ending a stick weld

admin

well to be different ill start with the question then tell you bout me because im 14 lol well the question is how do I keep a pit or crater from forming at the end of my weld? i tried doing circles but it didnt work. Any help would be nice!! now bout me im 14 and our family has owned a ranch in kansas with canyons (imagine canyons in kansas) im a farmer and i can weld fairly good and usually dont have a problem with pits but sometime they show up  well thanx in advance for help sooner the better!!Quality is our policy.
Reply:Just hold the arc for a second or so and let it build a bit.Leo
Reply:Stand the rod angle up 90 degrees to the plate, close up the arc length just a touch, and reverse direction about 3/8 to 1/2 inch. Now do all this in under one second.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:I started welding when I was at the start of 6th grade, good to see a young person interested in the craft. As far as the crater I just hold the arc there for a split second and havent had a problem. Good luck on your welding, and your farm.
Reply:thanks!!! to everyone especially you its good to know I have supportersQuality is our policy.
Reply:The younger you start anything like welding or other gearhead pursuits the better you will get. They are useful throughout life. Go for it!
Reply:This is one of the things I had contemplated about making a thread about.  Years ago when there was a card catalog at the library I took out pretty much every book relating to welding they had and this topic is kind of sparse in coverage and quite frustrating in practice.  The end of the weld may well also be the most prone to cracking.  There is the option of adding a little run out piece and removing it later.  The guys who weld/welded for a profession I have been able to watch seem more to put a snot as they call it on the end the size of which they judge most likely from experience and burn into that at the end.  I have also experimented with using the foot pedal amperage control with sticks which doesn't seem suggested in literature but once the welding rod is running I find it amazing how far down in amps it takes before the arc is lost.  The tig and mig or fcaw processes seem not as frustrating if you desire to end the weld at the edege of the metal, all the more so if it is say a butt joint.
Reply:To finish off a weld bead hesitate at the end of the weld and let the puddle fill.  Do not lift off vertically.  The stream of the arc will often create a pin hole.  Quickly track your arc back over the bead you previously laid lifting as you go.  If you track off your arc side ways you are likely to put an arc track on the cold parent metal which may create a stress riser that will crack some time in the future.  You are tracking back only about an inch or so before the arc is extinguished.
Reply:Originally Posted by lotechmanTo finish off a weld bead hesitate at the end of the weld and let the puddle fill.  Do not lift off vertically.  The stream of the arc will often create a pin hole.  Quickly track your arc back over the bead you previously laid lifting as you go.  If you track off your arc side ways you are likely to put an arc track on the cold parent metal which may create a stress riser that will crack some time in the future.  You are tracking back only about an inch or so before the arc is extinguished.
Reply:Originally Posted by fran...k.This is one of the things I had contemplated about making a thread about.  Years ago when there was a card catalog at the library I took out pretty much every book relating to welding they had and this topic is kind of sparse in coverage and quite frustrating in practice.  The end of the weld may well also be the most prone to cracking.  There is the option of adding a little run out piece and removing it later.  The guys who weld/welded for a profession I have been able to watch seem more to put a snot as they call it on the end the size of which they judge most likely from experience and burn into that at the end.  I have also experimented with using the foot pedal amperage control with sticks which doesn't seem suggested in literature but once the welding rod is running I find it amazing how far down in amps it takes before the arc is lost.  The tig and mig or fcaw processes seem not as frustrating if you desire to end the weld at the edege of the metal, all the more so if it is say a butt joint.