-rounded welder. Possessing a diverse skill set makes you more marketable, increases your earning potential, and opens doors for employment in a variety of industries. Rarely can you move up the ladder having only the ability to weld sheet or plate in the flat and horizontal position.

Having the skill to weld pipe certainly increases your value. But for new welders, pipe welding can be intimidating. These five keys to becoming successful at pipe welding are really simple and are no different than any other welding process.

1. Don’t Be Intimidated

Kelli Gilliam, a Navy veteran and craft instructor of welding at Newport News Shipbuilding, a Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, in Newport News, Va., knows firsthand the advantages of being a well-rounded welder. As a graduate of the shipyard’s prestigious Apprentice School, Gilliam spent time welding in different areas of the yard, which then led to the opportunity for her to transition from welder to craft instructor. One of those skill sets was pipe welding.

Gilliam, who joined pipe joints with gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) before she became a craft instructor, said welding pipe can be a challenge at first because it’s not a flat surface, it’s requires patience, and the welder needs to develop a different muscle memory pattern.

She spent about four years as a pipe welder and pipe foreman, working mostly on pipe that would eventually be X-ray tested. She did more than 150 X-ray pipe joints with no rejects. But it was an adjustment compared to what she had been doing.

“When I first started welding pipe, I was so used to structural welding and just putting metal down that I found welding pipe to be very boring. It was too slow for me, so I had to readjust my expectations slightly to get into that mindset,” Gilliam explained.

But, she added, that doesn’t mean new welders should view it as harder or more difficult. It’s just different. Mistakes happen when you don’t understand the puddle, the materials you’re welding, and how they respond to heat.

“People end up talking it up as something that is very difficult because many times the metals you’re welding require you to be very alert and very aware of what you’re doing. But for me, welding pipe with GTAW gave me a lot of control over what I was doing and not as much heat. I just had to develop a different muscle memory.”

2. Relax

Brandon Hoffner, lead instructor of welding technology at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury, N.C., has spent that last 19 years teaching introductory students how to weld, and that includes shielded metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, and flux-cored arc welding of pipe.

Hoffner is well-versed in the common mistakes new welders make. When his students embark on pipe welding, one of his first pieces of advice is, very simply, to be comfortable.

Pipe welding

Two weld instructors provide simple pipe welding advice based on classroom and real-world experience. Photo courtesy of Kelli Gilliam, Newport News, Va.

While there’s a difference between welding in a booth and fielding out in the real world, to excel at either, it’s all about finding a comfortable body position.

“If you don’t have a comfortable stance, if your body is not in a position where you can be comfortable making a lengthy weld, then you’re going to run into problems.”

3. Don’t Make It Complicated

When Gilliam transitioned to GTAW pipe, she found that at first she was trying to mimic what she did with SMAW and GMAW or pulsed GMAW, which didn’t work. She had more success learning what worked for her with GTAW and keeping that separate from the other processes and welding orientations she was used to.

“It’s different in the sense of how you’re going to create the bead or what you’re going to do with the puddle. You might have a pattern with every one of those processes or a way that you stay consistent. I like to weave, otherwise I’ll speed up and slow down. The weave helps me consistently make the bead cover and have the same coverage all the way across, no matter what,” Gilliam explained.

4. Learn to Read the Puddle

Gilliam, who also teaches a high school welding class, preaches puddle awareness to her new welders.

The puddle and the attributes of that puddle—how hot it is, how much it’s moving—really tell you what you’re doing to that base material. If you’re not connecting the materials together, then your puddle isn’t going to be there; it’s going to fall out on you.

“When you understand the puddle you’re working with, when you understand the material that you’re working on, and when you’re able to evaluate how it responds to the heat you’re putting into it, then from that standpoint I don’t think there’s a whole lot that’s different between welding pipe and welding anything else,” Gilliam said.

5. Practice

From there, she said, it’s developing the muscle memory to make adjustments based on what the puddle is saying. And that requires patience and practice. If you’re on the job for the first time, Gilliam suggests asking for a piece of scrap metal to practice your form.

“Ask for the opportunity to practice on something. If you’re at a place of trying to become a pipe welder and get a qualification, you should be able to toy around with some scrap material to find out how you want to make it look or figure out how you need to cover the crevice to make sure it’s fully penetrated and welded.”

Hoffner agreed.

“You have to spend time under the hood. The more you do that when trying to master pipe welding, the better you’re going to be at it. You have to be able to read and follow the WPS and understand the code, but before that even comes into play, you have to have the weld time in to be able to perform,” Hoffner said.

Pipe welding can be made simple as long as you’re able to break it down into small parts. Doing so makes the process—even on complex parts—more manageable and less intimidating.

“It’s takes time to get there. You’ve got to develop the muscle memory of how to hold the torch and the speed at which to move the torch. Your brain doesn’t automatically have those movements in place the first time you start welding. Welding pipe or anything else really is just like working out. You’ve got to build those muscles. Once you do, you start to be able to look at all the attributes around the puddle as well as the puddle itself,” Gilliam explained.

About the Author
FMA Communications Inc.

Amanda Carlson

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Elgin, IL 60123

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Amanda Carlson was named as the editor for The WELDER in January 2017. She is responsible for coordinating and writing or editing all of the magazine’s editorial content. Before joining The WELDER, Amanda was a news editor for two years, coordinating and editing all product and industry news items for several publications and thefabricator.com.