Having some trouble and need all the advice and help I can get!!!

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Hello all I just joined this Forum, I am Justin (faststang71) and I am currently a student and Shelton State Community College in the welding program. I am a laid off coal miner from Kentucky and decided that if I do not make it back in the mines that I need to have a career doing stuff I enjoy. I came into welding which at Shelton is one of the hardest programs in all of Alabama (comparing welding classes at schools in bama.) I have a scholarship and with not being in school since I was 19 I think I am doing pretty good. Currently I am doing all my SMAW ( Stick ) classes and I have done past my 1G to 3G and I am having a hell of a time welding my 4G. We are welding open root on 3/8" plate with 1/8" 6010. I keep my bevel at a 30*, keep a 1/8" landing, and a 3/32" gap. I am having the issue of finding the best way to go for one rather it being moving away from me or coming towards. I will get a few patches to run ok like a inch or so then it falls over to the side of the bevel and screw me up. I grind every restart so it will tie back in well. I am running the red 6010's (which may be the atom arcs) at 100 amps I am running my with the atom arc 7018 and I run a 3/32 7018 as my hot pass. My welding hood is the Lincoln Viking 3350 with a 2.0 cheater lense since I do wear glasses and already screwed them up so I am trying to salvage them as much as I can. I am needing all the advice cause I have tried the kicking motion and have issues I have tried the dragging motion and still have the issues so I am stuck for words. I have had my instructor show me and try to help and still am lost. I try to find stuff to prop up on to stay as comfortable as I can but dont have the best of luck with that. Which I think I may have screwed myself because on all the other tests I have set down to do my welds and not in any other positions. after I get this out of the way I am going to go through and do all my stuff again standing. Also after I pass this test he is going to throw me on pipe which I know is a challenge. I have welded with everything (Mig, Stick, Tig) and honestly I am good at stick except for this and I am descent with mig but tig is my favorite and feel I am pretty good at it. But if you all could help me with pointers in what I can do to try to make things easier for me I really would appreciate it. Also if there is anybody around this area that dont mind helping me out in person I would love to have as much practice as I can with anybody as well. I plan to own my own rig within the next few years and been looking at getting me a Vantage 400. Some of the times I weld on the Vantage 300 in class and I enjoy it a lot. Yall can call me if you feel like giving me pointers by saying verbally versus trying to type it.Thanks, Justin(205) 792-1206
Reply:faststang71Your question is too encompassing for a single answer.And that is the good news - without edit or error - youtyped your own fate.This is your second post, but is approx 1000 words without a typo.Learn a little welding: then go to Auto/Cad school, because your finger work so well.           Opus.Last edited by OPUS FERRO; 03-10-2014 at 02:55 AM.Reason: too many notes
Reply:Hello and welcome. I find your text is tough to read. It can help to break up large passages with a few gaps so you get across individual ideas and it makes it easier to follow.Amps on 6010 are a bit higher than I use. I'd stick around 95 typically, maybe slightly lower.  It's easier to increase heat than decrease it while welding. You can only go so cold based on the amps you have the machine set at. If you need it hotter, you hold a longer arc. Each person welds a bit different, and each machine is an individual and may not weld the same at a given setting, so amps may be correct for you on that particular unit. I can't tell without picts.If you can read the puddle and weld vertical well, overhead is typically no issue. It's much like welding flat and I think it's much easier than vertical myself.  With out seeing any picts my 1st thought is that you can't read the puddle yet even though you made it to overhead. What you describe sounds suspiciously like what I see when guys try to do timing patterns vs watching the puddle.One big thing that I find that catches guys when they get to open root work is poor fit up. Guys want to rush when they prep their plates so they can jump on welding. That means they often have poor fit up. Lands that vary in thickness, gaps that change, plates that don't match up well... When I prep pieces students often don't have issues, when they prep, they crash and burn horribly. I tell the guys to make sure the lands look nice and even 1st. Then they need to push the two pieces up against each other and look up at the overhead lights. If they see a lot of gap, then they need to grind more until they have no gap and the land is still even. Using the flat of the grinder vs just the edge helps get a nice flat surface with out big waves and helps get good fit up.Bracing,  I've seen any number of things done to help with support. From leaning on walls, keeping one hand in contact with the plate, using C clamps on the column of the stand or clamping a chunk of scrap angle to the work station. You need to find what works for you personally. If you are unsteady at the start, chances are it typically doesn't get better unless you are welding in an awkward position and working from hard to easy.Post up some picts of your weld with issues so we can actually see the problems you are having as well as posting the settings and so on. I'm trying to figure out how you managed to F up your glasses under the hood. I can mess mine up, but I do it because I forget when grinding..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Thanks for responding I am in class now and I messed up my glasses cause I dropped them on the floor by my booth ha ha Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Reply:That I can't help you with.... However I wear one of those Croakies with my work glasses so they don't slide down my nose when it starts to get hot and I sweat. I wished I'd gotten one years ago to help keep my glasses on my face..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Reply:There is a few pics 2 of the root and 1 somewhat of the capSent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk