Local students tested for welding certificates

Welding students at the Libby High School were tested all day on Thursday for a G1 welding certification.

This is the third year Libby High School has offered the dual enrollment through Flathead Valley Community College. The students are able to test in two positions, this semester they’re testing in G1 which is an imposition or flat weld. Next semester they can test for a G3 certification, which is a vertical weld.

The test entails welding on a seven-inch piece of steel which passes a visual inspection after they weld it up in a v-groove and cap it. Their welds have to be an eighth of an inch above their base metal to pass the visual inspection. Then, they cut the seven-inch coupons out of it and then it goes through a bend test in the root or bottom position and the face or top position. If they pass the visual inspection and bend or destructive test, they will pass and receive certification.

They receive the dual credits automatically when they take the class, but they actually get a certification from the American Welding Society for a G1 and G3 weld.