Think Ironworkers Only Weld Heavy Beams? Think Again.

If you ask most people what kind of weld test an ironworker takes, they’ll usually guess a standard D1.1 structural plate test. For the most part, they’re right. But if you think that’s all these folks are taking, you're missing a big part of where the trade is heading.

In our latest video, Austin headed up to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the 42nd Annual Ironworker Instructor Training Program—a massive, week-long event supported by ESAB where instructors from over 150 training centers gather to sharpen their skills and standardize what they teach the next generation.

While on site, Austin put his hood down and tried his hand at three very different tests:

• The Bread and Butter: A classic 1-inch thick plate V-groove test using flux-core with gas. It seems straightforward enough, but one strict rule on site instantly turned this "easy" test into an absolute nightmare.

• The Punishment: A stainless steel stick test that isn't common for ironworkers, but makes a welder practically irreplaceable if they can pass it. It requires one specific discipline that Austin completely threw out the window—and paid the price for.

• The Curveball: A 6-inch schedule 40 pipe test welded all the way out with TIG. Why are ironworkers taking on pipe when that’s traditionally pipefitter territory? The answer comes down to industry shifts that might surprise you.

  
  

Check out the full video above to see how Austin's welds actually turned out (and to watch him get a very loud dose of humility from the instructors)!

Drop a comment below: If you’re an ironworker who came up through an apprenticeship, what was the weirdest or toughest test they threw at you? Let’s hear it!