AWS Certification Prep - Getting Your First Stamp

A welder qualification test shows that you can make a sound weld with a particular process, in a particular position, on a particular metal. Many structural and pipe jobs require one before you can touch the work. Passing takes planning as well as skill.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Tell a portable certification from an employer qualification.
• Read what a test covers, and what it leaves out.
• Prepare a test coupon.
• Build a practice plan around bend tests.
• Keep your qualification from lapsing.

What a Certification Actually Says

A certification or qualification record states that on a certain date, you welded a test coupon under witnessed conditions, and it passed. It lists the variables you tested on, such as process, position, base metal, filler, thickness and backing. If the work changes too much from those variables, the record does not cover it. A welder qualified in 3G SMAW with E7018 is not qualified to weld 6G pipe with TIG.

The American Welding Society (AWS) writes welding codes, including these common ones:

Pipe jobs usually use other qualification codes, such as ASME Section IX or API 1104. Find out what code your target employers use before you pay for a test.

Two Routes to Qualified

AWS Certified Welder. You test at an Accredited Test Facility, and the record goes into the AWS database. It can follow you from job to job. An employer may still make you test under its own procedures, because codes hold each employer responsible for its own welders.

Employer qualification. Many shops and contractors test you themselves, under a code such as D1.1. It is a valid qualification for that employer's work, but it usually does not transfer when you leave.

Trade schools, community colleges and union training centers often run tests or help you prepare. Ask what type of record you will receive.

What the Test Covers

Position codes describe the test. The position you test in sets which positions you may weld on the job. Harder positions usually cover more, but the rule depends on the code.

Under AWS D1.1, plate groove tests typically qualify:

ASME Section IX has its own table, and the coverage is not always the same. For example, a 3G plate test under ASME Section IX does not list horizontal. Always check the current edition of your governing code, as well as your own test record.

Your test also has limits on thickness, and sometimes on diameter. Testing on 3/8 inch plate generally qualifies a limited thickness range, and thicker coupons qualify a wider one.

Backing or Open Root

Open root tests are harder, but they usually cover more work. Pick the one that matches the jobs you want. Your test WPS gives the details.

Preparing the Coupon

Your test WPS sets the joint details, and you should use its numbers. Two common plate setups are:

• With backing: 3/8 inch plate, a 22.5 degree bevel on each plate (45 degrees included), a 1/4 inch root opening, no land and a backing strip about 1 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick.
• Open root: A wider groove, often about 60 degrees included, with a small land and a root opening of up to about 1/8 inch.

Steps:

1. Cut and grind the bevels. Remove all slag and scale from any thermal cut.
2. Dress the land so it is even from end to end, if your coupon has one.
3. Set the root opening. Use a gauge or a filler rod as a spacer, and check both ends.
4. Tack as allowed. Follow the facility's rules on where tacks may go. Presetting or restraining the plates helps keep them flat.
5. Mark the coupon. Most facilities have you stamp your ID on it before welding.

Keep the coupon in the test position for the whole test. Moving it, or welding it in the wrong position, can void the test.

How the Coupon Is Judged

Visual Inspection

The inspector checks the coupon first, using the limits in the test standard. Expect the following:

• No cracks of any size
• No undercut beyond the limit, commonly 1/32 inch
• No overlap
• Porosity within limits
• Complete fusion and a filled groove
• Filled craters

Fail here, and the coupon is not bent.

Bend Test

Straps are cut from the coupon and bent in a guided bend jig around a mandrel. The stretched surface is then inspected. Thinner coupons often get root and face bends, and thicker coupons get side bends. The test standard sets how many straps are cut.

The usual D1.1 acceptance limits are no single open discontinuity over 1/8 inch, and a total of no more than 3/8 inch for all discontinuities on a strap, with separate rules for corner cracks. Some tests use radiography in place of bending.

Practicing for the Test

Your practice should copy the test exactly.

• Same process and machine type. If the test is SMAW with E7018, practice with E7018 and not with a rod that runs easier.
• Same electrode or filler. Get the exact classification and diameter on the test WPS.
• Same plate thickness. Thinner plate heats differently.
• Same position. Build a simple stand that holds the coupon at the real height and angle. Practicing 3G flat on a bench is not practicing 3G.
• Real bend tests. Many schools and training centers will let you use their jig. A bend test shows you lack of fusion that a good-looking cap can hide.

Keep a log of each coupon, with the settings and the result. Wait until you can pass bend tests in a row before you schedule the test. A good target is several straight coupons that pass.

Common Reasons People Fail

Finding a Test Facility

Call ahead and ask:

1. Which code do you test to?
2. Which process, electrode or filler, and position?
3. Is it backed or open root?
4. Do you provide the coupon and consumables?
5. What record will I receive?
6. What does it cost, and what is your retest policy?

The AWS website lists Accredited Test Facilities. Costs vary by facility and test. Bring the personal protective equipment that the facility tells you to bring, and use gear you are used to.

On Test Day

• Read the WPS again, and know your process, filler, amps and travel direction.
• Check your bevel, land and gap.
• Use dry, correct electrodes.
• Test your machine settings on scrap if you are allowed.
• Walk through the weld sequence in your head.
• Arrive early and rested.

Keeping It Current

A qualification is not forever.

• Stay active. Under AWS D1.1 and ASME Section IX, a qualification generally stays good so long as you have used the process within a 6 month period. If you go longer than that without using it, you will need to requalify.
• Keep AWS records up to date. Holders of an AWS Certified Welder record must submit maintenance every 6 months, or the certification lapses.
• Track your employer's rules. Some require periodic retesting no matter what. An inspector can also ask for a retest if there is a specific reason to question your work.
• Keep your own copies. Save every test record and continuity log. Your record shows the date, code, process, position, material and result.

Common Mistakes

• Buying the wrong test. A test that does not match local jobs does not help you.
• Practicing an easier version. Your coupons need to match the test.
• Relying on good looks. A weld that looks good can fail a bend test.
• Letting a qualification lapse. A few months without using the process can mean paying to test again.
• Assuming a test covers everything. Check the process, position and thickness range.

Check Your Understanding

You passed 3G with E7018 at your last job. A new employer asks if you can weld overhead on the same plate. Does your test cover it?

Under D1.1, no. A 3G test covers flat, horizontal and vertical. You also need 4G, or a test that covers overhead.

You hold a qualification from your employer and leave for a new company. Does it automatically come with you?

Usually not. An employer qualification normally stays with that company. Expect to test again, or show a portable record if the new employer accepts it.

You have not used stick welding for eight months. What might happen?

Most codes treat that as a lapse once you pass 6 months, so you may have to requalify on that process.

You practiced on 1/4 inch plate on a bench and your test is 3/8 inch plate at vertical. What is wrong with your preparation?

Your practice does not match the test. Cut coupons to the test thickness and use a stand that holds them in the true position.

Key Takeaways

• A qualification covers specific variables, not all welding.
• Find out what code your target employers use before you test.
• Position coverage depends on the code, and a harder test usually covers more.
• Practice with the same process, filler, thickness and position as your test.
• Bend your practice coupons, because good looks can hide poor fusion.
• Use the process regularly, and keep your records current.