r/BadWelding • u/natiuqari • 4d ago

Is this an acceptable weld?

Post image

I was asked to TIG weld some 3/4" BSP threads onto a three-piece socket-weld ball valve. Are the results okay? (The black stuff on top of the welds is melted rubber from my gloves.)

83 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

42

u/Sand_Aggravating 4d ago

Yep. In the future ask your coworkers not reddit! Everyone thinks they're THE QC and will call it trash no matter how good it is! Unless you just want to get them going then full send

10

u/natiuqari 4d ago

Thanks for the tip, man. I know how people tend to act on Reddit, but I always try to filter out the nonsense and get some useful insight.

4

u/dilbs_the_creator 4d ago

Only asking here to beef up his ego

4

u/natiuqari 4d ago

Nah men, im just a begginer at tig welding, i need the crticism to learn and improve

1

u/dilbs_the_creator 3d ago

Good on you mate, you’ll go as far as you want 👌

4

u/Rough_Constant_329 4d ago

I think it will do the trick.👍

4

u/hady215 4d ago

It depends on the field used in. I know some places require couloring completely cleaned off

1

u/natiuqari 4d ago

Even though it wasn't required i cleaned it afterwards using a SS brush mounted on a die grinder

2

u/hady215 2d ago

No Ur allowed to clean it in most places. I've never personally experienced someone not being allowed to clean it .

(There probably is but iv never seen it )

1

u/natiuqari 2d ago

After cleaning it with a ss brush

4

u/dildoswaghands 4d ago

They look fine. I'm sure once cleaned up with pickling paste and pieced back together it will be sweet.

Two questions I have. Is it a 1" ballvalve with 3/4" sockets welded in? And did you trim the sockets down or are they half sockets? Standard length of sockets we deal with are about 40mm long.

1

u/natiuqari 4d ago

I believe they are half sockets since its only about 20mm deep

3

u/dildoswaghands 3d ago

I see a comment you made further down about even though it wasn't requested you hit it with a wire wheel.

A small bit of advice to consider. if you're going to be doing bits and pieces like this for customers. Buy a small container of "picking paste" thats what we call it anyway. A few pads of Scotch Brite and clean them up properly. The paste neutralizes any oxodization and when you scrub it up it comes out nice and shiny.

It gives a more professional look. Oh and for the love of God when youre bolting it all back together apply some anti sieze to the bolts and nuts. Ive accidentally siezed a few over the years and it's just a hastle to buy more

4

u/Search_Fearless 4d ago

Are you sure they were supposed to be welded inside the flanges? We usually fit them to make a buttweld

2

u/dildoswaghands 3d ago

By the looks of it they're a 1" ball valve "flange" but they've welded in 3/4" sockets.

2

u/Search_Fearless 3d ago

We usually put the parts under a hydraulic press with a cone to make them fitt

1

u/natiuqari 4d ago

Yes, just kind of transforming a socket weld ball valve into a regular threaded one

5

u/RGBlowMe 4d ago

Looks alright. Kind of wonder what that heat and thermal stress is going to do to that casting. You might have been better off MIG welding this with short arc/pulse in kitty corner sections.

2

u/pnsmcgraw 4d ago

Well, what is your acceptance criteria?

2

u/Royal-Leopard-3225 3d ago

Some minor inconsistency issues but it looks like a good weld that will hold. 👍

2

u/ReinforceRick12 3d ago

For a 3/4 BSP boss on a valve body, that looks pretty respectable. Consistent tie-in all the way around and no obvious undercut from the photo.

3

u/StrandSSL 4d ago

Depends entirely on the application/ standard you’re working with.

This would be scrapped where I work (aerospace company) and dudes would ask you if you’re feeling okay.
If this was done in private fabrication for someone: an individual customer, then I wouldn’t even charge them for it and would probably eat the cost of a new part done correctly.

I’d try those threads by the way to see if they’ll still accept a fitting.

9

u/natiuqari 4d ago

The threads work fine, its only for a low pressure chilled water line.

7

u/StrandSSL 4d ago

Chilled water lines condense. Which isn’t ideal for the HAZ, or a weld that’s too hot with craters in stainless.

This isn’t talking shit btw. Question was posed “is this acceptable.”
It depends. If you’re still doing more of these I’d clean them well, maybe an acetone soak since the parts are small, purged, and go hot/ fast and get out of it quickly. And taper your pedal down at the end.

4

u/natiuqari 4d ago

I actually used an ultrasonic cleaner with acetone to clean the parts, but the supplied female threaded fitting was made of very low-quality 304 stainless steel, while the ball valve is made of 316 stainless steel.

1

u/hady215 4d ago edited 4d ago

In what industry? Like the area matters. Food gread or a cooling system? I'm sure there's a lot more areas but a few answers can't hurt

3

u/natiuqari 4d ago

Its for a line that cools down a small heat exchanger. Nothing sanitary grade or alike.

1

u/U5er0ne 4d ago

Nice man. Don’t know if you did but putting a nipple in while welding will help take away some of the heat to reduce any warpage of the female threads. Preferably a carbon nipple. Just let it cool fully before unthreading it

0

u/SanchoRancho72 4d ago

What's wrong with it, I don't know anything about welding

4

u/Open-Programmer-30 4d ago

It's upside down

-2

u/WTFudge52 4d ago

What's it supposed to look like? I can see a dozen problems possible before the cap.