Unpopular opinion: Pre-heating with a weed burner on heavy wall pipe in the field is a game changer.

I was fighting a cold crack on a 2-inch thick seam for a solid hour until an old hand in Wyoming told me to just hit it with a torch for 90 seconds first. Anyone got a better method for pre-heat when you're miles from a proper shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

norathomas1mo ago

So you're telling me the secret to welding in the field is just to set it on fire a little first? Guess we've been overthinking this whole "controlled heat" thing for decades. Next you'll say the best way to check for leaks is to just listen really hard. I'm just picturing some engineer's face watching a guy blast a pipe with a weed burner before going to town.

hart.mark1mo ago

Saw a guy once preheat a thick joint with a road flare because his torch ran out. The weld held just fine, but the foreman almost had a heart attack.

robertgreen1mo ago

Honestly that tracks. Saw a dude use a cutting torch to warm up his lunch burrito once because the microwave broke. It was a little extra crispy but he ate it. Field work just breeds a different kind of problem solving, you know? The rule is basically if it gets hot and you don't die, it's a valid tool.