Help with 4g

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Been doing 4g for the past two days now. I've tried rod angle straight up with slight bend of the rod and placing it in the 45* position while welding. I start off fine and continue a nice bead until the last 1-2 inches. At this time it starts sputtering and popping. Not sure if my arc length is getting to long but I've been trying to really jam it in there at the and. I'm running about 110-115 amps. 1/8 backing strip test plates. I do not have any pics today. Should I run the machine hotter around 125-130? How long should I let the plate cool down after each pass?Thanks!
Reply:I'm assuming 7018? I wouldn't run it too hot. Honestly, look at your hands and how your positioning changes as you progress down the plate and your hands get closer and closer to the weld. It's likely a combination of getting your angle off, and speeding up too much.IW Local 580 NY, NY
Reply:Ah yes..... The arc blow monster is back. That kind of thing can be caused by a few different things. Sometimes it is because of the rod angle, other times it can be because of the position of the ground clamp. Try the other side of the table. That usually has nothing to do with fixing the problem but they have always told me to try it. Another reason can be because of over grinding the test plates will magnetize the steel and cause arc blow at the end of the welds. It usually happens in the last few inches of the weld and only in the first few passes of a butt weld test. They closer you get to the top, the more the problem goes away. In the 20 years I have been welding, I still deal with that problem to this very day. I have learned not to panic, let it spit and spatter, hang out and let the metal work its way in then move on. Then needle gun the living **** out of the spatter balls that fuse themselves to the plate. Sometimes being a good welder has nothing to do with making problems go away, but how to deal with them and doing a quality weld regardless of hurdles.CERTIFICATIONS:7018M- H.V.O10718M- H.V.O11018M- H.V.O9N10- H.V.O71T-1-HYM- H.O.V100S1 PULSE ARC 0,035- H.O.V100S1 PULSE ARC 0.045- H.O.VER70S-3 PULSE ARC 0.035 H.O.VER70S-3 PULSE ARC 0.045 H.O.VER5554- H.O.V
Reply:NHMatt is probably right, it sounds a lot like arc blow to me, when i have horrible arc blow that is uncontrollable i switch to AC current if the machine is not a DC only machine. If you have to weld with the arc blow try the things that NHMatt recommended  and try to keep your arc length as SHORT AS POSSIBLE. Over time you will learn to deal with arc blow and will find ways that work for you to deal with it.Aaron Olsonmiller dynasty 200dx
Reply:I had recently taken a test for 9n10 rod which is a copper nickel rod and I had never run it before. On the last 2" of the overhead root it would spatter so bad the weld was worthless. I was then given some advice from an old timer to start on the opposite end and weld in about 2" then stop. Change the rod to a new one then start welding from the usual end and weld to where the short weld stopped. I bet it would do just as well with 7018.CERTIFICATIONS:7018M- H.V.O10718M- H.V.O11018M- H.V.O9N10- H.V.O71T-1-HYM- H.O.V100S1 PULSE ARC 0,035- H.O.V100S1 PULSE ARC 0.045- H.O.VER70S-3 PULSE ARC 0.035 H.O.VER70S-3 PULSE ARC 0.045 H.O.VER5554- H.O.V
Reply:Pretty cool idea. I guess where you decide to stop that finishing weld (the 2" one) would depend a lot on where the plate was going to be tested.NHMatt, out of curiosity, what do you do that you need so many certs?IW Local 580 NY, NY
Reply:I work for Norfolk Naval Shipyard as a Nuclear welder as a civilian for the Dept. of the Navy. I was a local 7 Ironworker in Boston for some time and grew up doing structural steel. When the market crashed I moved to VA and worked as a sub-contractor at shipyards. I applied for a federal job and was hired. They liked my background and welds so started me off in the Nuke program and have given me sh!tloads of tests. Thats only about a quarter of what I will end up with. My tig tests will come soon. We work right in the reactor compartments so everything is tig.CERTIFICATIONS:7018M- H.V.O10718M- H.V.O11018M- H.V.O9N10- H.V.O71T-1-HYM- H.O.V100S1 PULSE ARC 0,035- H.O.V100S1 PULSE ARC 0.045- H.O.VER70S-3 PULSE ARC 0.035 H.O.VER70S-3 PULSE ARC 0.045 H.O.VER5554- H.O.V
Reply:That's pretty awesome.IW Local 580 NY, NY
Reply:I like using this motion when doing tests , it changes your rod angle 3 times in a short span so it keeps arc blow and any other funky crap from happening \ | /  . Hope those symbols help understand what I meant 45 left turning straight up almost halfway in than back to 45 right on way out. Give it a shot, hope it helps bud!