feedback on my padweld/stringers SMAW

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1/4" steel1/8" 6013105 amps A/C on everythingGetting frustrated with doing the pad welds they look like complete garbage to me, and I have no clue what im doing wrong.I was hoping you guys could give me some feedback.I can run decent stringers.*Note- I'm in school for welding only welded about 6 times.
Reply:If you got rid of all that spatter, id say you have a damn good pad there.  The beads are straight and evenly overlapped which is better than 90% of students with your welding experience.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Tighten the arc up and clean good between passes. 1/8 electrode 1/16 arc gap or there abouts. the buck shot is proberly caused from long arcing. It should clean off with your chipping hammer.
Reply:AAAAAARGHHHHHHHWhy does everybody think you have to run on the low end with stick?????Crank that puppy up to around 125-135 amps, DRAG the rod till the flux rides on the metal, and let 'er ROLL  Fast easy starts, better speed, and more heat results from higher amps"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:What caused all the spatter, was it cause the arc gap or amps?  The spatter really makes me mad and I cant figure out what caused it. I tried getting it off with the chipping hammer not doing much.First thing I do on Wednesday im gonna crank it up just for you and ill post back and tell you how much better it got :-)Last edited by smilexelectric; 09-14-2010 at 10:51 AM.
Reply:I dont really ever weld with AC,  but I could imagine AC + long arc = lots of spatter.
Reply:Thats what my teacher wants us on for now, I did sneak it into dc and it just seemed so much neater, quieter, and smooth sailing.
Reply:I switched to 125 amps, and man it made a difference. It seemed like I could move faster burning less rod.Though for some reason my finishes on my weld were flush with the 1/4" plate, and were alot wider. I just laid beads, then I tried to do a pad weld and I started getting frustrated something wasnt right. It was like I did the edge weld perfectly, then we it came to changing the rod angle I was looking underneath the rod and I couldnt see the puddle overlap onto the previous bead. The seat wasnt high enough or something so I couldnt see crap. I ended up getting frustrated and just walking out of class 3 hours early, an mad. Trying to find some type of refrerence in my book on pad welds, of course nothing. I was too mad to ask my teacher... Now I feel like I Just blew off 3 whole hours of welding.
Reply:Pad welds are simply filet welds. The technique is a good way for someone to lay down a lot of rod and use a very limited amount of steel to do so. Thats why frequently it's used in classes to teach the basics. You can get tons of burn time on a single piece of steel. Keep in mind that as you weld and the piece heats up, it will start to act as if you have upped the amps some. Keep the piece cool or swap out practice pieces. That way you work with consistant heat settings.Don't let yourself get frustrated. Some times it's better to walk away for 15 minutes and do something else than keep pushing if things aren't going right. Go read a book, BS with someone, whatever thats not directly related to welding to clear your mind. Also don't hesitate to ask for help. That's what the instructor is getting paid for. Also sometimes just talking to someone else in the class can help. They may have just had the same issue you are having and had that "AH HA!" moment where they figured out what they were doing wrong..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 stopped using the quench tank, and now I use 3 or pieces of steel. I weld one and if I can feel the heat come off in waves I put it right in front of the smoke extractor and move on. Just for some reason it wasn't clicking in the pad weld area, but the beads I laid down were beautiful. The recommendation to go up to 125 amps was a great Idea, and it seemed like I was using less rod and moving at a faster pace(make any sense?)It was a lot easier to strike my arc at higher amps too, though I never really had a hard time since day 1 to strike them, kinda just came naturally.Last edited by smilexelectric; 09-15-2010 at 07:22 PM.
Reply:Judging by the gross amount of spatter, Id say yer long-arc the balls out of it. Bring the heat and tighten that gap...Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP ( boat anchor )Lincoln Weld-Pac 100 HDHobart IronMan 230Cutmaster 42Jackson NexGenSumner Ultra ClampsDWM120