Nah, that's just mechanicing
need to get me another pup to break in, getting sick of working this hard! I've broke in several apprentices over the years, I'm from a family of teachers so i can kinda see why. It's fun to work with them over the years, I'm working now with several guys I've taught, and surprise work goes pretty good most of the time. I had very good teachers too though, one at the community college got me ready for a test and got me started, and then a grizzly old monster turned me into something resembling a hand. My rigging, welding, work speed, problem solving, pipefitting and layout, running work.... all foundations pretty much came from one guy, with a bunch of other guys who fine tuned me as i learned. Even today i learn something everyday from sometimes the most unlikely of people.
Welded in the mud, then went inside and fabbed some stainless the right way, complete with purging, taping, and all the associated headaches. Think I've got my hand back at it so that's good, but it's a slow, intricate, methodical process that I'm just too tired and impatient for
i had also changed how i did the first pass after a buddy helped me with it, was a bit of a learning curve at first but now I'm dialed in and starting to get back in a good groove with them. It's kinda funny how info like that travels thru the country, guys adapting to weld tests and inspectors on the bigger jobs have changed how the most critical pass of a pipe weld is done when tig welding, and then those techniques are passed mainly by word of mouth with guys showing other guys on the job and up at the hall.
Tomorrow will be the 4th work day in a row that I'll be welding in a ditch, and for extra fun they run everything right by each other, so one side is pretty much inaccessible. This then requires you to jam your head up under the pipe in the mud and snuggle a live steam line. You awkwardly light up, then eat fire trying to guess where you're welding at, going little by little because you have to bend the rod in half to even get in there. It's a young man's game, and I'm on the back half of my time doing it. My eyes are starting to go so i have cheaters to help me see, but they only work for a certain distance making the tight access stuff work tougher and tougher as you get older. Like i said, i need an apprentice to break in so i can relax a bit