Stick Practice this weekend............

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Yesterday I decided I needed to knock the rust off again........ I picked 2F........I ran 6 passes each side..... one side with 5P+ and the other with 7018........I also did some horizontal with 7018 and some 6013 (trying to use it up.....)......I remember how hard it is for me to correct arc blow while it is happening..... good practice in reteaching myself how to handle it.......... while welding I have to drastically change my angle...... after that bead is done..... the next bead should go the other direction (right to left instead of left to right)..... that cures it........Nothing too fancy....... just a way to weld and keep the fan blowing...... it's only 105 degrees..... very comfy......I need to practice more than once per month for sure......... I've been a little heavy on TIG lately.....PICS and little VID....... Attached ImagesPrecision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Your 7018 horizontal looks like they could have been stacked closer together for the most part.  ( I'm guessing the pict is "upside down" from the way you welded them.) You 6013 horizontals were stacked better, but it looks like you could have slowed down a touch from the V shape to the ripples. Amps might have been a bit high on the 6013 bead also because it looks very fluid in the pict.Your 7018 ( I assume) fillet looks nice. You could work on your consistency a bit in the center where you started to wander though. The 6010 filet looks pretty good. Looks like you have some start/stop issues and I'm not quite sure what was going on with the 3 bead looking are on the right. Biggest question here is whether you have undercut at the top. I can't really tell with all that slag up there. Not sure if you just didn't clean well, or if it's really stuck in tight in some undercut. Top bead also looked like it might have been just a tad fast as well from the slight points to the ripples..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 te feedback DSW.....I was struggling with starts and stops........ And the 6010 fillet was giving me a challenge...... The horizontal 7018 is upside down..... I welded both by stacking beads going upwards.......More practice next Saturday.......Thanks ........Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Struggling with starts and stops... Practice starts and stops. Weld 2-3" and then stop and restart. That's what I have students do when they are having issues, but can lay nice beads. One of the down sides with the material the tech school uses is that a 6" piece doesn't give students a lot of chances for restarts many times. Longer pieces like 8-12" usually force a student to have to start/stop. When I learned we had to use all the rod and turn in the stubs to get new ones. The instructor wanted to see stubs no longer than 2". That meant if you stopped and had 3" of rod left, you used up that 1" extra stub on the next piece ( you quickly learned to use really short stubs to tack up your stuff ) We learned the hard way doing stringers over and over filling a piece of angle at 1st to save material. Every run had at least one start stop, and some had as many as 3. After you ran one layer, you had it looked at and critiqued. If you F'd up, you ground it flat and redid that layer. The only issues I have with this method is that poor beads underneath, quickly F's with the beads on top. 2nd is that as the heat builds up in the practice piece, it F's with your settings. I've seen guys do 10  really nice beads this way, but if you hand them 2 pieces that are stone cold, their beads look like crap because the settings are wrong for cold material. You hav eto constantly be aware that you need to keep the piece cold enough to handle with bare hands. It's a great way to burn lots of rod, using very little material, but it does have it's draw backs..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:for stops and starts, try back stepping 1/2 to 5/8 inch at a time.  This is a very useful method to have in your pocket.  Looks good for not doing it for awhile.
Reply:looking better and better. just a suggestion, i am sure your concentrating hard on reading the puddle but try to keep your head back maybe 4-6 inches more at least. it will help with eyestrain, smoke ingestion,and the clear lenses will last longer with a lot less spatter on them. (if you get any closer you will melt them shortly. LOL.) keep up the good work.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWOne of the down sides with the material the tech school uses is that a 6" piece doesn't give students a lot of chances for restarts many times. Longer pieces like 8-12" usually force a student to have to start/stop.
Reply:I agree starting and stopping is a great thing to practice. I will probably get flamed but with most xx10 rods ifThey got to hot and turn the flux black up from the tip they are hard to restart so use a fresh one especially on something that can't have arc marks or other defects. Now schools and employers don't want to hear that. Your 7018 looks good for the fillet could be straitened out a little. And just stack them a little tighter.
Reply:I agree with specopswelder. While it is important to be able to restart but if it is an important weld and I can avoid it I do. Always nice to stay in practice.Millermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:Hey Fex, I normally don't have much of a problem with arc blow. I'm not completely sure why, but I do weld away from my work clamp. In other words, I weld from left to right, so my work clamp is on my left. That keeps the arc from wandering ahead of my puddle. Try it if you have not been doing that."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Thanks Stick........I usually weld the same way...... Clamp on the left...... Weld left to right....... But on 6010 I seem to get it every third pass....... When I go up sometime times I get it so bad that it looks like Gonzos nose.....Likely do to repeated welds on the same piece........So far my solutions have been to weld the other way....... Move the ground clamp somewhere else...... Wait...... Or just stop and have a beer........welding on AC has no blow... But sux........... Only DC welding....... Which is what I like......To note others suggestions...... I'll be putting my 1.5 diopter in so I can move my head back and still see......I'll be working my starts and stops next weekend........ I always struggle.... Regardless of process......My technique that I work on is to start ahead of the stop... Go backward.... Counterclockwise swirl.... And go..... I'll work on stacking them tighter...... I do like it tight.................Last edited by Fexal; 08-11-2013 at 10:39 PM.Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/