Caught a new guy grinding a fitting with a cutoff wheel yesterday

Was showing a trainee how to prep a 6-inch flange for weld prep and he grabbed the angle grinder before I could stop him. Said his last boss always did it that way. Took me 20 minutes to explain why abrasive wheels leave micro-cracks that show up on x-ray later. We had to scrap a fitting last fall because someone did exactly that on a pressure vessel job. Has anyone else dealt with rookies who learned the wrong way from some old timer?

2 comments

2 Comments

willow4071mo ago

Wait, he used a cutoff wheel for weld prep on a pressure vessel? That's horrifying. I'm surprised the fitting didn't crack right there on the bench.

angelar571mo ago

405 grit flap disc, slow speed, never had an issue.