Originally Posted by: GB1977

Hi All

We need some repairs done to skips and have been offerred the services of a welder. He has no formal qualifications but many years experience. Welding is not something I am 100% sure on. What qualifications would you expect to see as a minimum?

Thanks

I did 25 years as a welder fabricator but only have an NVQ level 3 in welding and fabrication.

However Certificates do not always make a good welder, Its experiance and i've know welders who have loads of experiance and knowledge but with little or no qualifications, and yet met some collage kids with masses of certificates and their welding was crap/

Ask him if he's worked with similar, and what experiance has he, You'll be able to see when he starts welding if he knows what hes doing, but don't knock him just because lack of certificates

As with all things if U are not competent in an area get in somebody who is - so my advice is to contact a local fabrication company

I investagted a death where a child [7 years old] had a large steel gate fall on her and it came to pass that the gate was welded by a fencing contractor who had hired welding kit from a hire shop with no real knowledge or skill!   The act of welding is a highly skilled activity [paperwork does not matter in most cases] so treat it as a skill and think of the consequences of a failure  - if U are local to north Manchester I could help [for nothing]