Light gauge 7018

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Hey everyone first post on here and also in have only been welding about 3 weeks. I have just gotten my 3F, 4F, 3G, 4G on FCAW .035 & .045 light guage. Now I am working on the same for stick. The test is a 10ga piece welded to a 3/8 plate. I got the fillet welds done alright with some undercut but the instructor passed it. Now I am working on flair bevel and I am having a hell of a time with it. I am using Excalibur 1/8 7018 rod on a miller xmt 304. I have it set around 104 amps. I am either burning through or it the bead will not balance in between the pieces. At the end of the day I was messing around with some 3/32 rod at like 115 amps and got a pretty good weld but I didn't get a chance to try the higher amps with the bigger rod. I had to race across the coupon with that small rod. I was wondering if setting the machine at like 120 amps with the 1/8 rod would work better just have a faster travel speed. I am just worried about burn through on this 10 ga stuff. ThanksSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:10 ga will be tough with 1/8" rod since the rod size is almost the same as the base material. It is doable with skill however. 3/32" rod will be easier since the rod is thinner than the base material.I prefer to run hotter than 104amps vertical with 1/8" 7018 and hold a really tight arc. However some guys can make lower amps work if they hold a slightly longer arc. You really need to be able to read the puddle and watch what is going on. With the base material and the rod being the same thickness, you are going to have to control your heat input into the piece or the 10 ga will start to over heat and want to melt faster than the rod will. Going hotter/faster can often allow you to reduce the amount of heat that goes into a piece. So would dropping down a rod size and lowering your amps..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:Don't hold any arc. Lay the rod(1/8) over at a right angle directing the puddle at the 3/8 plate--hand and 2 O'clock rod point at 8 O'clock and drag it.Wiggle your hand toward your body and blow the puddle into the edge of the 1/8".RRRrrrrr.... Hard to describe. Pretend you're MIG welding ! It's almost like a "walking the cup motion" you see the TIG  guys do.Deep hot puddle in the 3/8 and blow a little over to the edge of the thin crap.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:If it's flat welding 7024 would be a dream rod here.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Couple things you might try. Try running on DCEN. Also try a laid over J motion. Keep the long side of the J on the thicker material. Caution! 7018 doesn't like a lot of movement, you run the risk of porosity in the weld! Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by BurpeeDon't hold any arc. Lay the rod(1/8) over at a right angle directing the puddle at the 3/8 plate--hand and 2 O'clock rod point at 8 O'clock and drag it.Wiggle your hand toward your body and blow the puddle into the edge of the 1/8".RRRrrrrr.... Hard to describe. Pretend you're MIG welding ! It's almost like a "walking the cup motion" you see the TIG  guys do.Deep hot puddle in the 3/8 and blow a little over to the edge of the thin crap.