flux question

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I'm welding with ac7018 1/8th rod at 135 amps .while welding the arc stops. Looking at the rod the metal is recessed back in the flux about 1/8th inch. Am I running too hot,too cold, are the rods bad? Any help will be appreciated.
Reply:Do you have pics of your welds?
Reply:Originally Posted by jpigI'm welding with ac7018 1/8th rod at 135 amps .while welding the arc stops. Looking at the rod the metal is recessed back in the flux about 1/8th inch. Am I running too hot,too cold, are the rods bad? Any help will be appreciated.
Reply:It's normal for 7018 to have the crater in the flux on the rod end. As for the arc stopping, make sure you're ground is clamped to clean ie: freshly ground metal.                                                              MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:I don't have any pics but they don't look very good with all the stopping and starting . the welder is a lincoln ac/dc .I will try the shorter arc and see what happens. Will old rods cause this ? I keep them in a rod tube but maybe that's not good enough. thanks for all the replys
Reply:Are you getting splatter?
Reply:If the welder is one of them little tombstones then you are getting what you paid for. If it is a Lincoln 250 Idealarc then its either the rod or you need more practice. Hang in there. My experience with the smaller welders is the longer you weld at one time the better they weld.
Reply:yes the splatter is a little excessive and yes it's a tombstone, but it is what it is
Reply:The rod metal being burned back into the flux is normal for 7018. This is sometimes refered to as restrike, or the ability to restrike. Some rods have a thicker flux and are harder to restrike. I like Hobart 418 7018, but the batch I had was very difficult to restrike. I keep a file close to give a quick scratch to remove the flux and expost the bare metal."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:the new hobart can be a bear to restrike. that's why i prefer the Excalibur or Atom Arc. usually i just snap it off with thumb on my glove or tap it on the blade end of my chipping hammer.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:The cone shape at the end is how the electrode is designed to be after starting the arc. This fact tells me that the electrodes are not to wet, if they were the flux would be cracking or chipping off, exposing the core. Most likely the cause of the stop and starting is long arcing, welding lead condition/connection to unit, ground connection, electrode holder connection, are your cable ends loose or corroded? How old are your cables, they would have to be in bad shape to cause this, but they do wear out. Welding 1/8" Lo-Hydrogen will bring out the weakness of any bad conncections after awhile.A young green pipe welder asked an old salt one day...How can I make the weld on the bottom of the pipe look like the top.......The old salt replied....Screw up the top......
Reply:I want to thank you for all of your ideas and advice. I think my main problem was long arcing.I started burying the rod in the puddle a little deeper and it seems to have helped a lot, the welds still are not the best but I think that would be the man with the stinger in his hand. still learning.