Welding is a profession, like many others, where you will find everything from novices, to experts, to people who just think they are experts. If you are in the construction industry, you need to hire a welder that not only can do the job well and correctly, but one who takes direction well and can work with a team. The following are some different types of welding used in the construction industry and the knowledge a welder needs to know how to complete them.

1) Joints.

There are five different types of joints when used in welding. They are the butt, corner, edge, lap and tee joints. Each type of joint is used in different specifications, depending on the size and type of the metal and the purpose for which it is used. The most common types of weld are the butt joints and the tee joints.

2) Processes.

There is shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Simply put, shielded metal arc welding is the most common type of welding because it is fairly inexpensive, and can be used in the shop and out in the field. Gas metal arc welding has a higher welding speed than shielded, and flux-cored arc welding has an even higher welding speed, plus better metal penetration. Gas tungsten arc welding is used when a weld is very important, such as in aircraft applications.

The following are some common problems you may come across with inferior welds.

1) Weld spatter.

Weld spatter is when the metal that is being welded gets "spattered" around the weld, rather than a nice, clean weld. Although this does not hinder the quality of the weld, it's not as tidy and makes it harder to clean. As most of your welds will be covered up by drywall and not be visible, this is not much of a problem.

2) Porosity.

Although this is not visible to the naked eye, it can be quite damaging as it can weaken the weld. The only way to discern if a weld is correct is by testing it. This is why it is always important to hire a welder that is experienced enough to know when this has or may have happened.

3) Poor fusion.

Poor fusion, or when the two pieces of metal do not fuse together properly, is usually easy to see. This is caused by too low of current, a contaminated surface joint, or not using the right type of electrode.

4) Shallow penetration.

This is another flaw that can affect the strength of the weld. It is caused by welding too fast, using too low of current or using a too-large electrode.

5) Cracking.

Cracking can be caused by using an impure metal (such as a high carbon, alloy or sulfer content). The porosity, poor fusion and shallow penetration flaws can also lead to cracking of your weld.