7018 Vertical Position Question

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HI Guys/Gals,New guy here, what a wealth of info, I feel lucky to have stumbled on to it.Anyway, I have a question about something weird that happened to me this weekend.  A little background about myself.  The only experience with welding I've had in my 40 years is I did production MIG and TIG welding for 2 years.  Learned a lot, but I have no "real" experience with stick welding, just the basic flat position welding.  So, here it goes.I was doing some mods to a small utility trailer I have.  Using 7018 1/8" rod, 175 AC.  My flat fillets are doing just fine, good penetration, slag just lifts off...etc.  My question is this.  I have NO experience vertical welding.  Decide to give-er-a-go.  Using top down method, electrode angle about 25 to 30 degrees, moving fairly rapidly to keep puddle in line.  After I'm done, the weld itself looks good, good penetration...but absolutley no slag...I mean none at all.  The fillet bead is about half the width as my flat welds.  Should I be worried?  Concerned?   Thanks,Ron
Reply:I would be very worried that I had used up all my good luck. How about doing the same weld on a test piece and then breaking it apart in a vise to check penetration.355# Hay Budden3# Hofi HammerPropane ForgeIdealarc TIG 300/300AllStates Oxy Propane torchSmith Little Torch
Reply:Where did the slag go, trapped under the bead at the root of the weld?
Reply:The old dissappearing slag trick, eh? Electrode angle 25 to 30 degrees, which way are you pointing that stick, up or down? Vertical uphill or downhill, I point that stick uphill or straight in, depending on what I want from the puddle. We always weld uphill btw, unless running down the edges of the coverpass to repair undercut. Why use 7018, practice?Disclaimer:-That's right from schooling, your real world may vary! 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:Originally Posted by pulserWhere did the slag go, trapped under the bead at the root of the weld?
Reply:Originally Posted by tanglediverThe old dissappearing slag trick, eh? Electrode angle 25 to 30 degrees, which way are you pointing that stick, up or down? Vertical uphill or downhill, I point that stick uphill or straight in, depending on what I want from the puddle. We always weld uphill btw, unless running down the edges of the coverpass to repair undercut. Why use 7018, practice?Disclaimer:-That's right from schooling, your real world may vary!
Reply:There you go! I wonder if the slag is just dripping off while hot? That could happen if you point the stick down.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:Originally Posted by tanglediverThere you go! I wonder if the slag is just dripping off while hot? That could happen if you point the stick down.
Reply:I would like to know where it went?    Generally I weld UP.  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:If you were burning a 1/8 rod at 175 amps then the slag ran off.  I used to weld downhand alot years ago before I learned to go up. (remember I was self taught)  If you run a 7018 hot and run down hand the flux will run out to the edges and drip off.  regardless of which way the rod is angled.  Pointing the rod upward while bringing it down will keep the puddle hotter, and keeps the flux molten longer so it will drip.  I would be willing to bet there is alot of flux droppings under where you were welding.  I'm headed back out to the shop in just a sec.  i'll do a demo with some pics just for the heck of it.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Hmmm...good points.  I know somebody earlier mentioned that it probably "dripped" off.  But, what you said rang a bell, after running the bead I would always notice this "slag stalagtite" hanging from the bottom...it was only about 1/2" long, so I never thought anything of it.  I brought the trailer home, I'll try to take some pics tonight.Thanks everyone.
Reply:After doing extensive nick break and ductility test of vertical welding, when you use a E7018, which is an uphill rod as far as vertical goes, not saying you cant go down, but when you do go down hill most of your slag drops off but ALOT becomes slag inclusions. if your doing any structural code welding u can get kicked off a job real quick if your caught welding downhill with a 7018. If you want to know how to properly weld downhill you can use the E7048 downhill pipeline rod.
Reply:I thought you were only supposed to weld up with 7018's? Why would you even go down hill with those on a vertical?Laura MM 180Chop SawDewalt grinderhelpful husband
Reply:Not to beat a dead horse, ....But...If the weld cooled with no slag on it, its not really a low hydrogen weld anyhow.David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Get you a box of 6011 or (6010 if you have dc) and learn to run that uphill. Then give 7018 a try uphill. Try may 125-135 amps for 7018 uphill.Last edited by tresi; 07-30-2007 at 09:42 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by pinklilly11I thought you were only supposed to weld up with 7018's? Why would you even go down hill with those on a vertical?
Reply:Ron, Look in the projects section.  "UP vs. DOWN".....   i did that today for you to see the difference in penetration from uphill to downhill......  Hope it helps explain.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I am not a newb, but I still learn  A LOT here.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:70= 70,000 tensile strength 1= all positions! 8= flux low hydrogen60= 60,000 tensile strength 1= all positions! 1= flux organic70= 70,000 tensile strength 2= flat and horizontal 4= flux rutile,iron powderfrom lincoln welding procedure handbook.Last edited by Dipper Welder64; 07-31-2007 at 04:24 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by chili_uphereWell...It's cause I'm a total newb at this.... This is what I need to hear though...thanks for the advice.People...thanks for the learning experience.  I've been lurking around here for quite a while trying to absorb what I can (I am only a hobbiest...I would in no way call myself a welde(o)r).Thanks for all your time.Ron
Reply:No worries at all...it wasn't taken as a stab.I was only making fun of my new-b-ish-ness...is that a word?I'm Canadian eh...thick skin, cause of all the cold up here!