What welding qualifications?

[wiffle]

What codes or qualifications do I need to weld on things like trailer eyes and handler headstocks? Or how about making/converting bale trailers?
I worked for a small engineering firm in the past doing structural steel work and ag repairs and fabrication, so I have the practical skills but interested to know what it would take to get the relevant paperwork to stay legal.

 

[Jetemp]

Unless your working for a company capable of filling your log book in getting coded is a waste of time, money and effort!
What are you wanting to gain from being coded?

Usual scenario is that an employer puts an employee through the coding tests in positions and using weld procedures that are relevant to the company!

James

 

[wiffle]

Unless your working for a company capable of filling your log book in getting coded is a waste of time, money and effort!
What are you wanting to gain from being coded?

Usual scenario is that an employer puts an employee through the coding tests in positions and using weld procedures that are relevant to the company!

James

That was the impression I got when I looked up the coded side of things. But what would a self employed fabricator need to stay legal?

 

[Dave W]

Huge grey area really.
In the case of handler attachments, they are pieces of lifting equipment and should be treated as such. ie as soon as you modify something by welding brackets on you void all the original load testing and ce conformity.
In theory it should be load tested once brackets have been welded on. It doesn't matter if my 5yr old glued them on with pritt stick, if it holds the load then it passes.

In reality that's all a load of bull because hardly anything will be load tested and none of the original fabricators will be coded.

 

[TechWise]

I did an evening course at college just to get a piece of paper behind me. It was called a PEO which is about equivalent to a GCSE.
I asked if I could do the British Standard course, can't remember the numbers after it. The lecturer said I would pass the whole thing in about an hour as it was a piece of nonsense really. College wouldn't let us do it as most of the people on the evening course were total beginners and they thought it might hurt their pass rate. The test was a horizontal weld 150mm long holding two 6mm plates together, then an outside corner holding two 6mm plates together then finally a T joint. All done horizontally with a MIG so not hard at all. He said the BS qualification was the same tests with some more theory questions.

To go beyond that, I think your only option was to get coded in individual welds, most of which were tailored to the oil industry.

 

[sawdust]

To be fair anybody half worth their salt, knows when they’ve done a sh!t weld and will grind it back out and start again, only a botcher will try to cover slag with more weld

 

[TechWise]

To be fair anybody half worth their salt, knows when they’ve done a sh!t weld and will grind it back out and start again, only a botcher will try to cover slag with more weld

I've seen someone do a fair bit of welding without turning the gas on for the MIG.
"Your welder isn't running too well" said he when I asked how he was getting on.

 

[TrewithickFarm]

I have done my British standard certification in MAGs 6mm overhead, vertical and flat fillet and butt in 6mm. was a 3 days course and i redo it every year.
Covers me for welding in my day job.

 

[TechWise]

I have done my British standard certification in MAGs 6mm overhead, vertical and flat fillet and butt in 6mm. was a 3 days course and i redo it every year.
Covers me for welding in my day job.

Do you do that at a college? I found the evening course I went to painstakingly basic but they don't seem to offer any others.

 

[TrewithickFarm]

Yes 3 day course at Cornwall college in St Austell. I did an evening course a fair few years ago and was a waste of time.

 

[sawdust]

I've seen someone do a fair bit of welding without turning the gas on for the MIG.
"Your welder isn't running too well" said he when I asked how he was getting on.

 

[Jetemp]

@wiffle the first thing I would be doing if I was worried is ask my insurance company what qualifications they needed to cover me!

James

 

[wiffle]

@wiffle the first thing I would be doing if I was worried is ask my insurance company what qualifications they needed to cover me!

James

The reply’s so far confirm what I thought really. I work for farm at the moment with several diversification’s, I do quite wide range of repairs and maintenance but have been considering going self employed in the future for various reasons. I feel it would be worthwhile having some paperwork to back up my abilities, but perhaps not essential. Cheers for the input everyone

 

[Blackleg]

NVQ 2 or 3 might be worth doing particularly if going self employed, it'll enable you to get a CSCS card which could open a few doors.
Did a course on automated gates the other week, was told that an employed fabricator must be NVQ2 minimum but the self employed could self certify.

 

[tinman]

NVQ 2 or 3 might be worth doing particularly if going self employed, it'll enable you to get a CSCS card which could open a few doors.
Did a course on automated gates the other week, was told that an employed fabricator must be NVQ2 minimum but the self employed could self certify.

a course on automated gates you say..., anything to do with cantilever gates by any chance?
fabricating or installing?.

 

[Blackleg]

a course on automated gates you say..., anything to do with cantilever gates by any chance?
fabricating or installing?.

All of that and most importantly achieving compliance.

it was the DHF 2 day gate diploma
https://www.dhfonline.org.uk/training/automated-gates-training/26.htm

but all you need is in their TS-11 publication which you can download from the website
https://www.dhfonline.org.uk/downlo...s=0&dir=documents&ref=/pg/publications/35.htm

 

[tinman]

All of that and most importantly achieving compliance.

it was the DHF 2 day gate diploma
https://www.dhfonline.org.uk/training/automated-gates-training/26.htm

but all you need is in their TS-11 publication which you can download from the website
https://www.dhfonline.org.uk/downlo...s=0&dir=documents&ref=/pg/publications/35.htm

Cheers for that info.
read through some of that and its interesting re the safety take on things there.
im planning on making a cantilever gate for the yard entrance sometime this year hopefully, i have a DEA unit bought and 3 safety strips, i may add more safety strips if needed but thats good information on a guide when installing.
many thanks for that, appreciated.

 

[Blackleg]

Thanks, glad to be of help

 

[startinghandle]

recently a neighbour asked me to repair his 8x4 trailer home made by someone with the axle too far back after he lent it to someone who overloaded it and bent the drawbar so i cut a v in drawbar and pushed it down to straighten then welded it vertical and overhead with my engine welder and job done.... i have been welding since 1975 with no problems having no qualifications .... i like welding something that is not straight forward... the same neighbour has asked me to fit the grab from an old muck grab onto a shear grab frame, the grab will need to be narrowed by 6 inches and welding will be vertical and overhead where possible and i will be using rods bought from Screwfix for a tenner a box .....

 

[polk_farmer]

Yes 3 day course at Cornwall college in St Austell. I did an evening course a fair few years ago and was a waste of time.

Do they do any TIG welding courses at St Austell?