I have a 1% error rate

Tuesday afternoon at around 1300 I was told that there were 15 columns (with 16-20 welds on each column) that needed to be complete by 1400 on Wednesday so that the contractor’s welding inspector could do his inspection before they were sent off to be galvanized (and then shipped and installed).

Slightly apprehensive about being solely responsible for this much work, I got down to business.

Just before 1000 yesterday, the welding inspector arrived to find me with three more columns left to go. He acknowledged he was early and got to inspecting the ones I had completed while I worked to finish the last ones.

I still had two more to go when he walked back to where I was working to tell me that of the 13 columns had looked at, he found two errors, that he had marked them for repair and that he would look over the final two when they were done. At the end he stated that after what he had seen, was sure that he could sign off on the job.

I finished the last two and then went out to grab the two that needed repairs: A single porosity pore in the weld on a base plate (most likely a shielding gas flow interruption) and 1/2 inch of undercut on a knife plate (most likely me trying work quickly) and brought them in to grind out and re-weld.

Job done, I showed my boss. He went and found the inspector who looked at the weld repairs and the last two completed columns. He asked for my certification card so that he could write the number down in his book and on the paperwork, and signed the paperwork and took off.

All before noon.

To say my boss was pleased would be an ever so slight understatement.

On a side note; when the inspector looked at my card to get my name and ID number, he then turned it over and looked at the list of certifications I had. He then looked at me, said “Nice!” and handed me back my card.

It feels good to have an actual pro come along and be able to wow them a little bit.