Advice on 6" Sch 40 Pipe

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Hey all  Right now I'm enrolled in a tech school(Adult Class's)  for structural steel and metal fabrication.  I have my aws d1.1 qualifications in all positions and am now moved onto pipe.  I have run many open root plates and have moved myself off the 1g Pipe position.  Currently this is what my results are using a  Miller Maxstar STL   78 amps with 70-80% dig using 1/8 6010 and 3/32 root and land  3/32 Excalibur 7018As you can see its not exactly the best  but thats why I'm in school I was having a hard time seeing anything I wonder why   (helmet is from before I wanted to weld and was almost destroyed doing overhead, it caught on fire, and smoked up by 6010 fumes and spatter)I  used my jackson passive helmet today because its clean and these are my results  sames setup as beforeI have a hard time seeing where I'm going, any advice for keeping these beads straighter?
Reply:Ask teacher to show you how it is done, then try again and again and again..When you have welded enough, ask your teacher to show it again and then youjust weld again again again.. Thats what I did when I was in school. Welding is just something that you cant learn it in books.. unfortunately.First picture on your root looks good. Try to position yourself so you can weld it steady and keep your arm close to your body, lean your upperbody closer to the weld when stick gets shorter, that is my way of doing 1g, if I have enough space to move. By time you will get it.
Reply:I failed to mention this. Is horizontal. Its fixed and there is a bar out one side I clamp to. I have had him show me a few times.  I have done about 8 setups. He said to run the cover fast but I feel its to cold and just lumps.  Up. He said the heat was good.  The one instructor with 37 years of pipe experience is now in the classroom while I'm in shop.  I'm looking for as much feedback by as many people to help piece together my own process
Reply:My bad to, I was talking about 2g, we have little different codes in here. When you talk about 1g 2g 6g,we talk PA. PC, H-l045. I understand it at first place that you where talking about horizontal, so it doesnt matter. Just keep tight arc and let it burn. It takes time but it will come.
Reply:Any advice on keeping the beads straighter.They call me ... youtube1979 SA 200 RED seal w/ wp26RealGear Mig 140Linde AC 250 Amp StickLincoln AC/DC 225 buzz box w/ #9 flex scratch start Smith precision tig flowmeter
Reply:Originally Posted by battlelavaAny advice on keeping the beads straighter.
Reply:Right now I got a orangy shade 10. I can see the puddle but not much infront of it. I'm gonna try putting a soapstone line and try to follow itThey call me ... youtube1979 SA 200 RED seal w/ wp26RealGear Mig 140Linde AC 250 Amp StickLincoln AC/DC 225 buzz box w/ #9 flex scratch start Smith precision tig flowmeter
Reply:I use to have to same problem when I first started pipe at my school. You said your doing 2G right? Before I run my caps I make sure my hot pass is smooth, grind down all high spots so when your running your caps they stay even and it keeps your arc consistent. Another thing is your positioning, you have to be comfortable.  If your not comfortable your hand will be unstedy. Run in quarters usually from tack to tack. Make sure you follow the puddle and keep it even. Always watch the puddle! My first cap pass I usually point the electrode towards the bottom bevel (not to much) and make sure the top of the puddle runs across the middle of the hot pass. The second pass will be straight down the middle. The puddle should be halfway over the bottom weld and the top of it should be touching the top bevel. The last cap I point a tad bit upward and make sure it runs halfway across the middle cap. You should have a stacked looked. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR ARC TIGHT, that will get rid of the lumps. Other than that PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.
Reply:A few thoughts... 1st you need to be able to see well. A few years back I noticed I was starting to have trouble some times seeing the bead well. It took a bit to figure it out, but it came down to a couple of parts. 1st was the fact I'm near sighted, and if I was getting excessive light in from behind the hood, my eyes would naturally want to focus on the back of the lens, not the weld. A cover over the back of the hood helped, but didn't completely solve the issue. Then one day I realized when I could see fairly well, I was looking over my glasses, not thru them. If I shifted while welding and started to look thru my glasses, I couldn't see as well. A trip to the eye doc got me a mid range prescription, strong enough I can see to move around the shop and even drive, but weaker than my normal driving glasses. They are set up to focus at about 18" rather than at a longer distance like my "normal" glasses. That solved the vast majority of my vision issues. Next issue has to do with the weld itself. I see a lot of students who transition from plate to pipe who still want to try to weld round pipe like it's flat. You need to maintain a consistent angle in relation to the section of pipe where your puddle is, and this means you have to constantly keep swinging the rod around.I did this post for some one else having this issue, see if the picts and explanation helps.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=110761 Originally Posted by DSWNice video. It does a really good job of showing how you can support the rod with your 2nd hand.One thing I noticed is that it doesn't look like you are swinging around the pipe as you go. It looks like you are keeping your hands in the same relative position as shown in pict 1.  You might finally be changing at the very end, but it's a bit hard to see. Note that as you go around the pipe the line perpendicular to tangent of the center of the pipe doesn't change, but the angle of the rod to that point does. (The yellow line would be your supporting hand the way it looks in the video). Doing it this way you end up short arcing at the beginning and long arcing at the end because the rod to material angle becomes very steep.In the 2nd pict note that everything stays the same as you go around the pipe. You have to keep shifting the rod angle as you rotate around the center of the pipe. Think of pipe as just a bunch of very short flat welds. On flat material it's easy to keep the rod angle the same as you go. With pipe, you need to keep the rod angle in relationship to the material tangent to the center of the pipe the same. The smaller the pipe, the faster you have to keep changing the rod or torch angle to keep everything the same relative to the line based on the center of the pipe.I drew the diagrams exactly the way you welded them. Personally I'd go the other way than what you did. I'd start where you ended and move counter clockwise around the pipe to do stick. It's easier for me being right handed to weld that way, from left to right rather than the other way around. Though with the way you are supporting the rod, I can see doing it your way as well.Edit: sorry the picts don't show up as well as I'd like them to.
Reply:Well  good news  my pipe is started looking alot better once i replaced my clear lens. As you can see in the first pic.  not perfect but is enough for me to move forward.  I only have one more week of pipe before i start learning gig, not to mention that most students in my school dont get to pipe, or open root which is after the structual plate testsThe picture of my 5g pipe is the second one i did.  looks like garbage compared o what im putting down now.  The bottom is giving me hell on the root pass only because holding a tight  arc and pushing the rod up in the root causes sticking, but its the perfect heat for the rest of the joint.  Also the machine i was on today seemed off because i had to crank it up way more then i usualy did and it wasn't all that hotEdit:  the last pic of the root was one of the better pipes,  lately it has alot of suck back or not enough pen to begin with ill try to get more pics on monday Attached ImagesThey call me ... youtube1979 SA 200 RED seal w/ wp26RealGear Mig 140Linde AC 250 Amp StickLincoln AC/DC 225 buzz box w/ #9 flex scratch start Smith precision tig flowmeter
Reply:It's typical to go through at least one clear lens a day stick welding, so the school where I worked kept boxes and handed the standard ones out. Saves a LOT of stick rod!Try a variety of shades and tints. There is good reason for the many Fibre-Metal Pipeliners in the field. The variety of fixed lenses is great.One tip is to put a clear lens on BOTH sides of your glass lens. Safer if something smashes the helmet into your face on a jobsite, and you'll always have a reserve clear if needed.Have a current eye exam. Get one if you don't. People cannot sense most vision problems. Your optometrist can write (always get a COPY) a prescription for up-close work. SHOW him/her the distance you work at, because they aren't welders!"Cheater" inserts are great to experiment with. We kept a bunch on hand.
Reply:Yea i'm about due for another lens,  should be the last one i have to replace for a while because ill be doing tig for the next 6 weeks.  I'm thinking about getting a gold lens and a new passive helmet with a large view, or maybe a pipeline style helmetThey call me ... youtube1979 SA 200 RED seal w/ wp26RealGear Mig 140Linde AC 250 Amp StickLincoln AC/DC 225 buzz box w/ #9 flex scratch start Smith precision tig flowmeter
Reply:If your sticking try to long arc a little before diving into the root.  It will help preheat everything so you won't stick.  Also start on your tack instead of going straight to the keyhole.I know you said your heat was perfect for the rest of the pipe on your root.  But you also stated a lack of penetration to the backside of the weld.  Are you making a keyhole? Can you push the rod further into the root without sticking?  If not you should turn the machine up a little
Reply:Originally Posted by JRwldrIf your sticking try to long arc a little before diving into the root.  It will help preheat everything so you won't stick.  Also start on your tack instead of going straight to the keyhole.I know you said your heat was perfect for the rest of the pipe on your root.  But you also stated a lack of penetration to the backside of the weld.  Are you making a keyhole? Can you push the rod further into the root without sticking?  If not you should turn the machine up a little
Reply:Just thought I would add that the 7018 cap looks a little cold, and you need to work on following the bevel to keep the weld straight. Practice allot on plate to get good at keeping the welds stacked straight (plate takes less time to cut/prep for weld). How many amps were you using for the fill/cap?Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:you can't long arc a 6010 root, you have to have that rod buried all the way up in there to where all your fire is going inside the pipe. I've seen guys lift their hoods welding downhill after they get it going good, they have it buried that far in the root.You need to max out the dig setting for the root, that should help some with the sticking. You HAVE to be able to get that rod buried up in there without it sticking.Also, you don't start in between the tacks, that just gives you more tie-ins to screw up. A tie-in on the root is the weakest point, and also the spot where a bend test is most likely to fail.Last edited by TimmyTIG; 03-03-2013 at 07:29 PM.
Reply:Running the fill and cap 85 and then 90 amps 3/32 7018 30% dig.  On the root I try a 3/32 gap at like 77 amps. Although lately my landing is very small. I have the dig set to 70-!00 on the root I let it heat shove the rod through and start whipping the puddle. On the bottom it doesn't let me push it through all the way but if I use the same settings and start on a cold pipe on the side it works beautifullyThey call me ... youtube1979 SA 200 RED seal w/ wp26RealGear Mig 140Linde AC 250 Amp StickLincoln AC/DC 225 buzz box w/ #9 flex scratch start Smith precision tig flowmeter
Reply:Get yourself some car polish/rubbing compound and a clean soft rag, you can clean allot of that stuff off pretty easily. As you have noticed you need to see what you're doing. There are so many students in my welding program that never change or even clean their lenses...and they are also the same ones that are always having a hard time...never progressing to anything better. Sometimes they take my advice and clean or change their lenses and guess what??... it's like night and day difference... Your welds are progressing nicely btw...Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:Maxstar wont run 6010 right. Use a old transformer style welder and enjoy the magic that unfolds....Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP ( boat anchor )Lincoln Weld-Pac 100 HDHobart IronMan 230Cutmaster 42Jackson NexGenSumner Ultra ClampsDWM120
Reply:I am due for another lens cleaning. I ran one pipe today with downhill root and one side fill and cap 6010 downhill. Other side was 7018 uphill.  Wasn't perfect but was good. No pictures though. Forgot to take before I scrapped the pieces Originally Posted by MadMax31Maxstar wont run 6010 right. Use a old transformer style welder and enjoy the magic that unfolds....
Reply:Actually did have some photos   root was pritty rough towards the bottom, especailly were i tacked it.  about 85 amps 100% dig on maxstar 200 downhill 6010   3/32 7018 at about 80-85 amps 0-30% dig  uphill Attached ImagesThey call me ... youtube1979 SA 200 RED seal w/ wp26RealGear Mig 140Linde AC 250 Amp StickLincoln AC/DC 225 buzz box w/ #9 flex scratch start Smith precision tig flowmeter
Reply:Last day of stick welding tomorrow  so today i tried some 6g.  not bad for my first oneroot at like 80 amps tight 3/32 gap heavy 1/8 landing  100% dig  fill and cap at 85ish amps 30% digcap didnt run well, let the pipe get to cold and didnt want to flow right.  probally shoulda cranked the heat up a few amps Attached ImagesThey call me ... youtube1979 SA 200 RED seal w/ wp26RealGear Mig 140Linde AC 250 Amp StickLincoln AC/DC 225 buzz box w/ #9 flex scratch start Smith precision tig flowmeter