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Welding-unknown Metalsis Like Driving in the Dark.SOLUTIONS with Effective, Powerful Advice
Welding-unknown materials should be strongly discouraged. One should develop a firm practice of welding only with needed instructions and authorizations. One must avoid doing welding work, without written welding procedure specifications (WPS). It is amazing and dangerous to find in welding forums, suggestions to try this or that. Especially when based only on the most scanty information on unclear situations. Welding is of course a family of joining methods used to combine and unite dissociated items or assemblies. But the union must be such that the construction is suitable to perform safely a determined function. Welding unknown materials without ascertaining beyond any doubt the nature of the materials involved, is a form of guilty negligence. One cannot apply successfully any available welding process, without sufficient information. Especially if the purpose was of connecting firmly together given parts. That is because of the risks of failure of the welded construction. Those risks involve the welder, the place and the public alike. The dangers of welding unknown base metals are various and mostly unknown. They may involve failure to perform their functions. Sometimes even affecting the life or the well being of unaware people. The consequence of such an act can imply heavy responsibility and be extremely serious. It will not help to claim ignorance, even if the failing and damaging object was not used as intended. It is wrong to consider Welding-unknown material an unimportant subject. In fact it is risky because failure can come from a number of faulty conditions, not all of them under the welder's control. The hope that everything will turn out well is too flimsy an argument to base one's confidence on it. When trying to restore a broken part, one has to know that incorrect welding may damage it beyond repair. In the best case Welding-unknown metals will only mean economic loss. In the worst it may endanger one or many people.
Welds looking superficially sound and safe may in effect be incapable of sustaining the working stresses. That especially if the welder is unaware of any special design requirements. Whoever undertook to repair by welding an implement of an unknown material, designed for safety, becomes liable to its performance or lack of it, should any unforeseen consequence occur. That is why one should never attempt to correct or modify any implement likely to fail or fall. One must obtain specific written instructions prepared by the responsible engineer, describing in detail what and how to do. See and learn the page on Welding Liability. That should help to avoid becoming involved in risky and dangerous litigation or in a criminal case after Welding-unknown stuff. It may be that on the battle field, in case of life or death, a provisional repair must be done in any case. Even by Welding-unknown materials. That would amount to take one more risk in an already risky situation.
But in every other contingency there is no excuse to avoid doing the only one thing that will instantly clarify the situation. What has to be done before Welding-unknown materials? One has to find out the materials true identity. How to do so is explained in our other page on Material Identification. Readers are strongly advised not to embark in the dangerous practice of Welding-unknown metals. It is easy enough to do what is needed instead. Do it! Any questions or comments or feedback? Write them down and send them to us by e-mail. Click on the Contact Us button in the NavBar at top left of every page.
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