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Heat treatment after welding: from skip to standard

I always saw post-weld heat as extra work for no gain. Then a boiler we built developed cracks in the seams too soon. The fix was costly and a real headache. A senior welder explained how heat relieves internal stress. I make it a point to include it now, and it works.
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4 Comments
leob58
leob5813d ago
My old boss used to call me "Skip" because I'd always try to cut corners. I learned the hard way too, just like @elliotshah, when a big bracket I welded for a conveyor snapped clean off after six months. That extra hour for heat treatment feels like nothing compared to redoing the whole job from scratch.
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elliotshah
elliotshah1mo ago
Ever skip a step thinking it's just busywork? Learned a similar lesson with a trailer frame. Didn't stress relieve it, and the thing shook itself apart on a rough job site within a year. That sinking feeling when you see the crack is the worst. Now I just factor the extra time in, because fixing it later is always ten times the hassle.
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paul87
paul871mo ago
Bet it was just a bad weld.
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the_paige
the_paige1mo ago
That "skip a step" habit @elliotshah, how do you break it?
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