Had a burn stop on a 6-inch pipe and it changed how I prep my bevels

I was out on a job at a fertilizer plant in Tulsa last month, fitting a 6-inch schedule 80. My bevel came out decent but I rushed the root pass and got a burn through that took me an hour to grind out and fix. Now I always clean the ID with a flapper wheel and check my gap with a feeler gauge before I strike the arc. Has anyone else had a similar mistake that made them slower but better?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason_lee1mo ago

That "bevel prep disk on the ID" part hit me hard. I used to think cleaning the outside was enough until I had a root pass that looked like Swiss cheese on a 3-inch stainless line. Now I'm the guy spending 15 minutes on ID prep while everyone else is already welding. But I've also never had to cut out and re-fit since I started doing it. That extra time upfront saves me from wanting to throw my hood across the shop later.

king.kevin1mo ago

Blew a hole through a 2-inch stainless line back in 2019 on a food grade job. Had to cut out a 4-inch section and re-fit the whole thing. Wasted a full day. Now I always run a bevel prep disk on the ID and I check the gap with a 1/16th rod before I tack. The extra ten minutes saves me hours of grinding later. You got the right idea. That flapper wheel trick is gold for avoiding burn through.