Arc (Stick) Welding Tips

[cojhl2]

OOps,, that answered it,, If it had mill scale it was HR. . I was mislead by the shine!



I noticed my previous post lost the copy I included. What I was commenting on was the trouble you were having with a long rod. The more experience you have that issue will receed. Also using two hands on the stinger helps hold it quiet.



The more you weld the slower the weld environment appears to move. I guess its becasue the brain execution speeds up. So,, the shake will be less and what will be there will become less important because you will automatically correct for it.



Keepitup,, you are dojng fantastic!!!



<edit> HR always has scale becasue of the oxidation. CR comes out shiny,, Shafting is Cold Rolled as an example.

 

[rbattelle]

HR always has scale becasue of the oxidation.

That's what I thought. You made me second-guess my visual metal identification skills (of which I have almost none).



When the electrode is full-length I have learned to hold it with 2 hands and keep my elbows pinned to my body for extra support. That helps a lot. Once the stick gets down around 1/2 way I weld with 1 hand.



The other problem with long electrodes is being far away from the work.



-Ryan

 

[Coalsmoke]

yup, but this doesn't mean that you can't move your head closer to the work I agree, your welds are getting there for sure and the settings are about right, just lots of practice to get good continuity.

 

[nickleinonen]

when in a position that i have lots of access, when using a long rod [12"-14"] i use one hand on the clamp, and one hand right on the electrode. . yeah, it gets a little hot sometimes [especially since 70% of the time i use plain white cotton gardening type gloves]. . when you light the glove on fire, you know you got a little too close to the heat . .

 

[DValentine]

Use the stinger clamp to take off the flux half way down the rod... . when you want to be precise.

You are grinding off the cap of the weld anyway so don't worry about how it looks.



For short welds like that I would turn up the amps a little... . to 77 or so. Your weld will lay down more. If you were making long welds then you would need to think about the heat more.



Dave

 

[evldsl]

This was such a great read I think I will go to welding class.

 

[RBrunson]

When you find that your getting comfortable and your confidence level is high, I would suggest that you start welding with your off hand (your left if you are right handed). There will be a time that you will not be able to reach the weld joint or see what you are doing by using your preferred hand. In several years as a Pipefitter, I have found myself hanging out in the middle of no where and had to hang on with my right hand and make the weld with my left.

Some of my apprentice never did like to practice this, but believe me, if you weld long enough, you will get yourself in one of these spots.

 

[rbattelle]

Very Basic Question About Vertical Up/Down

With regard to welding vertical down, am I correct that the electrode should be held below the weld puddle and pointing UP into it (at the proper angle, of course)?



Similarly, then, for vertical up you'd hold the electrode above the puddle pointing DOWN into it?



Basic question, but I'm just starting to try vertical welds.



I'm going to order this video. Heard it's very good.



-Ryan

 

[Coalsmoke]

With regard to welding vertical down, am I correct that the electrode should be held below the weld puddle and pointing UP into it (at the proper angle, of course)?



Similarly, then, for vertical up you'd hold the electrode above the puddle pointing DOWN into it?



Basic question, but I'm just starting to try vertical welds.



I'm going to order this video. Heard it's very good.



-Ryan

Nope, not how its done. Vert down is not used too often, except in pipe applications with 6010 usually. I am sure there are other spec'd vert. down applicaitons, but its not used much in my area of work. Vert up is difficult to first learn, surpassed only by horizontal and of course overhead. In a nutshelf, the elctrode is pointing up, and you concentrate on the edges pausing on the corners and moving switfly through the center. 6010 /6011 often likes a whip where as 7018 is much more linear. I'd skip that video and spend the money on a local professional to spend an hour with you showing you firsthand how its done, then start practising. Get a welding book by Larry Jeffus, called, "welding: principles and applications. " It'll cost somewhere close to $100, but is a good solid book that will take you through lots of practice scenarios.

 

[rbattelle]

Nope, not how its done.

Well, that would explain the lack of success I've been having! :-laf



-Ryan

 

[MKline]

With regard to welding vertical down, am I correct that the electrode should be held below the weld puddle and pointing UP into it (at the proper angle, of course)?



Similarly, then, for vertical up you'd hold the electrode above the puddle pointing DOWN into it?



Basic question, but I'm just starting to try vertical welds.



I'm going to order this video. Heard it's very good.



-Ryan

I would agree with Coalsmoke. Vertical down with a stick welder is not a good idea, even for a pro. All you end up doing is burying your slag. Vertical down is meant to be done with a MIG or Tig.

 

[rbattelle]

Tonight I learned what happens when you try to run an EP electrode on EN. The arc sounds like a garden hose with air pockets in it, but the beads actually looked fine.



I recently produced my first useful welding project. I built a fence in my back yard and made a steel skeleton for the largest gate out of 11 ga. A36 structural steel. So far so good!



-Ryan

 

[cojhl2]

EP = reverse and EN = Straight

 

[sstefanini]

Vertical down IS a good way to to start learning vertical welds. It lets you get a feel for how the puddle acts with the pull of gravity without having to work all the heat of an uphill weld. 60- series( fast freeze) electrodes are best used in this application but there are plenty of procedures qualified using 7018 downhill. Rod angle is tip pointed up into the puddle. Downhill also fills large gaps better without leaving icicles(dogd****s) on an open joint.

 

[DValentine]

"Downhill also fills large gaps..... "



Amen sstefanini.

 

[rbattelle]

I'm working on my second "practical use" welding project now: a rolling base for a large bandsaw using 2x4x11ga. A36. 7018 DCEP @60-80 amp (depending on the joint).



I've been tacking the parts together very carefully, using lots of little spot welds along the length of each joint, then running a long bead at higher current along the joint after the spot welds are finished. I'm doing this because the fitup is, for the most part, poor (a consequence of my primitive metal cutting capability).



My welds look very strong, if not aesthetically pleasing. #ad
Anyway, I've been thinking about penetration depth lately. It's my understanding that you want to penetrate roughly 1/2 way through the metal; just enough so that from the backside you get discoloration and just the slightest hint of bulge from the weld on the other side.



Anyone have any comments/suggestions? I've attached 2 photos of what I think look like ugly (but seemingly strong) welds. Both shots are of the same joint, but one also shows the fillet weld between the two (which has an odd pattern because of the way I moved the stick). Note that the long butt joint was done in 3 segments, which partially explains why it looks so bad. [It also looks like a drunken sailor welded it, but we won't go there. ]



Ryan

 

[GHarman]

Yep, turn the heat up a little. Watch your arc strikes. Not good outside the weld joint. Your fillet weld has undercut, you need to change your rod angle and timing to allow the toe of the weld to fill in. When you get the heat set correctly the slag on 7018 will look brown and will peal-up in one piece as the weld cools. . Good work. Keep at it. GregH

 

[nickleinonen]

When you get the heat set correctly the slag on 7018 will look brown and will peal-up in one piece as the weld cools

easy to do with 7014, but i rarely get it to do that with 7018. . although, at work we have one old lincoln machine, and i can get a very very nice weld with that, to the point that the flux doesn't peal off, but it flakes off [7018] on its own once it cools [it even lets me have pretty overhead welds]

 

[rbattelle]

To prevent undercut, should I pause at the toe of the weld? Notice it's undercut on one toe, but not the other.



Ryan

 

[jdooner]

The self darkening lens sounds pretty neat. I haven't done any welding for 20 years the trouble I had is there is a lump on the back of my head that always got in the way of my hood, with the headband over the lump the hood would fall off, under the lump and I had to arch my neck back to see out the lens. Of course the band wouldn't stay on the lump where it was needed.