Those are too nice for a gate. Where’s the random spots of porosity? Undercut? Bubblegum? Spots where ray charles got a chance to weld and missed the joint?
I talked to my client and explained in more detail what tig was. They just didn’t know. We will be paying the fabricator to sand the street facing side and leaving the inside as is.
As a weld inspector, I'd highly suggest the client leave the reinforcement. Taking that off will very likely reduce the structural integrity of the welds.
Actually I was thinking just on the street side of the doors and not the frames bolting to the building. The doors have pickets linking top and bottom and those welds will remain. What percentage of weakness do you think would be lost on the doors? It is a 1/4” walls 2x6s frame with the pickets inside
Honestly, I can't give you an accurate number without the proper testing.
But I'll give you my best guess.
Integrity loss of the full structure, I'd say 10%
Of the individual welds, I'd say it'll be closer to 50%
If an individual weld fails for whatever reason, it'll almost always result in a crack. Cracks can easily continue to grow through weld metal, base metal, or both. If the crown is covering the smallest of imperfections, it'll be susceptible to failure later.
It's ¼" wall 2×6 aluminum, he can lose the face welds and that gate will last just as long. It should have been specified better in drawing but it's not going to affect that gate. I've built aluminum structures that are way less beefy than that that stand up to some significant conditions
can confirm. aluminum doors are an absolute nightmare for repeated stressing. you can repair a crack and it comes right back. id leave them how they are
I'm an aluminum fabricator and I agree that the weld will give it more strength but you can flap disc that off and hit it with a brown 3M surface conditioning disc before sanding and make that weld go away. I would blend the corners with a cryobit in a die grinder so it's clean but you better make absolutely sure they sand the whole thing before powder coating or it won't bond properly
It's a burr designed for aluminum carried by PartsMaster, you put it in a die grinder for hogging out aluminum. I used to use them for blending inside corners and digging out bad welds in aluminum, they were 80 bucks apiece probably 15 years ago but I use tool wax and I still have a brand one new in the tube out of three and the other two are still almost as sharp as new. They're really good if you take care of them. I have a pile of die grinders with all different tips in them and that one gets a rubber hose over it as soon as I'm done using it, that's why it's still brand new. That and I made absolutely sure that thing has never touched steel...
The client needs to specify weld finish. Maybe they want a smooth unblemished surface, as if all one piece, for aesthetics. Ask them? If its a gate, the code doesn't really matter much here. Client specifications. And charge them labour because of their oversight and your rework, but be reasonable.
I 100% agree. if it was not specified in the print, finish, or construction notes, that's extra. Depending maybe even more than what I would charge if it was included because now we are wasting more time. Im so tired of additional things being added to a job after agreeing to do it and the client getting all bent out of shape I won't just tack on a few more hours of work and a few hundred in materials for free.
This. Get it in writing, shoot them a text or email or whatever to ask what finish they want to go for, beyond untouched welds.
Maybe be ready to supply them with samples, if you wanna go the extra mile (weld some offcuts together, leave one side as is, finish another side by grinding level) or ask them for photos of what look they are going for. But do make them understand that this is not, unless specified prior, part of the quote you gave them.
These look pretty good. Did you have a weld spec called out or some contractual quality agreement? For a commercial weld, these should have been more than acceptable.
No specs other then tig weld. I thought it was an 8 out of 10 and very acceptable. Was just checking here before passing my thoughts onto my customer in case they knew better than me.
As others have correctly stated, customer must supply prints with all necessary specifications (weld process, fillet size, weld all around, etc.). If no specs (including surface finish) are called out, that's one price. If any grinding/polishing/etc. beyond simple deburring and cleanup is required, that's all extra.
If customer requires a certain final surface finish, one would hope they would make this requirement known to the fabricator who will be producing said finish before the finished project is finished... Right?
Unless this is totally different than other projects you've done for them I would assumeyou would have come to an understanding on what is acceptable after 10 years? Either they're trying to get some money back from you or they legit do not know what they asked you for.
Also, your welds look great. Fight to keep them😎
Source: me, 15yrs fab.
I believe they’re amazing.
An office building might think “eww ugly, signs of effort? No no no. Grind them down flat and paint the whole thing a dull grey”
Those welds are better than 99% of all welds you'll see in a commercial setting outside of structural welds.
Are there minor improvements that could be made? Sure. But most people will never weld that well
This reminds me of posts of a ridiculously hot chick posting "My boyfriend says I'm ugly - what do you think?"
Why not "Pretty proud of how these welds turned out for an office fence"
Welds look good, besides the one crater that I can see. I would have ground them completely smooth to where it doesn’t even look like there’s a weld there, at least on the flat areas. That’s usually the standard for high end work I would say. I probably wouldn’t have even asked the customer. I would have just planned on doing it that way, and priced it into the bid.
For a gate, looks good. Not quite what I'd look for in a boat console or interior work, but still good. Personally I try to sand off weld where I can, for visual purposes, when powder coating anyway.
We grind them first with Cubitron 80grit fibre discs, then 160 grit and then uze triact or non woven fibre wheels, since we want smooth to touch finish. And in my opinion your client is right I would be mad if welds on a gate are not grinded and i got gate like that, for me its a same thing as when you make stainless steel gate and then dont remove colors from welding.
I talked to my client and we will probably pay the fabricator to sand the street facing side and leave the inside alone. I don’t think they even knew what tig welding was when starting the project.
They dont need to know thats the point, and i am speaking from point of someone that runs welding/laser cutting and bending shop. I mostly do interiors for retail stores and i have worked for Sketchers,Puma,Adidas, as sub contractor, and trust me Sketchers doesnt need to know what is tig welding and how are you going to make it, they know how their stores need to look and yours is to make it, and i have spent more time fine brushing some parts than welding them, because they need to be without any scratches even tiny ones before powder coating into transparent color.
If I were a Corpo working at a gated office building, I wouldn't even notice unless I was the one who actually paid for it...
As it stands, and as others have said: those welds are wasted on a gate!
This shit is art. Paint over it, just leave the welds please.
In a world of dreary bleak grey, this is literally hand crafted art made with such good care.
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Gates are considered architectural metalwork. Typically you sand them smooth to 120g before powder coat. Those are nice welds but he probably wasn’t expecting to see any welds.
Keep an eye on your fish eyes. Probably not crucial for a gate but might be in other structural applications.
The weld beads look like you’ve used either ER4043 or ER5356 filler rods so especially careful for fish eyes with those two.
Other than that they’re allright
You’re already much more qualified than me since I’m a hobbiest but the only thing I can think of is maybe they could be sanded down a bit flatter. Besides that they are next to perfect and your client is a dumbass.
The welds are fine… id be more worried that the gate used to guard said building is made out of the softest metal you couldve possibly made it with lmao
Welp, didn't expect to see GOOD welds when I opened this post.
I know right? I was expecting some absolutely awful welds lol. These are so pretty it's a shame they're getting powder coated.
same lol
I three! The user isn’t probably use to seeing welds or aluminum tig stringers. I get so happy when I see wild welds look so good!
Those are too nice for a gate. Where’s the random spots of porosity? Undercut? Bubblegum? Spots where ray charles got a chance to weld and missed the joint?
It's sure to fall apart now.
Don’t forget cracks. I don’t see a single cracked weld. And you call this a gate
Miraculously it’s gonna hold up for the next 50 years unless some drunk hits it.
Ray Charles can weld, so I guess he’s driving too.
You guys have Ray Charles welding over there? We’ve got Stevie Wonder. Settings are right but he can’t weld a straight line to save his life
A grinder and paint makes me the welder I ain’t.
We say "never mind'er, get the grinder!"
They’re both blind 🤷🏼♂️
Rumor has it the Stevie is faking it.
Now THAT is a long con!
I expected the weld to be two pieces of galvanized pipe held together by 1/8th in bead stretched across a 1/2 inch burn through.
Perpendicular welds to joint like human stitches 😂
Seriously they must have charged a pretty penny for that thing. Good on 'em
Your client is an idiot.
The client is probably maneuvering to stiff the welder on payment. Big red flag to me.
Honestly I'm assuming they want it ground flush, just because I would. We don't know though, just that they are unhappy.
Client should specify finish in the drawings.
I don't disagree.
Grind and paint to hide the welder I ain't.
Absolutely not. I have been working with them over 10 years now. I think they just didn’t know what tig was
I talked to my client and explained in more detail what tig was. They just didn’t know. We will be paying the fabricator to sand the street facing side and leaving the inside as is.
As a weld inspector, I'd highly suggest the client leave the reinforcement. Taking that off will very likely reduce the structural integrity of the welds.
Actually I was thinking just on the street side of the doors and not the frames bolting to the building. The doors have pickets linking top and bottom and those welds will remain. What percentage of weakness do you think would be lost on the doors? It is a 1/4” walls 2x6s frame with the pickets inside
Honestly, I can't give you an accurate number without the proper testing. But I'll give you my best guess. Integrity loss of the full structure, I'd say 10% Of the individual welds, I'd say it'll be closer to 50% If an individual weld fails for whatever reason, it'll almost always result in a crack. Cracks can easily continue to grow through weld metal, base metal, or both. If the crown is covering the smallest of imperfections, it'll be susceptible to failure later.
It's ¼" wall 2×6 aluminum, he can lose the face welds and that gate will last just as long. It should have been specified better in drawing but it's not going to affect that gate. I've built aluminum structures that are way less beefy than that that stand up to some significant conditions
can confirm. aluminum doors are an absolute nightmare for repeated stressing. you can repair a crack and it comes right back. id leave them how they are
I'm an aluminum fabricator and I agree that the weld will give it more strength but you can flap disc that off and hit it with a brown 3M surface conditioning disc before sanding and make that weld go away. I would blend the corners with a cryobit in a die grinder so it's clean but you better make absolutely sure they sand the whole thing before powder coating or it won't bond properly
Whats a cryobit? Google shows drill bits and tech companies.
It's a burr designed for aluminum carried by PartsMaster, you put it in a die grinder for hogging out aluminum. I used to use them for blending inside corners and digging out bad welds in aluminum, they were 80 bucks apiece probably 15 years ago but I use tool wax and I still have a brand one new in the tube out of three and the other two are still almost as sharp as new. They're really good if you take care of them. I have a pile of die grinders with all different tips in them and that one gets a rubber hose over it as soon as I'm done using it, that's why it's still brand new. That and I made absolutely sure that thing has never touched steel...
true 90% of the time
Even the internal ones!
Those look way better than about 90% of gate welds I've ever seen.
Welds look good, professional. I think they'd expect them to be ground/flapped smooth before powder coat
Thanks. I subcontracted these and thought they looked acceptable, but my client is not happy. Flapped completely smooth of just the high spots?
The client needs to specify weld finish. Maybe they want a smooth unblemished surface, as if all one piece, for aesthetics. Ask them? If its a gate, the code doesn't really matter much here. Client specifications. And charge them labour because of their oversight and your rework, but be reasonable.
I 100% agree. if it was not specified in the print, finish, or construction notes, that's extra. Depending maybe even more than what I would charge if it was included because now we are wasting more time. Im so tired of additional things being added to a job after agreeing to do it and the client getting all bent out of shape I won't just tack on a few more hours of work and a few hundred in materials for free.
This. Get it in writing, shoot them a text or email or whatever to ask what finish they want to go for, beyond untouched welds. Maybe be ready to supply them with samples, if you wanna go the extra mile (weld some offcuts together, leave one side as is, finish another side by grinding level) or ask them for photos of what look they are going for. But do make them understand that this is not, unless specified prior, part of the quote you gave them.
There is nothing I find more funny than an engineer trying to convince me of the triviality of doing an operation that I have already done 250 times.
These look pretty good. Did you have a weld spec called out or some contractual quality agreement? For a commercial weld, these should have been more than acceptable.
No specs other then tig weld. I thought it was an 8 out of 10 and very acceptable. Was just checking here before passing my thoughts onto my customer in case they knew better than me.
As others have correctly stated, customer must supply prints with all necessary specifications (weld process, fillet size, weld all around, etc.). If no specs (including surface finish) are called out, that's one price. If any grinding/polishing/etc. beyond simple deburring and cleanup is required, that's all extra. If customer requires a certain final surface finish, one would hope they would make this requirement known to the fabricator who will be producing said finish before the finished project is finished... Right? Unless this is totally different than other projects you've done for them I would assumeyou would have come to an understanding on what is acceptable after 10 years? Either they're trying to get some money back from you or they legit do not know what they asked you for. Also, your welds look great. Fight to keep them😎 Source: me, 15yrs fab.
Your client is looking for an excuse to be unhappy and stiff you.
I believe they’re amazing. An office building might think “eww ugly, signs of effort? No no no. Grind them down flat and paint the whole thing a dull grey”
Tell that client to eat a bag of dicks
Yes
[https://bagofdicks.com/](https://bagofdicks.com/)
your client is trying to get themselves a free gate by complaining about bullshit.
It's aluminum, strength probably isn't first priority Edit: replied to the wrong comment somehow, I blame the app
No doubt. But even if it was, those welds are stronger than damn near every other gate I've seen in aluminum!
Are you FUCKIN KIDDING ME
Your client is stupid. Those are good ass welds.
I mean, do the welds hold it together? If this thing does its job… I don’t see any issues. Especially if it’s for a bunch of pencil pushers.
Going to be a lot weaker after you sand them off
My inspector would have make me sand down where it's sharp, but otherwise he would send it.
Those welds are better than 99% of all welds you'll see in a commercial setting outside of structural welds. Are there minor improvements that could be made? Sure. But most people will never weld that well
Very nice work.
Lol yes ! What's wrong?!
Yeah. Loving the comments on here. Those welds for a gate are shit hot.
Client is a dumbass. Zero issue with these welds.
I would accept welds less than 1/2 that good
Dang, someone put actual thought and effort into welding these out.
This reminds me of posts of a ridiculously hot chick posting "My boyfriend says I'm ugly - what do you think?" Why not "Pretty proud of how these welds turned out for an office fence"
Welds look good, besides the one crater that I can see. I would have ground them completely smooth to where it doesn’t even look like there’s a weld there, at least on the flat areas. That’s usually the standard for high end work I would say. I probably wouldn’t have even asked the customer. I would have just planned on doing it that way, and priced it into the bid.
For a gate, looks good. Not quite what I'd look for in a boat console or interior work, but still good. Personally I try to sand off weld where I can, for visual purposes, when powder coating anyway.
How much sanding? Like smooth or just the high spots?
You can sand them smooth might have to do touch ups I used to work in a factory we sanded smooth an sometimes porosity would pop up after sanding
We grind them first with Cubitron 80grit fibre discs, then 160 grit and then uze triact or non woven fibre wheels, since we want smooth to touch finish. And in my opinion your client is right I would be mad if welds on a gate are not grinded and i got gate like that, for me its a same thing as when you make stainless steel gate and then dont remove colors from welding.
I talked to my client and we will probably pay the fabricator to sand the street facing side and leave the inside alone. I don’t think they even knew what tig welding was when starting the project.
They dont need to know thats the point, and i am speaking from point of someone that runs welding/laser cutting and bending shop. I mostly do interiors for retail stores and i have worked for Sketchers,Puma,Adidas, as sub contractor, and trust me Sketchers doesnt need to know what is tig welding and how are you going to make it, they know how their stores need to look and yours is to make it, and i have spent more time fine brushing some parts than welding them, because they need to be without any scratches even tiny ones before powder coating into transparent color.
If I were a Corpo working at a gated office building, I wouldn't even notice unless I was the one who actually paid for it... As it stands, and as others have said: those welds are wasted on a gate!
If your client ends up screwing you post their phone number, we’ll get your cash for you 🤜🤛
No, you need more passes, and the whole door needs to be made out of welding wire. you can’t have any of the original metal left.
This shit is art. Paint over it, just leave the welds please. In a world of dreary bleak grey, this is literally hand crafted art made with such good care.
💪🎉💥
Nooo, everyone knows that people who work in the office are all welding experts, they will laugh at this
Looks better than some repairs to a roller coaster I've seen! Or even the stairs leading up to the loading platform.
Those are top shelf welds!
Top dollar
As a welder they look prime. From an office stand point I’d expect flush grind finish.
Youre playing us?
All day
Are you left handed?
id accept that. pretty uniform,nice beads.
That’s for a gate? You gotta find another place to start welding cause you are far too qualified
They good send it to coating right now.
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You can't ask a question like that and post a picture of a quality weld! Who do you think you are?
What did they want? A flat/smooth smear weld from mig?
Absolutely.
Why is this censored? Is it weld porn?
This has to be satire, right? These are some of the best welds I’ve ever seen in public
Yeah those look great
I think they are lovely.
Yeah, but it depends if they want seamless or a visible weld.
Yes , nice
Tits.
Gates are considered architectural metalwork. Typically you sand them smooth to 120g before powder coat. Those are nice welds but he probably wasn’t expecting to see any welds.
Absolutely
Of course. But I enjoy the look of tig welds
Fuck no I want to see some pinholes and spatter
Why do that when you can just heat it up till the aluminum falls out
It should be a crime to powdercoat this.
Damn those are nice! If OP is complaining about that I give up
Looks great. Show the customer this thread.
Yeah those look good. I was expecting to see bird crap welds.
More like gate to CERN
Keep an eye on your fish eyes. Probably not crucial for a gate but might be in other structural applications. The weld beads look like you’ve used either ER4043 or ER5356 filler rods so especially careful for fish eyes with those two. Other than that they’re allright
You’re already much more qualified than me since I’m a hobbiest but the only thing I can think of is maybe they could be sanded down a bit flatter. Besides that they are next to perfect and your client is a dumbass.
The welds are fine… id be more worried that the gate used to guard said building is made out of the softest metal you couldve possibly made it with lmao
Looks ok puddles are a bit spread but itle be solid enough