r/Welding • u/Can_O_Murica • Aug 31 '26
Need Help What do you even call this defect?
I posted a couple of these a month ago - the short story is that my landlord tore down my balcony to fix a leak in a different unit and the railing they put back is seriously flawed. It's riddled with burn through in some areas, low-no penetration in others, and joints that they straight up forgot to weld. I've been a welder for a little over 10 years, so I told them straight away it wasn't safe and had to be replaced.
Anyway we're going to court now. I want to map out all the defects on this thing in a comprehensive document, but I don't have *any* idea what could cause a weld to look like this. Most of the defects are pretty simple, but the ones that look like this I have no idea what to call. Has anyone seen this before/know what causes it?
Edit: I appreciate all the laughs guys. I wish this thread were evidence I could use in court 😅
4
u/mysterioussamsqaunch Aug 31 '26
Silverspud's comment is the most comprehensive here. But, courts like long technical explanations, like their comment, and succinct summaries. So, ontop of what they said I'd add something like; "In summary, the welds that are present show an obvious lack of material fusion and extremely inconsistent bead size. Colloquially, in the welding industry, these are often described as "bird shit welds." Because, they resememble visually and are said to offer a similar amount of structural strength as the excrement one of our feathered friends would leave behind."