My 2nd Session Stick Welding Today

[RookieWelder]

I finally got some time today to spend under the hood, and I think I'm getting a LITTLE better. I brought the amps up to 105 with 1/8" 6013 on 1/4" plate and ran some beads. Still not great, but I'm still having fun with it (I still smile when I strike and maintain an arc!).

I tried slowing down some and concentrated on keeping the arc shorter (there were times that it felt like I was dragging the flux against the metal), but there was still some serious long arc moments. I suppose that with more practice, I will start to get a feel for moving the rod in as it gets consumed.

I did find that the rods burn up faster with the amps at 105 compared to the 90 or so I was using before. I'm using about 2/3 of an electrode to cover the 6" plate I'm working on, so I guess I am still moving too quickly. I'm still getting a fair amount of spatter - should I bring the heat up higher?

Here's a picture - I started at the top and welded every other bead, then flipped the plate around and welded in between the first set of beads. I dunked the plate in water after every 2 beads (this is only practice, so making the metal or welds brittle doesn't matter to me.).

Does this look like I'm on the right path?



Dwight

 

[woodskiff]

I'd say you're not doing bad. I'm in a welding class and it's the speed/arc distance. Don't know about all the splatter thou? Your electrode maybe?. We use 7014's to practice on our coupons. 2 plates, tack weld side by side with 1/8" gap, flip over and run the beads towards the gap and run the root weld on the 2.
I did notice that unlike my welds you don't have any spots where you stick the rod to the coupon.....oh what a pain! Your width looks good and I don't see voids
and flux caught in the welds. Good luck!

 

[ThomasH]

It looks fairly good to me for being a little too fast. Turn it over and look at the penetration. What is the width of the discoloration for the weld path for a single bead? It should be roughly 2 to 3 times the bead width. Are you running DCEN? (electrode negative). If not, switch to that and see if you slag clears up some.

 

[Reyer Farms]

Hey now, hope you are having fun first off.
Welders are nothing but opinionated pyros- so here is mine.
Tighten up your arc gap
Clean up and let it cool a bit between passes ( material being super heated is not really helping you get a "feel" for it )
I would turn the machine down a little- does not matter what the numbers are they are a reference, I usually run 1/8" 5p+ at bout 95-100
If you are using 6010, reverse polarity, rod is + ground - always. Quick tip on polarity whatever is negative will melt faster

You are on the right track- keep on eye on the puddle and one eye on where your going. It would probably help if you laid beads right beside each other. "Padding " will help you control arc, speed , motion,etc.

 

[Arc weld]

Distance, Angle, Speed and Heat are the basics to a good weld. Look at your ripples, they are still very pointed. You probably still need more heat unless you're welding thin plate. 6010 by nature use less amps than other rods. The dial is just an indication and could be off a fair amount by try around 125 amps. Then your speed might be closer. Of course the rods will burn faster with more heat(amps). Crank your machine as high as it will go and see what happens.:shocked:

 

[2458n]

When cooling it off you might pop some slag your way. Two eyes is all you get. As a kid we poured sinkers for awhile and the mold got to hot to hold so we used a bucket of water to cool the aluminum mold down. Next pour created steam and put lead on the ceiling. No adults around.

 

[CNC Dan]

This is a good video that shows the motion of the puddle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2537L5H7NiY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[newbury]

<snip>
I did find that the rods burn up faster with the amps at 105 compared to the 90 or so I was using before. I'm using about 2/3 of an electrode to cover the 6" plate I'm working on, so I guess I am still moving too quickly. I'm still getting a fair amount of spatter - should I bring the heat up higher?
<snip>

They look pretty good for a beginner.

Have you tried "walking it in" ? Try setting your machine for the lowest amps listed for the rod, running a bead, LET THE PAD COOL, clean the slag off, set your machine for the highest, run a bead, LET THE PAD COOL,, clean the slag off, then repeat for a few settings in between. Take pictures AND RECORD SETTINGS in the picture - rod specs, amps, relative speed etc. If you take pictures after each bead you can see the differences better. In the picture you provided there is a lot of spatter and it's difficult to tell where it came from.

Also if you have an auto helmet try varying the setting greatly. You need to see and hear the puddle. It's like urinating in the toilet at night with the lights off, if you can't see the puddle you may be about to miss the target.

 

[RookieWelder]

Some great suggestions here! Thanks very much - I will give it another shot tomorrow.

I'll go ahead and take the more scientific approach to charting the results of changes in heat and speed on the resultant welds. I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't think of that myself - I guess the thrill of being able to strike and maintain an arc overwhelmed my sense of orderliness!

Safety is a big deal to me, and my high school shop teacher did a good job of instilling a proper degree of fear about mixing water and hot metal. When I quench the plate to cool it off, I do so pretty quickly so that there is still enough heat in the plate to dry the residual water thoroughly. Then, I go ahead and wipe it down quickly with a shop towel to make sure that there isn't anything left. The bucket of water is on the floor, several steps away from where I'm working, and I always have glasses on under my hood. Gotta care for the only 2 eyes we get in this life.

Dwight

 

[Texasmark]

I run 7018's for most of what I do. Got my welding education at Hard Knocks U. It works for me and that's all that matters. Not a blue collar welder. 7018's basically don't splatter like my other choice for heavier, sloppier, work (6011) which splatters all over the place and slag is almost non existent. I run them hot enough to keep them from sticking whatever that takes for the job. I have welded some pretty thick material with them and have yet to have one fail. On the thick stuff I make more than one pass, course I normally use 3/32 or 1/8 regardless of the material. I have those small diameters because half of my welding is purlins and they are pretty thin metal and easy to get a burn through. If you have an AC/DC vs an AC only, the DC makes for a much smoother weld.

Practice, practice, practice. My problem, one of my problems, is that I remember how to do it just about the time I finish the job. I don't weld all that often.

My 2c,
Mark