Welding up a tube bundle - stick or TIG for the root pass?

I had to pick between running stick or TIG on the root pass for a tube bundle repair at the refinery last week. My foreman swears by TIG for better control, but the old timer next to me said stick is faster and just as strong if you set it right. I went with TIG on the first three tubes, then switched to stick for the next two to compare. The TIG looked cleaner but took twice as long per tube. Anyone else have a preference when the schedule is tight but quality matters?

2 comments

2 Comments

price.jake25d ago

I keep seeing guys treat tube bundles like they're doing brain surgery or something. You said the TIG looked cleaner but took twice as long, and that's exactly the trade off right there. If the refinery isn't paying you by the hour for art class, I'd lean stick every time as long as your prep and fit up are decent. I've seen way too many welders sweat the root pass like it's some magic trick when really it just needs to be sound and not slow the whole job down.

ryanburns24d ago

Oh buddy, you're preaching to the choir on that one. I've definitely been that guy staring at a root pass like it's going to bite me, only to realize it was 90% in my head. @price.jake is right though, time is money and a sound weld beats a pretty one every time. These days I just remind myself that the pipe doesn't care how fancy I look doing it.