Every skilled professional starts somewhere. For a welder, the journey may begin with a welding machine, an electrode, and the desire to learn. But becoming a professional pipe welder requires much more. It needs regular practice, patience, discipline, and the right guidance. This is the simple idea behind From Stick Welder to Professional Pipe Welder by Shaik Murtuza Illahi.
The book is written for welders who already know basic SMAW or stick welding and now want to take their skills to the next level. Pipe welding is an important skill in industries such as oil and gas, petroleum, pipelines, refineries, power projects, process plants, and industrial fabrication. These industries need welders who can work carefully and produce strong and reliable welds.
The book takes readers through this learning journey step by step. It explains important pipe-welding positions such as 2G, 5G, 6G and 6GR. It also talks about joint preparation, fit-up, tack welding, root passes, filling, and capping. These may sound like technical subjects, but they are all part of the everyday work of a professional pipe welder.
One important message of the book is that welding is not only about making a joint. A professional welder should understand the complete process. The welder must know how to select the correct electrode, follow welding procedures, identify possible weld defects, understand inspection, and work safely.
The book also gives importance to welder qualification and certification. For many welders, passing a qualification test can be an important step toward better job opportunities. The book therefore helps learners understand the skills and discipline needed to prepare for such tests.
Behind this practical book is a man who has spent many years working with welding and teaching it to others.
Shaik Murtuza Illahi is a Mechanical Engineer, Welding Technologist, and Technical Trainer with more than 40 years of professional experience. His career has included industrial production, welding, metal fabrication, and technical education in both India and Saudi Arabia.
For more than 22 years, he has also been involved in professional training. He has trained technicians, engineers, welders, and industrial workers. His experience includes SMAW, pipe welding, TIG, SAW, and other welding processes. He has also conducted welding training and certification programs for organizations including Saudi Electricity Company and other industrial companies in Saudi Arabia.
Over the years, he prepared training manuals on SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, TIG, COâ‚‚/MAG welding, pipe welding, fabrication, and metalworking. His teaching has combined classroom knowledge with practical demonstrations and hands-on training.
This experience is what gives the book its practical character. It is not written only to explain welding theory. It is meant to help people develop skills that can actually be used at work.
For a beginner, the book can provide a clear direction. For an experienced stick welder, it can be a guide for moving toward professional pipe welding. For technical students, it can support their practical learning. And for welding instructors and trainers, it can serve as useful training material.
At its heart, this is a book about learning a skill and building a career from it.
A professional pipe welder is not made in one day. The journey takes time, mistakes, practice, patience, and continuous learning. But with the right knowledge and determination, a stick welder can move forward and become a qualified professional.
That is the journey this book hopes to support — from holding the electrode for the first time to welding with the confidence, knowledge, and discipline of a professional pipe welder.
