First try ever with stick.

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Hey all. I ran about 20 beads this weekend for first time ever. Used 1/8" 6011 on AC @115A 1/4" plate. Probably too cold. Starts were hard, but running was pretty smooth. But now I have a few inevitable questions. First, the weld puddle looked awfully thin. For a 1/8 rod, what should the bead width wind up being? I realize that's pretty much up to how well I'm controlling it, but I don't have much in the way of guidelines.Second, how do I get the weld all the way to the edge? Whipping and pausing breaks the arc at the end.Finally, I seem to have better control going right to left and I'm right handed. It doesn't feel like my stance and body position are all that different, but I do go straighter. Any ideas?Sent from my HTCONE using TapatalkUsing Tapatalk
Reply:If your right handed, you should be starting on the left side and welding towards the right side.Fill that plate up with practice welds. Then rotate the plate 90 degrees and run another layer of weld across the plate on top of your first layer. Try different manipulation of your rod. Experiment with your arc length. Keep your whipping motion tight. With practice, it will come.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:I think you're actually on the hot side for that rod, but the beads do look a bit cold. I usually run 1/8 6011 at 100 amps.  115 is on the cold side for 1/8 7018.  Look up a table on the suggested rod amps.  I'm sure someone here will chime in. I'm am not a pro.  Just giving advice based on what works for me. Overall, I think they aren't that bad.  Make sure your rod angle is correct, like 15-30* off vertical towards the direction you are pulling.  Pull rod from left to right using your right hand. Try to watch the PUDDLE, not the arc.  Once you watch the puddle and see what it's doing everything will change.  You will be able to react to changes and get a uniform bead.  There's a way to get your timing correct so that the beads look perfect, but if you're not actually reading the puddle, you won't be able to reproduce the same welds in other positions on different material.  Good luck.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:I agree with 255. They look pretty damn good for a N00B tho ! Especially with 6011/What kind of machine is it ? I can damn near burn a hole in 1/4 @115-120 using 1/8 6011Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:@ AdVirMachina - access http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...elp+DSW+school, especially Post # 6 from DSW.  DSW has an excellent SMAW "101" training approach he regularly uses for teaching his students to Stick weld.  A cradle to grave technique for understanding, practicing, and advancing Stick.  Try baseline'n 1/8" 6010/11 @ 95A, and 1/8" 7018 @ 130-135A.  Flat (2F/G) position.  Also, procure a longer sample section (12-14", angle iron is excellent and inexpensive) for practicing.  Burn'n two (2ea) complete electrodes per run will provide you the necessary arc time to "see" and "feel" the puddle.  Attempting to "get" Stick by only running short segments is not optimal."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Originally Posted by ManoKai@ AdVirMachina -  Also, procure a longer sample section (12-14", angle iron is excellent and inexpensive) for practicing.  Burn'n two (2ea) complete electrodes per run will provide you the necessary arc time to "see" and "feel" the puddle.  Attempting to "get" Stick by only running short segments is not optimal.
Reply:Thanks all. I'm out of town this week, but you can bet I'll try all of these suggestions.Sent from my HTCONE using TapatalkUsing Tapatalk
Reply:Just a suggestion, put your location on your profile... someone near you may be willing to come by to watch, give you some pointers... Not too shabby for your first time, may slow down a bit and tighten up your "whip" and "pause" a bit...
Reply:One thing to keep in mind is, one 14" rod should yield 6-7 inches of weld bead. If you are getting beads much longer, you are moving too fast. If not that long, you are moving too slow. This is for one continuous bead, where you strike an arc  and hold it till the end of the rod. Give it a try and see how long your welds are, and adjust travel speed as needed.
Reply:Ok. Here are some better pictures if the second attempt. I think I'm going to have to with DSWs method if working with drag rod first. I am nowhere consistent enough in arc length and whip movement. At any rate, I am improving. I did these standing left to right, right to left, and away and towards me. Ac 6011 Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC ~115 amps.Sent from my HTCONE using TapatalkUsing Tapatalk
Reply:And, they'll be attached this time!Sent from my HTCONE using TapatalkUsing Tapatalk
Reply:Doesn't look to bad for just starting out. I get along better if the metal is cleaner use a grinder wire brush or something and clean the metal some. Also I found out a long time agao the better the fit up when welding things together the easier it is to weld . Keep practicing and good luck.
Reply:There's some nice ripples in some of those in places. Travel speed looks a bit fast. Keep in mind the statement above that 14" of rod gives you about 6-7" of weld bead. If you are getting more, slow down, less and you need to speed up. Consistency needs work, but that's not a big surprise for someone just starting out who needs practice. Aim could be a bit better as well. It helps if when you are doing pads like this if each bead overlaps the previous one by 50% so the plate ends up a flat and smooth as possible. That makes it easier for the next layer. Otherwise early problems can telegraph thru and make it seem like you are having more issues than you actually are.If you are right handed, weld left to right. With right to left, away to close etc may be useful at times in the real world, keep things simple for now. Left to right allows you to use your strong hand to run the stinger with your off hand to guide you, and allows you to more clearly see the puddle. Get things down well 1st before making your life tough. Overall not bad. Keep at it you are close to making some nice welds..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:You might want to start out with some 1/8" 7014's (aka: "Fill-Freeze" rod).  Just literally drag it along with about a 20-30* degree angle and have fun.  It's easier to learn first before 6010/6011 which uses a slightly different technique.  I started 10 yr old son on 7014's first and he soon picked up the welding bug pretty quick.  Now 6011's are fairly simple electrode for him as well.Last edited by SuperArc; 03-17-2014 at 01:19 AM.Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Got some 7014's. Nice smooth arc. I'm learning that body position and hand location is everything. I keep driving off into the weeds as soon as the electrode gets past my centerline. I apparently am trying to compensate with twist instead of extending out my arms.3/32 7014@85A. Dcep left to right.Sent from my HTCONE using TapatalkUsing Tapatalk
Reply:Some of mine...Charl