What did I do wrong

admin

First time posting here, I was doing some test passes with 1/4 steel using E7014 1/8 rod - lincon buzz box set at 150amps. I put the piece in a vise and hit with a sledge and i was able to break the weld. What did I do wrong. ThanksLast edited by Piston1233; 2 Weeks Ago at 01:50 PM.
Reply:Sorry, trying to upload a photo.
Reply:


Reply:"I put the piece in a vise and hit with sledge" and what??? A picture is worth a thousand words.---Meltedmetal
Reply:


Reply:Just a guess, but is that high carbon steel by any chance?Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:The metal was off a reese hitch, Im assuming not.
Reply:probaably a few things wrong adding up, but, what did u do, smack it from the back side (where theres no weld).      put some intermittant welds on both sides and try again
Reply:No penetration/ unequal on top plate. Lack of concentration upper plate.
Reply:I know its stick and not TIG, but I would also knock the dirt and mill scale off before welding it.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:Like tapwelder said...Looks like you're weld didn't penetrate the top plate. Adjust your rod angle and I suggest weaving a bit as you weld. "Wash" the puddle into the top plate. You could also make a root pass with 6010 or 6011 to really "dig" in the weld, then cap it with 7014, 6013, 7018, whatever for a nicer appearance. Unless you're a incredibly steady handed, it's hard to get a pretty bead with 6010.I took this picture a long time ago. I'm fairly certain that's 6011 or 6010. I personally don't expect to get a better bead than that with a fast freeze electrode.

Sent from my Lincoln Buzzbox using Tapatalk
Reply:150 is pretty hot for 1/8 rod.NRA LIFE MEMBERUNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DCMIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINELET'S GO BRANDON!"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Reply:

Originally Posted by CAVEMANN

150 is pretty hot for 1/8 rod.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Piston1233

First time posting here, I was doing some test passes with 1/4 steel using E7014 1/8 rod - lincon buzz box set at 150amps. I put the piece in a vise and hit with a sledge and i was able to break the weld. What did I do wrong. Thanks
Reply:Thanks for all of your help, I will try a couple more practice runs and posts some photos.
Reply:I think you cranked up the amps thinking that would give you penetration, but because it was so hot you went faster and actually lost penetration. On top of this you are putting a lot of heat into the HAZ and making it brittle. As mentioned, back off the amps a little and slow down. Eat fewer Wheaties for breakfast and you'll be less inclined to break them...The harder you fall, the higher you bounce...250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:It's really hard to tell anything when you're looking at the cold start on a weld.  All welds start cold, and don't give a good indicator of what the heat really is.

  See what I mean?  You can't look at that, and tell what the damn heat was.  On a weld like this, the ends are V'd,, and another set of welds ties the front of the plate into these welds..........in other words, the weld is wrapped around the entire piece when done.  This alleviates the cold starts.It would be a better view if you showed the weld as made,, and laying flat on the table so you can see the entire length of the weld.I guess I'm not looking right, but I can't tell whether it was a lap weld, or a fillet that you bent by trying to destroy it.I'm referring to your pic in post #5.Last edited by farmersammm; 2 Weeks Ago at 10:59 PM.Reason: added last sentence
Reply:

Originally Posted by farmersammm

It's really hard to tell anything when you're looking at the cold start on a weld.  All welds start cold, and don't give a good indicator of what the heat really is.

  See what I mean?  You can't look at that, and tell what the damn heat was.  On a weld like this, the ends are V'd,, and another set of welds ties the front of the plate into these welds..........in other words, the weld is wrapped around the entire piece when done.  This alleviates the cold starts.It would be a better view if you showed the weld as made,, and laying flat on the table so you can see the entire length of the weld.I guess I'm not looking right, but I can't tell whether it was a lap weld, or a fillet that you bent by trying to destroy it.I'm referring to your pic in post #5.