school me on overhead smaw cwb

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so im not much of a stick welder i can do alu mig and steel mig and fcaw with my eyes closed same as tig but i never bothered learning smaw now i dont have a choice got to do it to get my red seal.  heres my 4th practice pc im not showing the first 3 lol xmt 304 set at 125amps 40dig  and 1/8 7018 its 3/8ths plate with 1/4inch backing bar 30* bevel both plates. have to do a start stop in the middle on the root pass the rest is stringers. whats the issues anything good dont worry about suger coating it i have thick skin.this pics the root Attached ImagesHigh Octane Welding
Reply:heres a my first three fill pass stringers Attached ImagesHigh Octane Welding
Reply:and the cap some of the passes are wavey but its filled past flush and under 1/8th so i think it would pass but ??? Attached ImagesHigh Octane Welding
Reply:If this is only your 4th serious attempt, you're doing fine.  Just need more hood time.  Recommend running stringers.  Set up a couple of your completed plates and then run beads on either side of the cap.  Grind a few straight lines to give yourself some perspective.  Flip them over and continue each side of the backup bar.  Find your comfort zone.  Don't let them get too hot.   Can only help and saves prep time.Not sure what you're practicing.   Similar to CWB except the latter has one bevel and one 90* edge.  CWB also has a maximum allowed size for the root pass.   Once you get the visual looking good, you'll find the stop/start is the main concern.
Reply:Limit your weaving.  The first picture your bead is too wide and likely you will have lack of fusion on the edges.  I weave a bit just to flatten each bead.  You want to avoid highly crowned beads because it will result in wagon tracks.
Reply:A good read if you're about to do CWB plates:http://www.grbwelding.com/_CWB_Procedure_and_Rules.pdf
Reply:thanks for the advice. that links perfect awsome was looking for something like that thanksHigh Octane Welding
Reply:first 2 pics look kind of cold. the last pic i'm not sure would get past visual. for a 1/8" 7018 on heavier plate i would set the machine to 150 amps and use angled run off tabs at least an inch long for the overhead.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I would have trouble passing the visual on the cap, but I've seen worse. With the root pass that heavy you may not have pushed it deep enough to fuse the edges of the plates to the backer. Wash the backer off and grind it smooth, if you see a line down both sides of the root then it didn't fuse correctly. Cut it up and bend it to see how you did.Are you welding side to side (left/right) or away from you or toward you? I usually can see best if welding away from me while overhead.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Your plate coupon specs are not correct for CWB. As stated, one plate should be beveled, the other square. 1/2" gap for all positions except horizontal which is a 5/16" gap. There will be a stop and restart on your first 2 root passes for all positions but horizontal which is only one start and stop on the first root pass. Always do your first root pass on the square side. Second root pass is always on the beveled side. The test instructor/CWB inspector will not allow you to do one single root pass. Yours has undercut on the edges which will result in slag traps for your next pass. On my overhead plate I do 3 root passes and keep your beads small. I use 2 root passes for the other 3 positions (flat, horizontal and vertical up). Your cap will not pass the visual inspection. Your cap should not be more then 1/8" higher than the plates and no more then 1/8" wider than the edges of the gap. Visually your cap needs work. You have high/lows, humps and valleys in your cap. 125 amps is good for overhead. You want the joint filled flush or just slightly under flush of the plates before you cap it.Your backing strip has nice long run in/off tabs. Use them and start your weld back on the run in/off tabs and carry it off the plate onto the tab at the end.Last edited by snoeproe; 09-22-2014 at 08:50 PM.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:The 304 is a bit strange on the dig force when your out of position. I've had good luck running about 10-20 on the dig when I run 1/8 7018, might help you wash in on your cap pass and get that nice pretty even stringer look. Also the sweet spot on my 304 is 115-125 amps for 1/8 7018. Hope this helps a bit!Real welders know how to penetrate!(Equipment)Whatever can be used to beat my opponent into submission!
Reply:I run a XMT 350 frequently and set the arc force at 2 max usually.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:so i went back and did the plates up the way they actually should be one straight cut the other 30% with 1/2" gap and 1/4" backer. Root went okay i did the three passes work good for me thanks for mentioning that 2 would of been strectching it for me. then i just took my time laying beads and seems to have worked out alittle bit nicer then the last one. Attached ImagesHigh Octane Welding
Reply:Is your first pic (in the last group of 4 pics you posted) your root passes? There is a lot of slag trapped along the toes of the weld. You can't have that. The toes of every bead you run MUST wash into the plate nice and clean. When you leave slag like that in a spot of undercut, then weld over it, that slag will open up as a crack when they cut and bend your coupons. You have to minimize or better yet eliminate all undercut. If you do get a spot of undercut somewhere you need to ensure you get all the slag out of it before welding over it. A pic set will help with this. A piece of a band saw blade also works good to pick out slag from a hole. Like I said, if you leave any slag in your plate anywhere, it will show up when they cut and bend your coupons. A 1/8" crack or larger results in a failure of the test. On the positive side your cap is improving visually. Keep practising. When welding over head get your arms/elbows braced in something. This helps keep your hands steady.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:yea i saw the slag when i was takin the pic i was just hand brushing but i switch to my wire wheel when i saw that. I actually think im going to spend the time to prep cut and bend this one to see the results. So for my test i have to do a 3g 6010  root 7018 fill and cap then a 3g tig root fcaw fill amd cap and then this one cwb 4gb 7018 so far this has been the one im struggleimg with so any and all help and or bashing is appreciated. i have to have my a game for the test its kinda priceyHigh Octane Welding
Reply:Are you doing the test with the CWB? Why not all 4 position?JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:no this is for my red seal challenge examHigh Octane Welding
Reply:Red seal is all position stick flat and horizontal fluxcore/metal core and mig with a torch test. Or 6g pipe. I'm looking to challenge soon myself. Any of those ticket currently held don't have to be repeated. If you previously had all position stick why not just do a retest plate where it's flat root vertical full and overhead cap? And for your cap a little tip I was taught was take soap stone and mark parralel lines 1/8 past each plate so you can see how uniform you are.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalkif you can step across it I can weld it.