Seam welding large Stainless Steel Tank heads

We just received a question about 2B material being available wider than 72″ and thicker than 10ga. The simple answer, unless you are buying 40,000 lbs. and have three months to wait, it isn’t. The common solution is to simply seam weld the large blank and polish out the weld. We are a A.S.M.E. Code shop with a “U” and “R” stamps. We have the capability to Certify the weld to be in compliance with A.S.M.E. Code if necessary. It is nearly impossible to “hide” a seam weld, so we do the best we can to make it as cleanly finished as possible.

A completed head with a seam weld.

This is what the weld looks like once the blank is completely polished.