2F weld help

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Hey guys, I'm back with more questions. I'm building a bench grinder, and the time has come to weld the upright to the base plate. I'm doing well getting good flat stringers on plate, but my 2F welds need a lot of work. Can someone point me to a good tutorial/video?  I'm just not doing something right. The pieces I'm using are 3/8" plate, and a Lincoln 125/225 DC/AC SMAW rig. Miller has a good video, but its a MIG weld video.  I want to get better at my horizontal fillet weld before trying it on my grinder.
Reply:Post up clear detailed picts of your welds along with settings, type of rod etc. and we can probably give you some pointers..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 DSW. I will try to get some put up. It may take until tonight though.
Reply:Originally Posted by Brian.EvansHey guys, I'm back with more questions. I'm building a bench grinder, and the time has come to weld the upright to the base plate. I'm doing well getting good flat stringers on plate, but my 2F welds need a lot of work. Can someone point me to a good tutorial/video?  I'm just not doing something right. The pieces I'm using are 3/8" plate, and a Lincoln 125/225 DC/AC SMAW rig. Miller has a good video, but its a MIG weld video.  I want to get better at my horizontal fillet weld before trying it on my grinder.
Reply:Thanks Dave. I like that video. Haha. I will go out and practice my fillet welds and post pictures up.
Reply:Hopefully it will look like Bubba's $22/hr welding and not the $9  Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Lol. I guessing (hoping) that it looks like about a $15 dollar weld. I doubt I'll break $20.
Reply:Here are the photos gentlemen. This is 1/8 7018 on 3/8 plate.  I tried several rods worth of 7018 but I never was able to make the slag chip off, even hitting it hard. I would run a stringer on a flat piece, and the slag came off fine. Then I'd go back to the fillet weld. No go, the slag might as well have been concrete. It seemed like I could never see the puddle. When I ran stringers, the puddle developed quickly, and I did we'll keeping the puddle egg shaped and keeping my rod riding on that leading edge. When I ran fillet beads, it seemed like the puddle didn't develop until about an inch and a half into the bead, and before that seemed like the puddle was "squirting out" around the tip of the rod on all sides. I remembered something someone here said, it may have been DSW. I sped up a lot, almost too fast it seemed. Suddenly, my slag chipped off!  It chipped off a bit harder than I would have liked, but at least it came off. These rods are about 6 months old and have been sitting open in my welding table the entire time, in case that matters. I also played a bit with 6011, and I was able to get decent looking welds with them, but I really like the drag rods better. Please critique these hard gentlemen. I'd like to learn correctly.  I really tried to concentrate on keeping the rod at 45 degrees from both sides, and my stinger hand leading the tip by about 5-10 degrees. Last edited by Brian.Evans; 04-29-2013 at 12:20 AM.
Reply:Oh, and they were DCEP at 125A.  I had been using my welder to run an electrolysis tank, and forgot to switch it back from DCEN. The first few warm up stringers I ran looked and felt funny. Then I looked down. This is why the rookie checks his settings........... :roll eyes:
Reply:Pict 1 is a bit small to see good detail, but the toes look like they could possibly get washed in a bit better in a few spots. Consistency overall looks decent from what I can see other than a couple of spots in the beginning that stand out. Of the two, this looks the best, but some of this might be due to lack of detail compared to pict 2.Pict 2 is easier to see details in. Beginning of the weld it looks like toes at the top and bottom of the weld look rolled probably trapping slag. Consistency also need a bunch of work there. As you move to the right, your toes get better and your consistency improves.From your description of the "puddle", I'm wondering if you are really seeing the actual puddle, or you are seeing both the puddle and the slag. Many newer stick welders haven't yet learned to differentiate between the two. They often see the molten slag as "puddle". It's not. You have to train yourself to see just the molten metal part of the puddle and the line where the slag is solidifying and separate the rest as immaterial to what you are doing. Some rods make this easier than others, especially with 7018.All your settings look good. I'm not seeing any major glaring issues like undercut, poorly aimed  or ropey beads. If anything bumping your amps up just slightly might help with issues washing in the toes. You don't list the machine, so I don't know if the amps setting is just "close" like it would be on an older crank type machine, or if it's off a digital readout. In the end it really doesn't matter much since frequently even identical machines will weld slightly different. You learn thru experience how to adjust arc length to compensate slightly for slightly different amp settings. I'm guessing it's small things that you are not aware of yet as you are welding that are giving you fits. Small things like unconsciously changing travel speed, arc length rod angle and so on. Much of this is very tough to pick out from stills vs seeing the person actually weld. When you actually learn to read the puddle, some of these issues will self correct as you will then be manipulating the rod based on what you see the puddle doing vs just using generic info.You might want to add your location to your User CP at the top left so we all know where you are located at. You might find someone here local to you who might be able to help. Some time with someone who can weld and pick up some of your errors might help you greatly. If not, keep practicing and posting up picts and you will get it eventually..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 DSW. Like I said, I can see The puddle once I'm about 1 1/2 in, but it seems like I can't see the puddle develop in the very beginning like I can on a flat weld. These were the last two beads I ran, and my hands were getting tired, which I assume is because my body isn't used to welding as long as I did. I know I definitely do need to get in front of someone who knows what they're doing, as that would greatly flatten the learning curve. By the way, I'm maxed out on amps. I'm running a basic Lincoln 225/125 AC/DC.  Maybe I need to drop my rod size to 3/32 and my amps to 105 so I'm a little hotter for the rod size. It just seems 3/32 is a bit small for 3/8" steel.
Reply:With your machine, open up the arc length slightly if you need to run a bit hotter with 1/8" 7018. I don't know if you've seen this thread or not. I show how simply changing something like arc length will change how a rod runs. It's a bit more difficult for new guys to carry an arc and maintain a consistent distance, but it will give you a slightly hotter weld. We run 1/8" 7018 at 125 amps typically as a drag rod with students so they don't have to maintain an arc length and can concentrate on other things while learning, but I almost always carry the arc when welding with 7018 for myself.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=58537The fact you are maxed out in amps might be why it's taking longer to develop a puddle, but I'm not seeing that issue in the welds. I am seeing what might be possibly a slightly cold weld. As soon as I strike an arc I can almost immediately see the molten metal of the puddle. To me not seeing it for 1 1/2" doesn't make sense unless you are looking at something different like the slag. The fact the rod runs a bit better near the end might have to do with the rod heating up as you weld due to the fact you are running at the edge of your machines capability. Dropping down in size, switching to AC so you have more amps to play with, or carrying an arc would all be possible solutions to what you have going on.Last edited by DSW; 04-29-2013 at 08:26 AM..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:Actually, the First Pic looks pretty good I think.To get rid of the lumpy looking stuff at the beginning of the bead you need to keep the rod in the puddle a little longer at the beginning of a weld.  It's a common problem......cold starts.  It's merely the puddle getting up to heat.  As you can see, the rest of the weld went real smooth once the heat built.So pause at the beginning to build heat, then progress as you normally would."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Almost forgot..............DSW mentions some wetting issues.I own the same machine, and have been using it for years.  You'll find that the 125amp DC limit is sometimes a killer on thick stuff.  It simply isn't enough amps to burn in.What you can do is to use AC 7018 for applications where you need the additional amps not possible on the DC side of the machine.  5/32 7018AC works real well on thicker plate at around 175amps AC.  Or use 1/8 7018AC at 135amps AC.  But you'll find that the bigger rod transmits more heat to the metal for a better weld."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:You mention you like drag rods - switch to 7014 and you can run AC.They are one of my favorite rods on AC or DC and do not need a rod oven for storage Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:These are AC at 135 amps, 1/8" 7018. These represent the 2nd and 3rd beads I've ever ran with AC.  I think this setting is better, as the slag chipped off fairly easily.  I think I need to increase my travel speed a bit, and it would just rake off. I'd like to try some Lincoln brand 7014 and 7018, just to see the difference in that and the Hobart brand. Jody has a video that shows Hobart's slag is much more difficult to chip than Lincoln.   I played around with it a little bumped up to 150, just to see what would happen. I would start the bead, then after an inch or so the arc went out, like the welder got shut off.  It was weird, I'm assuming there is a reasonable explanation. It only happened on 150. I also tried carrying the arc on 125A reverse polarity. It didn't go well. I had massive undercutting and slag inclusions. Horrible. Horrible. Last edited by Brian.Evans; 04-29-2013 at 08:23 PM.
Reply:Btw, I don't know what happened to the tip of my rod on the second sample, but I do know at one point during that weld I did the hot spark shuffle when a spark got down my shoe.
Reply:1st two look pretty decent. Looks like you are managing to get things worked out..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:Time for some boots Try to center the the bead in the corner, it looks like it's mostly sitting on the lower plate.SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:DSW, what causes the pin holes in the weld like the second bead?  Btw, the first two are of side A and the second two are of side B. just different angles of both.
Reply:Originally Posted by BrazinTime for some boots Try to center the the bead in the corner, it looks like it's mostly sitting on the lower plate.
Reply:It's not the angle of the rod as much as where the arc is directed. You might as well weld for a while then, since it takes a minute to put on your gear. SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:I'm not 100% sure what was going on at the start of that weld. I was looking at how muddy that section looks and have been trying to figure out just what was going on there. Pinholes like that can be caused by rust and contaminants on the surface among other things..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:I had pinhole problems (porosity) when I switched from Lincoln to Hobart rods.I lowered the amps, and the porosity disappeared.  But I still felt I wasn't getting a good bite at the lower amps.........so I goosed it back up to what I'm used to running Lincoln rods at (135amps), and tried to vary my technique to compensate for the poor running Hobart rods.I found that the porosity disappeared when I increased travel speed.  The Hobart rods seem to run with a small problem......the puddle tries to over run the arc, it's apparently a slower freezing filler as opposed to the Lincoln rods.  Different amount of slag too.  Lincoln puts out bodacious amounts of slag which maybe makes it more stable??Try to vary your parameters....rod angle, travel speed, etc.  It's the beauty of stick, you're the boss, not the machine"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/