Yet another "Vertical Up" question(s)

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I'm having trouble being consistent with vertical up welds on 3/8" mild steel. Using 7018 1/8", 100 -105 amps.  What should a person look for when watching the puddle?  Can the molten metal be distinguished from the slag? Using a #10 lens with a conventional hood ...seems to work best for me...is there another shade that might work better?  I been keeping the motion at about 1/2" wide with a semi-circular arc.  Tried counting...1001, 1002, etc., Also tried "tick-tock, tick tock" to simulate a clock.  I know this subject comes up frequently..............just hoping someone can shed some light where I have been missing the point................tx..........no_arc
Reply:If you can see your puddle and a small area of the metal around the puddle you are OK. When you raise your hood if you see a bright spot like you had just looked at a light bulb the lens is too light. Are you welding two pieces of 3/8" that have been properly beveled together or are you just running practice beads on a piece of plate? It is a different technique for each. The slag will float off your puddle. It reminds me of spots of grease floating on water.
Reply:1/2" is very wide and may be difficult to control. About lenses, be sure to clean them very well, and when they get scratched, replace them. I have sensitive vision and I use a shade 12 for the same thing, so don't be afraid to try a shade 11. About slag, it  looks darker than liquid metal, here again, I use a gold filter lense, so color is relative, compared to the green ones. You can not weld unless you see what you're doing! Try a left-hold; right-hold; left-hold; technidue as you zig-zag upward, hope this helps a bit!City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:OT.......Yep, I forgot to mention I am just running practice beads.  The reason I mentioned 3/8" steel, I thought it might affect the heat setting.  I started with 1/4" coupons (aprox 6" X 6") and now they are up to about 3/8.  Once in a while, I run a nice flat high bead so I have something to follow. Thanks for the feedback........no_arc