“Correct. Next: You’re inspecting a moment connection in a seismic zone 4 building in downtown LA. The preheat temperature drops 50 degrees during a lunch break. Do you keep welding?”
The instructor, a 58-year-old former Navy NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) specialist named Marcus "Mack" Holloway, stood at the front. His left forearm was a roadmap of scar tissue from a slag burn he got in the Long Beach shipyards in 1992.
Ray read it. His face fell. “Fine. It’s undercut.” cwi training in los angeles
Mack didn’t get mad. He handed Ray a replica of an API 1104 code book—the bible for pipeline welding. “Page 47, paragraph 6.2.3. Read it aloud.”
“I’ve been welding since I was a kid,” Ray said, his voice low. “Correct
The morning was dedicated to the open-book portion of the exam—Part A. Each student had a tabbed, highlighted, and tear-stained copy of AWS D1.1 (Structural Welding Code - Steel). Mack stood on a table.
Pages flipped like a poker dealer’s shuffle. Someone groaned. Someone dropped their book. Sofia’s hand shot up. “1/4 inch, plus or minus 1/16.” Do you keep welding
“Your eyes lie to you,” he said, pointing to a bead that looked perfect to the naked eye. “Zoom in.”