|
|
Acting upon suggestions that I seriously improve my stick welding consistency, I set out to learn and to practice. Here are the pictures and I await your comments and suggestions.According to the experts, I should keep notes of everything I do.At this moment, I am better at taking notes that at actual stick welding!What follows is a pictorial journey of my learning to date.According to the experts, the ultimate secret to successful welding appears to be knowledge of the weld puddle.A search of the The Welding Web for the keyword, puddle brought up about 500 threads, about 100+ of these deal with stick welding. In these stick welding posts, the repeated suggestions for good stick welding appeared to be:PRACTICE! Begin by making many flat (1 G position) weld beads.Observe the effects of arc length. In general, short arc is way better than long arc. With drag rods such as 6013, 7014 and 7018, strive to always keep the rod in light contact with the work piece.Try different amperages to see what best suits your particular welding machine and specific welding rod look for the slag to pop off of 6013, 7014 and possibly 7018. Record your settings in a small field book as you go.Observe and record the effects of various travel speeds when laying down simple stinger beads with 6013, 7014 and 7018 or when whipping (or making little circles, etc.) with 6011 or 6010 type cellulous-coated rods.Observe and record the effects of rod angle to the work piece.With certain angles and rods that form a sleeve about the tip like 6013, 7014 and 7018, you may be able to maintain rod contact with the work piece and just slowly lower your hand as the rod burns off. This produces a smooth horizontal travel at a fixed deposition rate.WELD PUDDLE! Learn to see the weld puddle. Experts say this is the key to creating a controlled weld. However, opinion also says this is not so easy to learn and it takes practice. It seems a lot is happening in ½ inch about the tip of the rod the arc, the weld puddle and the slag pool. So, after becoming familiar with the ball-park figures for arc length, amperage, travel speed and rod angle for a particular rod, focus on and manipulate the weld puddle.Point 1 - PracticeWork PiecesI made a couple of work pieces out of 3/16 inch thick, 1.5 inch wide strips of mild steel.Each work piece is about 12 inches long by 6 inches wide.Electrodes All welding electrodes (rods) used here were 3/32 inch diameter. All were run electrode positive (+) [reverse polarity].6011 No name brand from Princess Auto6013 Forney7014 BlueShield Air Liquide7018AC Lincoln ElectricWelding MachineI choose to use a 120 volt, 20 amp input portable inverter welder (max output is 21 volts DC at 80 amps) simply because it is easier to move around than my 100 lb transformer machine. The inverter also has a precise indicator knob for setting the welding current. Heres a picture of my portable inverter welder.Point 2 Arc LengthI already learned many times keep the arc length short! SHORT! Beginners, like me, make this mistake of Arc Too Long!Want proof check out my old thread, My Welds Dont Stick at http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=5330In that thread, by far the most useful thing I found was a series of color photos (see attached) from the Miller site at http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ps/stick_tips/Arc too long is not good. Far better to stick a few rods than to paint welds in the air no arc flames!The weld metal will not adhere to the work piece and the work piece will be covered with globs of metal & black slag.Not a pretty sight!Point 3 Different AmperagesI had four types of 3/32 inch diameter electrodes available and I wanted to see how they worked at different amperages and how they compared to each other. were run electrode positive (+) [reverse polarity]. Pictures to follow...Note: In a picture taken with a single lens camera, you lose the stereo effect that allows your mind to simultaneously perceive the height and width of the bead. The best I could do here is to provide two photos:a)Top photo: a high oblique view that shows weld bead width, andb)Bottom photo: a low oblique view that shows weld bead height.Warning... the following pictures are intended for mature audience members only. If signs of nausea, gagging, vomiting, headache, or hysterical laughter should persist for more than one hour, be advised to consider medical attention.Heres the results of welding (from top to bottom) with:>Top - flat....Weld #1: 6011 3/32 at.... 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 amps.> Mid- flat....Weld #2: 6013 3/32 at.... 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 amps.> Mid-flat.....Weld #3: 7014 3/32 at.... 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 amps.>Bottom flat Weld #4: 7018AC 3/32 at 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 amps.I warned you they were nasty... yep, at the low end of the learning curve. But thats the purpose of the thread, to start at the beginning and learn to improve.Lets assume that I was relatively consistent with whatever inconstancies I had during the welding process here.After examining the welds, I made up a chart of my observations for each electrode-amperage.In addition, I offer the following.a)6011: The 3/32 inch electrode worked well from 60 to 80 amps, with the bead becoming progressively lower and wider as the amperage increased. It made nice beads at 70 80 amps.b)6013: The 3/32 inch electrode worked well from 60 to 70 amps, with the bead becoming vividly lower and wider as the amperage increased until at 80 amps where I felt the bead was too wide. The slag popped off at 70 amps. According to the experts, thats a sign of being in the right amperage range and the weld bead is smooth.c)7014: I didnt like the 3/32 inch 7014 electrode at any amperage; maybe because it laid down a lot of metal quickly. Perhaps I was moving too slowly but all my weld beads seemed high, like frozen waves. I felt 7014 was just starting to work for me at 80 amps the limit of my inverter welder. This suggests that I might not have enough amperage/heat input to use this electrode to make say a fillet weld.d)I liked the way the 3/32 inch 7018AC electrode was able to maintain a very stable arc at a low 50 amps. It seems a nice rod to run in the 60 70 amp range. Going to 80 amps seemed to produce only little change from 70 amps.In the following series of trials, I run the rod at their optimum amperage and look at the effects of:Point 4 Travel SpeedObserve and record the effects of various travel speeds when laying down simple stinger beads with 6013 and 7018 and when whipping (or making little circles, etc.) with 6011.Point 5 Rod AngleObserve and record the effects of rod angle to the work piece. With certain angles and rods that form a sleeve about the tip like 6013 and 7018, I may be able to maintain rod contact with the work piece and just slowly lower my hand as the rod burns off. This produces a smooth horizontal travel at a fixed deposition rate.... to be continued in next postRick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Heres the first 4 or 5 beads welding with 7018AC, 7014, 6013 and 6011 in the 1 G position (flat).By the time I made the last of the welds with 6013, 7014 and 7018, I realised that occasionally I could run a smooth, good profile bead. Tricks to success appeared to be:a) I found that wearing cheap dollar-store reading glasses under the hood forced me to get in close 10 inches from glasses to the weld. This force-focussed my eyes and attention on the area of the weld puddle and magnified all motion of the rod tip... so I was more careful to move slowly and try to maintain a weld pool of constant diameter. b) Once the arc was established, I placed just enough pressure on the rod tip against the work piece so that the ceramic coating sleeve at the rod tip crumbled as the rod burned. With the rod angled to the right (direction of my welding), this automatically moved the rod tip to the right at a constant rate, yielding a constant amount of weld deposition as the tip travelled across the surface.Burning some more rod on the same work piece...Heres some close-ups of the welds made with the various electrodes.Progression with 7018AC.I found 7018 a challenge. Weld 1, 2 and 3 were rough. The last 2/3rds of weld 4, the short weld 5 and weld 6 were improving, getting smoother - still a mite proud... but then came welds 7, 8 and 9 where I got lumpy again.Progression with 7014.At the beginning, I didnt like 7014. My first welds (1, 2, 3 and 4) were quite lumpy and the slag was difficult to remove.However, then came weld 5; it went down so smooth and the slag just popped off. By now I was using reading glasses and the pressure-tip-crumble technique. In weld 6, I travelled faster and got a thin bead. In weld 7, I slowed down. In welds 8 and 9 I went slower and smoothly and attained some nice beads.... to be continued in the next post.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:6013 Progression6013 started out pretty ugly welds 1 and 2. Weld 3 lay down smoothly (easy slag removal) if a mite narrow. The weld 4 was smooth in the middle. Welds 5 and 6 were real smooth. Next day I made weld 7! Looks like I forgot most everything I learned the day before. Ok I concentrated and I made weld 8 followed by little smoothy weld 9. After my morning coffee, I kaid down the ugly weld 10! Jeez... there is no forgiveness in stick welding! Just because you laid down a great weld one hour ago doesnt mean you can relax. I learned that I have to concentrate & focus all the time, watch the puddle - maintain the puddle width, make all my motions... in Slow Motion.6011 ProgressionWelding with 6011 is totally different from welding with 6013, 7014 or 7018 as you cant drag the 6011 rod and you must maintain the arc gap yourself. On the other hand, the weld pool is easily visible because the slag pool is much reduced. Welds 1 through 4 are much the same although I made little circles in 1, 3 and 3 and made a liner-whipping motion in weld 4. In Weld 5, I made no circles and did not whip the rod; I just focussed on going slow and trying to maintain a constant width weld puddle. I moved a little faster in weld 6. Welds 5 and 6 seem to be my present limit.The challenge for me with 6011 is to maintain a short and even arc. If the arc gets even a little long, it seems to slightly undercut the edge of the weld. This can also happen if the rod is slightly canted toward or away from me. Its not the very slight undercut that is a problem; its that it traps slag tenaciously! You can still see remnants of slag were the weld meets the work piece.Im not certain what to do next. I need to know where you think I am... and what I should do next?Practice some more?Try another position - say horizontal (2G) ?Change to 1/8 inch rod and my 140 amp DC transformer welder?Im open to your comments and suggestions.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:One thing that I would recommend Rick, is help kick start the learning curve a little bit is to concentrate on a specific rod till you get that baby looking and running great.I would recommend you run either the 7014 or 7018 (prob the 7018) and once you get your amps dialed in just keep running beads. Maybe take your coupons (3 should do?) and run only 1 rod type again and again. By the time you get finished burning through 2-3lbs or rod things should start coming together for you. At that point take what you have learned and try it with a different type of rod.I am an amateur myself, but from what I have learned so far i think the easiest order to learn in would be:701870146013and then 6010 or 6011Some people say 6010/11 is the best to learn with, but personally I still have trouble running that electrode. Probably due to the fact that i have only burned less than a lb of it vs tens of lbs of the 7018/7014/6013Hope this helps.Also, I would not try any other positions until you have the flat position with all of the previous mentioned rods mastered.Last edited by ggarner; 09-06-2010 at 04:12 PM.
Reply:Seems like positive progress7014............stringers 5 and 9 were good, 9 being the BEST7018.......... stringer 6 is good.Consistency will come with more practice.The small inverter is hard to run from the limited experience I had while on vacation. The one I ran had difficulty keeping the rod lit, and the heat wasn't too hot. If you can learn to do decent welds with the little inverter, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you run the same rods on a more powerful transformer machine, or portable welder."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Well, for starters, your machine is too small for the 7018. You need to be starting at 80a rather than ending up there. The 7018 should start around 90 minimum. I know they say it can be done, but actual practice says differently. Get another machine and turn it up and see if it doesn't get much much better.QamuIs Heg qaq law' lorvIs yInqaq puS
Reply:7014, 7018 and 7024 all like to run at higher current than 6010, 6011 and 6013, for the same rod diameter. General rule of thumb, with 7014, 7018 and 7024, is set one amp per 1/1000th inch of rod diameter. So a 3/32" (.093") 7018, etc, runs around 90-100 amps. The 6010/11 rods run about one rod diameter less in current than 7018 (1/16", or .064"), so around 60-70 amps is good for 3/32" 6010/11. If you jump up to 1/8" 6010/11, you can run them at about the same current as a 3/32" 7018.The gist of what I'm saying here is that most of your 7014 and 7018 beads look cold and most of your 6011 beads look about right for heat. This is probly partly why you're having greater success with the 6011, you have enough heat to run it. You don't have enough heat to run the 7014 and 7018 in most of your tests except the 80 amp beads, as they are closer to optimum heat range. The last few beads in your last 7014 test are looking better, probly because the plate was already heated up by then and not as much current needed to make the weld.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Rick,Its easy to see improvement over your previous posts. I fear you may be over analyzing, or just playing with too many different scenarios. My suggestion is to run 6010 and perfect it, then all other rods will be remarkably easy to run. Same rod, over and over and over. Correct one thing at a time, rod angle, travel speed etc... Your posts are so long, and I will admit that I dont read most of it (sorry). It seems like you are trying to correct too many things at once.I think you are doing well.Have fun.UA Local 598
Reply:I think part of your problem is your focusing too much on trying to literally "drag" the electrode on the plate. It can be done, but you need to be able to maintain the arc gap by yourself. Learn it that way first, then take the shortcuts.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33 The last few beads in your last 7014 test are looking better, probly because the plate was already heated up by then and not as much current needed to make the weld.
Reply:With the above advice try run most rods at 1/2 to1 rod diameter, 1 to 1 1/2 diameters for 6010/6011. Try running 7014 straight polarity instead of reverse.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:Looks better Rick.I agree with all the above, it's hard to give advice on technique when the rod and machine are overmatched and beaten from the start.If you narrow down to one rod and run some open butt or lap welds with 12 or 14ga I think you will get more comfortable with both the small rods you have and your inverter.To use the little inverter with 6013 or 7014 below 80 amps with 7ga (3/16") the part needs warmed up or the heavy slag rods just won't work well. I'm not a fan of 3/32" 7018 below 80-85amps. At least with a warmed part 300-500F max, you could practice multipass or lap joint type stick welding.I also wonder if sn0border and tresi aren't real close on you being to short with the arc length. It's just hard to call from the pics.Keep it going!Matt
Reply:I think that you may be making life hard for yourself by trying to learn to weld with anything except 6013 (or maybe the 7014?) with that welding set... I doubt that it has the 80v OCV required to run a 7018 properly or even the 60v required for the 6010 (not sure what OCV is required for the 14's as I never use them). Maybe you should drag out the 100lb'er and practice with that? PS. keep up the good work, practice makes perfect!
Reply:Thanks for your comments and suggestions.5 people said use a bigger welder (farmersamm, DDA52, DesertRider33, 7A749, Matt_Maguire)3 people said pick one rod and deal with it; ggarner for 7018, WHughes and 7A7492 for 60103 people commented on the hotter work piece improving later welds (DesertRider33, DSW and Matt_Maguire).DSW suggested cooling the work piece between welds and Matt_Maguire suggested heating up the work piece to 300-500F before welding.3 people suggested my arc may have been too short when dragging 6013, 7014 and 7018 (tresi, sn0border88, Matt_Maguire).1 person suggested that 1 run 7014 as electrode negative (-), straight polarity, instead of electrode +.Before I change over to a bigger welder and pick one rod to work with, I want to address some of the other expressed concerns:7014 negative versus 7014 positive,effects of heating/cooling the work piece on the welds, andshort/medium arc length versus draggin the rod.Here are the results...7014 electrode + versus 7014 electrode - The temperature was 78 degrees F on the work piece when I started welding weld #1 with electrode (+) and dragging the rod. I had used about 2/3rds the rod when I hit the right edge of the work piece. Pausing for a moment, I returned to the left side of the work piece to lay down (dragging) the rest of the rod as weld #2.I used a fan to cool down the work piece back down to 78 degrees verified with a hand-held infra-red temperature gun.The temperature was 78 degrees F on the work piece when I began welding weld #3 with electrode (-) and dragging the rod. Again, I had used about 2/3rds the rod when I hit the right edge of the work piece. Pausing for a moment, I returned to the end of weld #2, left a gap and laid down (dragging) the rest of the rod as weld #4.Welds #2 and #4 look better than welds #1 and #3. This could be an effect of heating the work piece... or my finding it easier to manipulate the shorter rods remnants of rods 1 and 3. (What is the scope of my inconsistency?)78 versus 400 degrees FI then directed a blow torch flame under the weld area until the area over which I was to weld was from 380 to 420 degrees F. Using a fresh rod, laid down weld #5 with electrode (-) and dragging the rod. Immediately after I changed to a fresh rod, changed polarity, checked the weld area temperature waiting briefly for it to cool to 400 F and then laid down weld #6 with electrode (+) and dragging the rod. Note: The same amount of rod was deposited in weld 5 and 6.Weld #6 (electrode +) looks better than weld #5 (electrode -). (What is the scope of my inconsistency?)Weld #6 looks hotter made (higher temp or higher amps) than most the other welds on the work piece.Short/medium arc versus dragging the rodI used a cooling fan to reduce the work piece temperature to 78 degrees F.Using electrode (+), I tried to lay down a slow-wide bead while dragging the rod; this was weld #7. To me it appears a mite lumpy/cold.I used a cooling fan to return the temperature of the work piece to 78 degrees F.Using electrode (+), I tried to lay down a slow-wide bead this time using a short/medium arc (not dragging the rod); this is weld #8. I focussed on maintaining a constant width of the weld puddle. To me, this appears to be the best looking weld showing a broad bead with good low profile; it doesnt look cold.Note: The same amount of rod was deposited in weld 7 and 8.ConclusionsIts tricky to try to draw too many conclusions... because of the varying scope of my inconsistency.However, it does seem to appear that: 7014 negative versus 7014 positive? Hard to say which is better, could be one or the other.Effect of heating/cooling the work piece on the welds? Hotter work piece seems to create a better looking weld - all else being the same.Longer than drag arc length? Clearly this had the most visible effect and positive effect - see Weld #8. (Applause for tresi, sn0border88 and Matt_Maguire!)Comments, suggestions?Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:The reason I suggested cooling the work piece is so you start with material thats all the same base line. It's often not practical to heat the piece up. A weld on "hot" metal will act like you upped the amps on the machine vs the same weld on a "cold" piece.Preheating is standard for many welds, but it's usually done for other reasons than trying to push a small machine to a higher level.There's really only one way to gain consistency. Thats to burn LOTS of rods. At some point you'll hit that "AH HA!" moment and everything will be down hill from there..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:I held my tongue when I read the suggestion to use electrode negative. DC stick welding is generally done in reverse polarity, electrode positive. Straight polarity (DCEN) is usually used to decrease penetration and burn-through on thinner metals. This is the opposite effect from what you're looking for with your small machine trying to weld thicker metal. For your general welding purposes, use electrode positive, unless you're trying to weld sheet metal.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Interestingly, using 80 amps I tried the same longer than drag arc length with my 3/32 inch 7018AC rods. No dice! While it seemed that I could get the 7018AC weld a mite broader and a little flatter, I lost some consistency in laying down a smooth weld of constant bead width/height. AND... if I momentarily long-arced it, I either got slag inclusions or in the worst case - porosity. To me, it seems that 7018AC does not have the same degree of wiggle room on arc length possessed by 7014.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Rick V, I think you've had a couple of good threads on you wanting to improve your stick abilities and been able to keep an open mind on receiving critizism. Good job on that. I do think your worring about to many details when it will be easier to concentrate on less details.When possible use a bigger welder, it is easier to start out on the hot side and then dial it down vs working your way up. There is no set amperage that is going to work for any giving rod, there are to many variables such as weldment size, welder's skills, machine and the rod itself. But for 3/32 7018 would be 85 to 95 amps.Pick one rod, 7018 master it first before moving on to another rod like 6010. Put 6013 and 7014 on the back burner and forget about them.Get some 2x2 1/4" angle and cut it into 6" lengths. Set these up like if you were doing a corner weld and start filling with weld. Lap your welds by half and stack your beads in a proper sequence and if you feel daring practice some start and stops along the way. Having a few pieces of angle will allow you to rotate them to keep them from overheating. You should measure your progress in hood time, so maybe go by hour increments then post your progress.
Reply:Rick V said: Matt_Maguire suggested heating up the work piece to 300-500F before welding
Reply:I should also ask... Are you right handed welding left to right here with your head on the slag side?Matt
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireI should also ask... Are you right handed welding left to right here with your head on the slag side?Matt
Reply:Before moving on to the larger output welder, I will close the chapter on welding with my small welder(s).I made some more beads with 3/32 inch rods using the CTC inverter welder (input 115 volts @ 20 amps, output 21 volts @ 80 amps 30% duty cycle). I also made a few welds using an older small transformer welder that I had modified for more output (input 230 volts @17 amps, output 22 volts @ ~90 amps 10% duty cycle).Here are the results of welding with the various small welders using a variety of 3/32 inch rods.Observations - Small Welders:My best welds with 3/32 inch rod were obtained using:6011 @ 70 amps (see previous figure 6011 Progression welds 5 and 6),6013 DC+ 80 amps medium arc length (above figure weld 4) rod burns hotter with medium arc, not drag7014 DC+ 80 amps medium arc length (above figure weld 13) rod burns hotter with medium arc, not dragMy 7018AC welds even at 80 amps always stood rather 'proud', looking a mite cold rod seemed to burn the same with drag or medium.The inverter welder considerably outperformed the small xformer-based AC welder: much easier starts, smoother less angry and far more controllable arc. This was really dramatic with 6011 very little arc control.If I had only had the small 80 amp inverter welder with 3/32 inch rod, I would be limited to using 6011, 6013 and 7014. (7018AC always looked proud & cold.)Thanks for your suggestions and encouragement.Moving on to a bigger welder the 100 lber!Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Already looking way better, just keep burning!UA Local 598
Reply:Originally Posted by Rick VThanks Matt... Right handed welding left to right and yes head on the slag side (left side of the rod).
Reply:I have a trick for making straight welds on plate that may help you out quite a bit (it works great for hard surfacing patterns!)Lay an angle iron with the point up on the plate about 1/2" away from where you're welding. You can use it as a guide.Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireAlrighty then... Try welding from right to left with the weld moving towards your eyes and the slag on the back side. Keep the rod more or less at 90° and post back after a while. Make a soapstone line or something for reference and follow it for practice.
Reply:Huge improvement.QamuIs Heg qaq law' lorvIs yInqaq puS
Reply:Originally Posted by DDA52Huge improvement.
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireTry welding from right to left with the weld moving towards your eyes and the slag on the back side. Keep the rod more or less at 90°
Reply:Originally Posted by KelvinI don't mean to hijack but as a fairly new welder, I was interested by this suggestion. I'm right-handed and was taught to move the rod left to right with it leaning slightly to the right. I think somewhere I heard that if you go the other way, you can get slag inclusions? But I guess if you hold the rod at 90° to the work, it shouldn't matter which direction you go, right?If you can see the puddle better by going right to left, I'm all for that!
Reply:I don't think inputs to technique would be a hijack Kelvin, and WHughes is spot on also.We can't see Rick welding, just the coupon and I made a guess from post #16 (all 7014) that Rick was not just looking from the right side but more "parallel" to weld travel than "looking over the top or underneath the rod". We also can't see how far his eyes are from the work so he can maintain perspective.This would mean all he can see is the slag and the back of the rod, kinda like dragging a butt weld away from his vision. My suggestion could have been "pretend it's a lap or butt weld where you have to see where your going not where you've been".Matt
Reply:You're improvingI'm teaching Kelly to weld, and she seems pretty enthusiastic about it.These are some stringers she ran towards the end of her first 1 1/2 hours of learning.6013 AC around 120-135 amps, 1/8 rod. With the engine drive running not more than about 10-15 feet awayAt this point keeping the arc lit, reading the puddle, and establishing a smooth drag technique is where we're at. A progression from short welds to burning the full rod, in order to teach her to push the rod into the puddle as it becomes shorter.I started her off by guiding her hand, using a rod to point out the critical part of the puddle as she welded, and then leaving her alone to practice. Actual over-the-shoulder tutoring was probably maybe 1/2 hour. The rest of the time she spent trying to improve her technique building on the basics. We're both pleased with the results.Having to teach yourself, as you're doing, and as I had to do, is a slow frustrating process. A few minutes with someone with a little experience really smooths out the learning curve.Keep at it(This weekend we tackle fillets) Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammHaving to teach yourself, as you're doing, and as I had to do, is a slow frustrating process. A few minutes with someone with a little experience really smooths out the learning curve.
Reply:So I wanted to try 1/8 inch electrodes instead of 3/32 inch ones, so I bought 1 lb each of Forney 6011, 6013, 7014 and 7018AC.I made my first welds with 6013, 7014 and 7018AC at 125 amps.For the subsequent welds, I used mb_welder's trick of "Lay an angle iron with the point up on the plate about 1/2" away from where you're welding. You can use it as a guide." It worked great for maintaining a straight line but... well, I found it interfered with my ability to see the weld puddle. (I guess my head was almost over the weld before, now I had to keep my head closer to me - further from and different angle to the weld. On the upside, my helmet glass did not fog so much with weld smoke. )Between weld sequences, I used a muffin fan to cool down the work piece and checked the temperature with a remote gun - great tool for around the house.Here are the results of welding with the 1/8 inch rods at various amperages.The beads are fair - most all wide and low profile - to me, nothing looks too cold.I'm not pleased with the 6011 results; I was all over the place with my speed and arc gap.Some comments on the Forney electrodes.With the 6013, 7014 and 7018, I never reached that point where the slag was just pealing off. (I had previously reached that point with the 7014 Blueshield [Air Liquide]). Slag removal was sometimes a challenge too.6013 - the slag came off easily whether I welded at 110, 125 or 140 amps DC+.7014 - the bulk of the slag came off fairly easily but the edges were difficult; less a problem at 110 amps than at the higher 125 and 140 amps DC+.7018AC - the bulk of the slag came off fairly easily but the edges were difficult; just like the 7014 - less a problem at 110 amps than at the higher 125 and 140 amps DC+.6011 - the bulk of the slag came off fairly easily with a few passes with a needle gun. I would not want to remove this slag with a chipping hammer - be there a long time. However, the edges were difficult; less a problem at 110 amps than at the lower 90 amps DC+. Still, both these welds were not very smoothly done and where a proud bead met the edge there was slag. Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireAlrighty then... Try welding from right to left with the weld moving towards your eyes and the slag on the back side. Keep the rod more or less at 90° and post back after a while.... Matt
Reply:More time under the hood already seem to be paying off.Lookinn heaps better than a few weeks ago. Keep it up.I need some time under the hood myself. Been that busy latley that i havent had time to throw a bead down. Have 2 jobs for friends that need to be done soon. Might do one today.enough ramble......
Reply:Rick, I too am constantly trying to improve my stick welding. I did a project about 2 months ago whereI used 3/32 7018 all day long solid for about 2 weeks. I got quite a bit better fast. I LOVE 7018 !If you are carefull the slag will peel up just from cooling ! No ugly hammer marks !Couple of things helped me . Remember when you are watching the puddle you are really looking atpuddle AND slag. So visualy you want to slow down your travel speed and let the filler/slag build upa little bigger than you think it needs to be. so when you see slag peel your bead is just rite and nota little skinny, gappy or intermittent. You want the junction between the bead and the base to NOT be distinct. My teacher used the term " washed-in" at the toes of the weld. Like it is dissolvedin , not a stepped junction. raise current or slow down travel till that looks better.Also TRY HARD to control the tip of te rod to be VERY CONSistent in arc gap and travel.That will go a long way to making a smooth even weld. feed the rod into the puddle, dont just drag.When using a new rod, its way long and hard to keep the tip steady as you would like. Try using 2 hands on the holder to get REALLY STEADY for the first few inches. That helps.I still cant weld easily verticle or overhead. ( dont want too either ! )I like to not have my hair on fire ( what little I have left )Tim
Reply:LarryO, thanks for the encouragement.jethro, Tim thanks for sharing your experience; everything you say rings so true with what I have seen so far... especially about the bead/base junction.I'd like to try two things next:Return to 3/32 7018AC on the small 80 amp inverter welder. It made cold-looking welds before. However, being on the hairy edge of not having enough amps, it should clearly show any benefits to slower travel (as you suggest) plus I want to see if welding at close to zero degree rod tilt, instead of my previous 20 degrees, helps lower the profile of my weld beads - better 'wash in'. I never explored the effects of tilt angle on my beads and I want to nail that down.Practice with 6011. More than 6013, 7014 and 7018, this rod seems to reveal every minor error in spades! Alterations in arc length, travel speed, bead width, etc. are 'cast in lumpy steel' for all to see. I figure if I can learn to lay down 'smooth' beads with a rod like 6011, then maybe welding with the other rods will be easier. (Echoes of what WHughes said, "My suggestion is to run 6010 and perfect it, then all other rods will be remarkably easy to run."Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Going back to my portable 115 volt inverter welder (80 amps max) and 7018AC rods. Here some interesting results for tilt angle of the rod, deposit rate, rod size and electrode manufacturer.NOTE: ALL WELDS MADE WITH 7018AC AT 80 AMPSRod Angle (tilt) from Vertical (3/32 Lincoln 7018AC)Welds 1 through 6 show the effect of tilting the rod: from +30 degrees (rod holder leading the rod tip - drag) through -20 degrees (rod tip leading the rod holder - push). I saw hardly any change in the width or profile of the bead. Best sections of the welds are the middle of welds 2 and 3.Rod Travel Speed (metal deposition per inch)Welds 1 through 5 were deposited at 2 inches of 3/32 rod per inch of travel (12 inches of rod across the 6 inch width of the work piece).To me, the welds all look similar - as one would expect.Following jethro (Tim's) suggestion to "slow down your travel speed"... welds 7 through 10 were made progressively slower.Weld 7 was 2.2 inches of 3/32 rod per inch of travel.Weld 8 was 2.7 inches of 3/32 rod per inch of travel (better profile).Weld 9 was 3.2 inches of 3/32 rod per inch of travel.Weld 10 was 3.6 inches of 3/32 rod per inch of travel (wide but proud too).Rod SizeWeld 11 7018AC 1/8 inchAt this point I decided (for giggles) to try and run a 1/8th inch diameter 7018AC rod; I had no Lincoln rods but did have some Forney rods. At 80 amps max from my small inverter welder, in theory I really didnt have enough amps to run the rod... but I wanted to see for myself. Well it was a struggle! The arc was hard to maintain and the arc gap critical. If I was just a little bit too short on arc length, the rod tip just sat in the weld puddle making little heat (stuck a rod once). If I had just a wee bit too long an arc, the arc went out (4 times). I had to stay within a narrow margin of gap to maintain the arc. I selected my travel speed to try and deposit the whole 12 inches of 1/8 rod across the 6 inch width of the work piece that was a very slow travel speed. The result was weld 11 quite broad but with a high profile.Still I was surprised that the result was even that good; I had expected much worse. Manufacturer of RodWeld 11 made at only 80 amps with a 1/8th inch rod got me thinking. Could it be that Forney 7018AC needed less amps to run than Lincoln 7018AC? I did have some 3/32 inch Forney 7018AC, so I tried it.Weld 12 was run at 0 degrees tilt and I experienced continued arc blow back that disrupted my concentration. Still the bead seemed to look wider and lower in profile than the welds made previously with Lincoln rod. So I tried again.Weld 13 was run at about 15 degrees tilt and went down smoothly at a deposit rate of 2 inches of 3/32 rod per inch of travel just like welds 1 through 5. Hmm... the bead looked broad with a nice profile. Compare Weld 13 (Forney rod) to welds 1 through 5 (Lincoln rod) with the same deposition rate. Quite a difference! The Forney was laying down the same amount of metal but with a wider and lower profile bead than the Lincoln exactly whats needed.This Forney rod puts 3/32 inch 7018AC into the useable range of my portable 80 amp inverter welder. As well as practice laying down more weld beads, I learned some valuable things today...Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Hi Rick,I liked the runs in post #36, I think that you made a regression moving back to the smaller machine and making setting changes to see if things would improve just with machines and settings.This would be a managing failure, welding is a "skill", parameters can be adjusted but the operator cannot be taken out of the loop. Skill is obtained through repetition, art comes later.So, the weldor "given set parameters" should weld each time the same, conforming himself to the task. With everything set perfect one welder with 7018 may get porosity at the start of the 3rd bead and another welder maybe never. The difference is "skill" gained from experience and evolutions in technique.Pick a number and go till 3 beads are right, no bad spots, no porosity. Then go to 5, this will get you pretty well up there in the non-professional world.By the time you get to 10 you'll pretty well be able to look at another's work and understand it.Matt, here's a beer!
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireI think that you made a regression moving back to the smaller machine...
Reply:Why are you trying to find a good 7018ac rod? Why can't you get something from Esab or Lincoln from there higher end rods?
Reply:Oh you're just having way too much fun at this Rick... Lemme see if I can fix that!Forget the materials and machine costs, just multiply your hours by 50 cents each. The hardscrabble education is really priceless but that's all I got.Matt
Reply:Throw that POS inverter in the garbageThe money wasted on that machine could have gone for a better transformer machine or some other goodies."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:You'll get cold lumpy welds with that thing as long as you live, or it livesGood lesson/example for those folks thinking they can get by on the cheap, and buy one of the knockoff inverters. Want performance................Gotta buy Red or Blue. If you absolutely need an inverter teenie weenie welder, better be ready to shell out around 700 clams."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammThrow that POS inverter in the garbageThe money wasted on that machine could have gone for a better transformer machine or some other goodies.
Reply:Originally Posted by Rick VSort of; what it shows is that 115 volts just doesn't make it as a stick welder.
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmMaybe for that machine. My Maxstar does great on 115. In fact, I welded up a few test plates to prove it. Haven't got around to cutting and bending them yet though. I need to make my own die set for bend tests.
Reply:I've been using Hobart rods, but I prefer Atom Arc for 7018.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Question. I'm not as experienced as many of you out there, but I find 6010 a much better fast freeze rod for Direct Current Electrode Plus (DCEP) welding... I only use 6011 for AC use. Kinda sorta ditto for 6013.. its an AC rod.. I've had good luck with it in AC mode or in DCEN for thinner metals. Not so much luck in DCEP mode. For the purposes of the practical educational experience (can I call that the Fundamentals) wouldn't a person be better off using:(If you had a DC capable welder)60106013 used in DCEN for thin metal if you must..7018(For AC only welding...)601160137018ACI'm not trying to be a gnat here.. one guy's opinion... Its a "where are you going?" question... Use the 6010/6011 for dirty metal, for tack welding, for practice creating consistent beads.. then use 7018 for practically everything else.. Am I looking at this correct? This also has to do with saving money... Instead of purchasing lots & lots of different rod types, two or three different types should take care of you?zip,Detroit... er.. Chicago...Last edited by zipzit; 09-15-2010 at 02:29 PM.
Reply:Here a picture comparison of three weld beads run at 80 amps DC+ with three different 3/32 inch 7018 electrodes from different manufactures.Lincoln 7018ACForney 7018ACLiquid Air (Blueshield) 7018The Lincoln rod is the odd man out, looking narrower and prouder than the Forney or Blueshield.Leaving running beads behind... onto fillet welds.The 6011, 7014 and 7018 welds are not too bad, the best looking beads were made using 7014 Blueshield.Look what happened with 6013!Why are there two parallel beads and no root fusion???That particular rod (Forney) forms a ceramic sleeve (like 7018) and the metal of the electrode is recessed maybe 1/8 inch inside the sleeve. While this presents no problem running medium arc beads on a flat surface but it becomes a problem on a T joint. A medium arc to the sides is too l-o-n-g an arc to the root... that means no root fusion.Lesson Here: The medium-length arc that produces nice flat weld beads has to be shortened when doing fillet welds. You need to get the rod in close because the root is deeper - further from the edges of the stick.Also, I had MAJOR slag problems with the 6013 3/32 inch Forney electrodes. As you will see, I went to increasingly greater efforts to rid myself of this slag problem including changing the position of the weld and angling the work piece so the slag would flow away from the arc.... to be continuedRick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet |
|
发表于 2021-8-31 23:34:23