Man, that six months of chain noise you put up with hits way too close to home lol. I did the exact same thing for way too long before I learned the soak method and felt like such a dummy.

Wait, is that right? I thought ASME Section IX requires the actual procedure qualification record to match the PQR, not just the previous welder's experience.

Used to think I was invincible too, but this totally flipped my mindset.

That makes a lot of sense" is right. It's like how people buy a surge protector for their computer but never test if it actually works until a storm hits. I had a similar scare last year when my VPN failed during a hotel booking session. Now I do a quick leak test every time I switch networks. It takes 30 seconds and saves a lot of headaches.

the core wash coverage before closing the mold" - yeah that's always where it gets ya. I read somewhere that most sand inclusions happen right at the core print because the wash gets thin there when you're in a hurry. Same thing bit me last month on a big ductile iron valve body. Had to grind out a spot the size of a quarter that was hiding right where the core met the mold face. Now I always give that area an extra squirt of wash before closing, even if it means my lunch gets cold.