PSA: That seasoned welder told me to stop running long beads on tube sheets

I was welding a tube sheet at a plant in Baton Rouge last month, and a guy with 30 years in stopped me mid-pass. He said my long continuous beads were warping the sheet and told me to do short stitch welds instead. Anyone else get told to change a habit that went against what you learned in school?

2 comments

2 Comments

michaelchen15d ago

The old timer told me the same thing, but I had better luck with short backstep beads to control the heat.

the_sam16d ago

Huh. I actually disagree with that old timer. I run tube sheets all the time. Long beads work fine if you plan your sequence right. Work from the center out. Let the heat spread even. Stitch welding sounds good on paper but then you get cold starts and inconsistent penetration. Plus more chances for inclusions between passes. Had a job in Texas where we did 200 tube holes with continuous beads. Passed hydrotest no problem. Its about controlling your puddle not just shortening your weld length.

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