Stick Welding Practice Comments please.

admin

OK I figured you could all use a good laugh, don't blame me if you spit coffee all over your keyboard, you have been warned!I have a smallish arc welder, it is a Japanese brand, I run it on 200V 50Hz.It has the impressive name of Dragon D-150 from キシデン工業株式会社 (Kishiden Kogyo Kabushiki Gaisha)It is rated for 45Amps to 150Amps they call it a small arc welder in Japanese (小型交流アーク溶接機 Kogatakouryuu-Aaku-Yousetsuki)It handles rods from from 1.6mm to 3.2mm or 1/16" to 1/8". For material thickness it is rated for 1.2mm to 6mm or less than 1\6" to 1\4".Now I've not done any stick welding since I bought my MIG, partly because the MIG is so much easier (for me!) and the stick welder was not at my workshop, but in a storage place a distance away. When I built my triple stack welding cart to accomadate the MIG, stick welder and the plasma torch I went and got the old stick welder and brought it to my workshop. I bought the MIG about 15 years ago I guess, so it has been a while.To say I'm rusty is obvious, but to be totally honest, I never was that good at stick welding, only passable on a good day, just.OK here you go, laugh away, but I know I can only get better...... I hope.....The first inch or so on top I was just trying to remember what the heck to do, that darn rod keeps getting shorter!!After that I did my best, but what I'm having the most trouble with is what do do with my darn hands, I have forgotten how to manipulate my hold so that I don't screw up my welds! Got to work on that, any suggestions? A good YouTube video or something?Those were run with basic rods (whatever that means, they have a different system over here these rods are known as "B3" rods) the rods are 2.6mm thick and I ran the machine near the top of the 2.6mm range, I guess about 120 Amps?You can see the indicator it is a round whitish thing on a cable that moves back and forth in the slot cut on the face of the machine.So at the very least I hope I gave you something to smile about, and shake your heads, yeah, my welding needs a lot of improvement, but that is why I'm here, and that is what I plan to do, burn some rods and get better at this, can't get any worse.... can I? All comments and advice welcome, thanks for taking the time to read this.Cheers!Dragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIG
Reply:I am a newer welder myself and from what I see you were improving as you went. looks to me you just need to practice and get the feel again.Lincoln 225 ac (my first machine)farmhand 115vac 70amp mig/fc toymiller aead 200le (my main machine)
Reply:Originally Posted by fdude64I am a newer welder myself and from what I see you were improving as you went. looks to me you just need to practice and get the feel again.
Reply:Chucke2009 has some good videos on youtube about stick welding. Doesn't look all that bad to me.Hobart 125 EZHobart Handler 140Everlast STH 160Generic 210 Amp Welder/GeneratorHobart Air Force 500i plasma cutterChinese 50 amp plasma cutter! Youtube Channel : Henrymac100
Reply:Originally Posted by HenrymacChucke2009 has some good videos on youtube about stick welding. Doesn't look all that bad to me.
Reply:Beads look cold. I'd either up the amps or drop down in rod size. Last option would be to increase your arc length slightly. Stick is the opposite of mig. When you move in tighter with stick, the weld gets colder. When you increase your arc length, the weld gets hotter. Trouble is most newer stick welders can't manage to maintain a consistent arc length, so I usually recommend they stick to drag rods where they can simply keep the rod in contact with the plate to maintain a consistent arc length. They have enough things to concentrate on keeping consistent, and the fewer things they have to manage, the better.You may find this thread I did for another member a while back as useful explaining what happens with arc length.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...Stick-for-RickLooking at the shape of the bead, I'd guess these rods are probably similar to 6013 or 7014 possibly 7018. They definitely don't look like a 6010/11 bead because of the nice tight ripples. Because of that, I'm guessing you can probably treat these rods like 6013/7014 and drag them. You should be able to feel the flux on the surface of the plate. To do this though I'm going to guess you need more amps from what I see, or you need to drop down in rod size.As far as how to weld, I assume you are right handed. I like to have students start on the left, close to their body, and weld across to the right, away from themselves at a 30 to 45deg angle, what ever is comfortable to you. I usually suggest they rest their elbows on the table, And pivot from there. As the rod burns down, you swing your arm down and away from your body in a natural arc this way. You try and keep the angle of the rod to the plate at about 1 o'clock, or 10 to 15 deg off vertical. Newer guys I suggest they use both hands to do this, but you can use just one if you want.As you practice, I'd move the beads just a bit closer to each other. Aim the next bead at the base of the last one so they end up over lapping by 50%. It sort of ends up like you are doing a series of lap welds one after another. It gives you practice for stacking beads later for filets and groove welds. Don't forget to cool the plate every 2 or 3 beads. The extra heat will mess with your settings and act like you are upping the amps. Then when you go to make beads on cold plate, they will look horrible and you won't understand why the others looks so nice and now they don't. Down side of overlapping the beads is that it's tough to tell one from another for diagnosis. It's a bit easier to trouble shoot when the beads are separate. I'd suggest doing a few separate ones at the beginning and end of practice and when you make any major changes. That way we can look at individual beads vs a big mass. Use the overlapping beads to get the most welds in on the smallest amount of material.Overall other than being cold, they aren't too bad. I've seen a lot worse from students. You need to work on your consistency, but travel speed looks decent. I don't see any signs you were outrunning the puddle. There's a bit of a "bow" to the welds vs a straight line, but that is usually an indicator your position is wrong and you are fighting your bodies natural position some what. I think if you move the plate a bit, they should straighten out some more.I really like the bead 2nd down from the top. It's way too narrow and cold, but that nice long section that is super straight is very consistent. I'd be happy if you made beads that went all the way across the plate like that. I can easily fix the cold and narrow part by tweaking your machine settings. Fixing inconsistencies is tougher..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWBeads look cold. I'd either up the amps or drop down in rod size. Last option would be to increase your arc length slightly. Stick is the opposite of mig. When you move in tighter with stick, the weld gets colder. When you increase your arc length, the weld gets hotter. Trouble is most newer stick welders can't manage to maintain a consistent arc length, so I usually recommend they stick to drag rods where they can simply keep the rod in contact with the plate to maintain a consistent arc length. They have enough things to concentrate on keeping consistent, and the fewer things they have to manage, the better.You may find this thread I did for another member a while back as useful explaining what happens with arc length.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...Stick-for-RickLooking at the shape of the bead, I'd guess these rods are probably similar to 6013 or 7014 possibly 7018. They definitely don't look like a 6010/11 bead because of the nice tight ripples. Because of that, I'm guessing you can probably treat these rods like 6013/7014 and drag them. You should be able to feel the flux on the surface of the plate. To do this though I'm going to guess you need more amps from what I see, or you need to drop down in rod size.As far as how to weld, I assume you are right handed. I like to have students start on the left, close to their body, and weld across to the right, away from themselves at a 30 to 45deg angle, what ever is comfortable to you. I usually suggest they rest their elbows on the table, And pivot from there. As the rod burns down, you swing your arm down and away from your body in a natural arc this way. You try and keep the angle of the rod to the plate at about 1 o'clock, or 10 to 15 deg off vertical. Newer guys I suggest they use both hands to do this, but you can use just one if you want.As you practice, I'd move the beads just a bit closer to each other. Aim the next bead at the base of the last one so they end up over lapping by 50%. It sort of ends up like you are doing a series of lap welds one after another. It gives you practice for stacking beads later for filets and groove welds. Don't forget to cool the plate every 2 or 3 beads. The extra heat will mess with your settings and act like you are upping the amps. Then when you go to make beads on cold plate, they will look horrible and you won't understand why the others looks so nice and now they don't. Down side of overlapping the beads is that it's tough to tell one from another for diagnosis. It's a bit easier to trouble shoot when the beads are separate. I'd suggest doing a few separate ones at the beginning and end of practice and when you make any major changes. That way we can look at individual beads vs a big mass. Use the overlapping beads to get the most welds in on the smallest amount of material.Overall other than being cold, they aren't too bad. I've seen a lot worse from students. You need to work on your consistency, but travel speed looks decent. I don't see any signs you were outrunning the puddle. There's a bit of a "bow" to the welds vs a straight line, but that is usually an indicator your position is wrong and you are fighting your bodies natural position some what. I think if you move the plate a bit, they should straighten out some more.I really like the bead 2nd down from the top. It's way too narrow and cold, but that nice long section that is super straight is very consistent. I'd be happy if you made beads that went all the way across the plate like that. I can easily fix the cold and narrow part by tweaking your machine settings. Fixing inconsistencies is tougher.
Reply:OK I just read the thread you linked to and I'm now sure that I was holding the rod too close to the workpiece making a cold weld.I'll give it another go tomorrow and see what I can do.Cheers!Dragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIG
Reply:At the tech school we run that same 1/8" 7018 that I did in that other thread at 125 amps, and the students can drag the rod vs carrying an arc like I did in that thread. The point of setting the machine lower than normal was to show it can be done, IF you understand what is going on, and can manipulate the rod properly.  This isn't something that is easy for new guys to do, trying to stay the same distance off the plate consistently as the rod burns is beyond many new welders. That's why at the tech school we simply up the amps and then have them  drag the rod. If you are limited in your output, it can help you gain a bit more performance from an underpowered machine..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:OK I found a crib sheet of sorts for a comparison between the Japanese standard and AWS standards for arc welding electrodes.I'll be buying all my welding rods from this company from now on, so the question is for basic mild steel welding, what should I be buying?The E6013/B33 rods?Cheers!Dragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIG
Reply:Of the options shown, that would be my choice. The 7018 rods would be another, but they usually have storage issues with moisture in some cases. 7024 is another easy to use rod, but it's usually available in larger sizes only and only works for flat/horizontal fillets because the weld is so fluid. It's also tough to get them in small quantities many times..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:DSW thanks again.I've been doing more practice and I ran out of the 2.6mm rod that I had the gray colored stuff that I have no name etc for, I was able to run some OK looking (to my eye) beads with it.The white mark is where I restarted, I guess that is obvious.Then I moved on to the other rod that I had, all 2.0mm and something called Star Rod and for the life of me I cannot get this stuff to weld decent at all. I know a poor workman blames his tools, but I was doing OK with the other stuff.This is after running about 20 rods of this stuff, I cannot get it to work, the slag sticks on like crazy, pounding on it with my hammer and then using a power wire brush helps, but it is still messy.This is after pounding, before wire brushing.I tried to raise the amps and then lower the amps (90-70Amps), also I tried to put the rod very close to the puddle, and pulled back from the puddle, same chit, a mess.Really frustrating.These rods are at least 15 years old, they were stored in an unheated shed behind my business where I keep my motorcycle stuff, the cases they came in were not sealed, I put a wrap of duct tape around them, but I very much doubt that sealed them well. Many hot humid summer and cool dry winters these rods sat.Could this be my problem, or do I just suck? With the other rods I was able to do something approaching a decent bead, and the slag just came off easy.I've ordered some Kobleco B-33 rods, which are E6013 AWS rods, so I guess I'll find out if it is just the rods or if I do suck that bad.ThanksDragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIG
Reply:Hard to say if it's you or the rods. 6013, 7018 pretty much tell you when you have all the settings correct. The slag will either just flake off easy or curl up like a scorpions tail behind you if everything is right. If you are pounding to remove slag, somethings wrong. It could be several things, but if the slag isn't coming off easy, either your technique is wrong or your settings..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWHard to say if it's you or the rods. 6013, 7018 pretty much tell you when you have all the settings correct. The slag will either just flake off easy or curl up like a scorpions tail behind you if everything is right. If you are pounding to remove slag, somethings wrong. It could be several things, but if the slag isn't coming off easy, either your technique is wrong or your settings.
Reply:bad rods. don't worry about redrying, just throw 'em away. not worth the hassle.
Reply:is that a welding machine or a rice cooker?? padding a plate is very good practice for running straight beads. maybe you could mark a soapstone line for your first bead then once you have it then use it as a guide for the next. when the plate is covered start the next row 90 degrees to the previous row. keep a bucket and vice grip handy to dunk it once in a while.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by kingnerobad rods. don't worry about redrying, just throw 'em away. not worth the hassle.
Reply:Originally Posted by docwelderis that a welding machine or a rice cooker?? padding a plate is very good practice for running straight beads. maybe you could mark a soapstone line for your first bead then once you have it then use it as a guide for the next. when the plate is covered start the next row 90 degrees to the previous row. keep a bucket and vice grip handy to dunk it once in a while.
Reply:New rods are here and I got a chance to burn a couple up!These sure are easier to weld with, and the slag is coming right off easy as can be!The results are better too, I think....?I tried to pad up a few rows.....Ignore the bead at an angle at the bottom of the picture, that is from before.I hope to get some more time in over the weekend.Cheers!Dragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIG
Reply:Very good. Much nicer. When the slag curls up like that you have everything just about perfect as far as settings and travel speed. The slag won't come off like that if the toes rolled or if the bead is too cold.I see a few inconsistencies, but nothing major. More practice will help take care of those. Most of that is small inconsistencies in your travel speed which is causing the bead to change widths.Pad looks very good with the one exception of  that bump dead center. I'm guessing that the surface of the pad is pretty flat and even across the top with only small changes in between the beads Rather than big mountains and valleys..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWVery good. Much nicer. When the slag curls up like that you have everything just about perfect as far as settings and travel speed. The slag won't come off like that if the toes rolled or if the bead is too cold.I see a few inconsistencies, but nothing major. More practice will help take care of those. Most of that is small inconsistencies in your travel speed which is causing the bead to change widths.Pad looks very good with the one exception of  that bump dead center. I'm guessing that the surface of the pad is pretty flat and even across the top with only small changes in between the beads Rather than big mountains and valleys.
Reply:I've been very busy with work and I've not had much time to run beads.The wife and I made a Costco run on Sunday, and I picked this up.....Someone said that you need to be comfortable while trying to practice welding, this certainly helps, only cost about $35 too which is cheap for Tokyo!Cheers!Dragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIG
Reply:The chunk of steel I've been welding on is about 12" long by 5" wide and it was 1/4" thick, well 6mm.I padded it from left to right the 12" long beads, fairly poorly I'll add, and today I turned the plate 90 degrees and started padding over top of that mess the short 5" way.Burned up a few rods doing this and now I have a steel taco. Lots more practice needed, but even if it still looks rough, I can feel that I'm improving, it is getting to be more of a muscle memory thing. I think I've burned through about 1/4 of my 5Kg/11lbs box of 6013 rods.Hey, I'm enjoying myself, but I think I might move on to joining a couple of pieces of metal together now....Dragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIG
Reply:Yeah you aren't doing at all poorly. I see some minor issues with consistency, but that improves with practice. I'd move you on to joints now with no real problem.At the tech school we work guys thru a given sequence of joints, each building on the last. When they get all those done, we change the position from flat to horizontal and then they go back to plain beads on plate and pads and start all over again.1st joint is a lap joint. Sort of like what you have been doing when you pad, except now you have an edge to watch that you don't melt off. Next are T joints and they do a few things in order. 1st the do a simple fillet in the corner. Then when they get that down, they do something like when you padded, they lay one down at the edge near one plate and then lay a 2nd bead down 1/2 on that to reach the other one. The end profile will look like a 45 deg angle, with one bead at the root and 2 on top of that against the hypotenuse of the triangle if that makes sense. Then we have them do a weave over the last two beads. Next would be outside corner joints where you set the plates up so the bottom edges just touch and you fill in the V that is formed. It's important not to melt away the edges, but also melt all the way thru the root on these. Last are but joints and wit stick we usually just go straight to beveled but joints with gap using 3/8" plate. we can cover that more when you get there.. We have students "stack" material so they get the most use out of pieces since you will burn a lot of metal doing joints. Even with the "unlimited" supply the school has we try and maximize as much as possible. With laps we have students do them like steps. Be sure to tack both sides BEFORE you begin welding. If not the pieces pull an dthe back side opens up and it's almost impossible to do good welds there. If you do that you waste 1/2 your pieces that you can weld doing that. T's we stack like a H then keep adding verticals and horizontals over and over. For each 1 piece you add, you can weld 2 joints. If you just do regular T's it takes 2 pieces to do 2 joints. When you add the 3rd piece however you add 2 joints and the 4th adds 2 more. So for a total of 4 pieces you get 6 joints if stacked vs 4 if you did 2 separate T's. Outside corners end up as a big zigzag and I've seen guys add them to the horizontals on there T pieces on occasion to save material. It can get a bit bulky and unwieldy as some point though. Bevel buts, there's not much you can do except keep adding them in a line. However what we do is recut the pieces just inside the weld and reuse the plates that way. It gives the kids practice cutting bevels and grinding off the OA scale.We also cut the T's and outside corners apart with the torch and reuse the pieces. We generally don't encourage students to get "creative" adding pieces since it makes it harder later to chop them up for reuse..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Thanks for all the info DSW!I tried a Horizontal Fillet joint today.....Well only one crater, more practice is needed.I think I'll go and do the lap joints like you suggested.Had one exciting moment today when I was concentrating on welding and all of a sudden my left hand felt a burning sensation, the top of the left index finger knuckle, huh?Dang that hurt, luckily it was just a small bit of splatter.New gloves on order, so in the mean time I just CA glued the joint....Should hold for a few days.Cheers!Dragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIGStu you're going to end up with one of these. And I didn't have a hole in my glove. I knew it was getting hot, but didn't think it was going to blister!  Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPStu you're going to end up with one of these. And I didn't have a hole in my glove. I knew it was getting hot, but didn't think it was going to blister!
Reply:Originally Posted by tackitEnjoy watching you improve Stu,  keep it up.
Reply:Stu my second job in the trade I was 17. I was leaning back in a safety belt about 65-feet in the air on a tower. Standing on a 2x2 angle iron. For some reason I had to cut towards me. I let the sparks go over my left shoulder. When I got through cutting like a young and dumb kid I used the tip of the torch to knock out a piece of iron the size of a quarter. It hit me in the neck, and hung on my collar. I grabbed for it, but it went down my shirt to my belt. And starting burning my belly. I sucked my stomach in as I grabbed for the red hot chuck of steel, but it kept going. Take a wild guess where it landed? Would you believe it took months to heal, even tho I soaked in cid er every night.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:Originally Posted by CEPStu my second job in the trade I was 17. I was leaning back in a safety belt about 65-feet in the air on a tower. Standing on a 2x2 angle iron. For some reason I had to cut towards me. I let the sparks go over my left shoulder. When I got through cutting like a young and dumb kid I used the tip of the torch to knock out a piece of iron the size of a quarter. It hit me in the neck, and hung on my collar. I grabbed for it, but it went down my shirt to my belt. And starting burning my belly. I sucked my stomach in as I grabbed for the red hot chuck of steel, but it kept going. Take a wild guess where it landed? Would you believe it took months to heal, even tho I soaked in cid er every night.
Reply:Now that you quit wasting electricity and rods, that "T"' looks fine.The meatheads will degree "undercut". That one aint falling apart ! Keep on keepin on.Consuming less fiber will help with that li'l gopher hole. BUUUURP.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Originally Posted by Stu In TokyoThis is after running about 20 rods of this stuff, I cannot get it to work, the slag sticks on like crazy, pounding on it with my hammer and then using a power wire brush helps, but it is still messy.This is after pounding, before wire brushing.I tried to raise the amps and then lower the amps (90-70Amps), also I tried to put the rod very close to the puddle, and pulled back from the puddle, same chit, a mess.Really frustrating.These rods are at least 15 years old, they were stored in an unheated shed behind my business where I keep my motorcycle stuff, the cases they came in were not sealed, I put a wrap of duct tape around them, but I very much doubt that sealed them well. Many hot humid summer and cool dry winters these rods sat.
Reply:Originally Posted by MeltedmetalThe slag looks like some hardfacing rod i've used, maybe nicromang?? If you haven't tossed it run a bead and try a file on it to see if it is hard just for fun.---Meltedmetal
Reply:OK, I snuck a little time in today and burned up more rod.First pass on a Horizontal Fillet.B33 rod (6013) Amperage set about 130Amps on my machine which is a 200V/50Hz unit.I just kept overlapping welds, this is #4 I think#7....Dunno what number this is, lost count, could be #15 Anyway, I'm still keeping at it when I can squeeze in the time, really busy at work right now, with it being almost New Years, a liquor shop gets really busy here in Tokyo.Cheers!Dragon D-150 Arc WelderHobart Handler 175 Set up with 100% CO²WT-60 Plasma Arc Panasonic TIG Star YC-300TWX-2 Panasonic YX-0092UW Water Cooler for the TIG
Reply:Those are definitely looking better. Nice job. Looks like you started to wander a bit after you made the initial passes, but other than that I don't see any major issues..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWThose are definitely looking better. Nice job. Looks like you started to wander a bit after you made the initial passes, but other than that I don't see any major issues.
Reply:Understandable. However the way you are stacking beads will let you get a lot of basic practice in with minimal materials.When you go looking for materials to practice on, I like to suggest guys buy a piece that's about 12" long. That forces you to do at least one restart on each pass. and allows you to do run full rods. Practicing start/stops with stick is one of those things you have to learn, and it doesn't take all than much material to get used to running full rods. When I learned stick we used this same method, but we had to turn in our 2" or shorter stubs before we could get new rods, The instructor wanted to force us to learn to do restarts..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Stu,It looks like you are doing well and are a quick learner. Keep up the good work, because the world needs more skilled welders.Martin MC Weld TechAWS-CWIAWS-CWEwww.linkedin.com/pub/martin-cramer/20/b36/940/
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWUnderstandable. However the way you are stacking beads will let you get a lot of basic practice in with minimal materials.When you go looking for materials to practice on, I like to suggest guys buy a piece that's about 12" long. That forces you to do at least one restart on each pass. and allows you to do run full rods. Practicing start/stops with stick is one of those things you have to learn, and it doesn't take all than much material to get used to running full rods. When I learned stick we used this same method, but we had to turn in our 2" or shorter stubs before we could get new rods, The instructor wanted to force us to learn to do restarts.
Reply:Originally Posted by mwccwiStu,It looks like you are doing well and are a quick learner. Keep up the good work, because the world needs more skilled welders.
Reply:Originally Posted by Stu In TokyoThe cheapest thing for me to buy will be 6mm (1/4") thick steel bar that will be 60mm (2-3/8") wide and maybe 1820mm (6') long, then I'll cut it up into pieces, so I'll cut it up into 12" long pieces to get the kind of practice you are talking about. I wish I could find a junk yard that I could go and buy steel by the pound, or kilogram, but I've yet to find such a thing here in Tokyo, or the outlying areas....
Reply:If they hadn't killed off all those big green lizards that used to rampage thru Tokyo, finding scrap steel wouldn't be an issue. .No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWIf they hadn't killed off all those big green lizards that used to rampage thru Tokyo, finding scrap steel wouldn't be an issue.
Reply:Yeah where was PETA when he needed them!Dave you may have to explain that old fashioned "laptop" to the younger generation though. It even looks old enough to use individual keys vs one of the newer balls..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Funny  Ever notice that most computers have an "enter" key instead of a carriage "return" key?Long time ago my kids would look at me funny when I said hit return. The key on the new computer said enter instead.Now they just know what I mean and just hit the dang button. Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveTry buying the scrap from a local welding shop's scrap bin. They sell it to someone - no reason it can't be you Sometimes they'll just give you the pieces you need.
Reply:Originally Posted by Stu In TokyoWelding shop...? I've yet to see one in Japan.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveLook for where the heavy trucks and trailers get fixed - those guys must have to cut, hack and weld no matter what country the shop is in Same for any farm equip repair shop - but if you are in the city, that would be a drive to find that shop...
Reply:Yes. Grind or gouge out the bad area and reweld..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:You are doing good ,those rods may be DC only ,see if you can use one  and see what happens . Kobelco sells in the US has a good product.