Strömbackskolan is the last stop before the finals and previously there have been partial competitions decided in Osby and Sandviken.
It is industrial students from Piteå and Kalix who decide which two places will go on.
- The most difficult thing is to find the right setting on the weld and to have a good pace.
It is tough to complete all eight tests in a limited time, says Emanuel Isaksson, a student at Strömbackaskolan.
This is how the exams are assessed
All welding samples are inspected to see if there are defects such as too little burn-through, pores, bonding defects or melt ditches.
- You are quite nervous at the beginning, but then you just have to focus.
We only have one chance per test so everything has to fit, says Emanuel Isaksson.
The teacher Robert Johansson is one of three judges who review the final results and he says that it is solid work.
- There are quite a few categories and each welding exercise has a protocol where we go through defects.
We who assess the tests have no idea which tests belong to whom, the students who compete have been given lottery numbers, says Johansson.
Hope for finals
The two students who advance get to go to the final which will be held on February 22-24 at Bråvalla gymnasium in Norrköping.
Emanuel Isaksson hopes to take a seat there, but he is humble about the verdict.
- I think it went well!
But you never know until the samples are carefully checked and the weld quality of the joint has been X-rayed, he says.
Industrial students from Luleå were also registered for the qualifiers but withdrew their offer just hours before the competition started.
The two who advance to the final will be announced at 9pm on Wednesday evening.
In the clip you see pictures from the qualifier in Piteå and hear the judge Robert Johansson.