7018 3/32 help

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i am new to stick welding i weld a lot of 1/8 inch steel i have a hobart stickmate ac/dc i can run a good bead with 1/8 inch 6013 that's not very hard but when i try with 7018 3/32 i blow thew the metal how many amps do you need for 7018 on 1/8 steel.
Reply:I'd probably run 3/32" 7018 between 70-100 amps DC+ and maybe a few more if I had to run AC. Picts would help greatly.I did these on another project I've posted up before.1/8" 7018 on 14 ga sheet to 1/8" angle. 125 amps, DC+, straight drag no motion, tight arc. A bit on the fast side since I was trying not to pump too much heat into the material and have it oilcan too badly. Beads look colder and taller in the picts than they do in person. Flaked off the slag with my finger when the beads had cooled for a few minutes. Given a choice I'd have used 3/32" instead of 1/8" rods, but that's all I had at the shop right then. I would have liked to have dropped the amps on the 1/8", but the rods were old and not stored in an oven, so I was having some issues with them being slightly damp. I needed to keep the amps up to get them to run semi decent.Picts are some what deceptive. The corner of the angle is that line right at the bottom edge of the bead that doesn't show up well. The angle and lighting makes the sheet look like it's much farther in from the edge than it really is. The heavy line you see father down is a gap between the two pieces of angle that form a C channel. You can see it a bit better in the fit up pict at the end.The last pict shows the gap I had between 2 pieces of 1 1/4" x 1/8" angle iron that I had to bridge. Gap was a heavy 1/8" if not closer to 5/32" I had to really watch the puddle to stop before the whole thing dropped out with my settings. I could get about 1 1/2"-2" of weld before I had to stop.A few "tricks" to help with thinner steel and stick. Keep the arc tight. The closer the arc, the cooler the puddle. A long arc will cause you to blow holes in things very quickly. Also keep in mind if your rod angle is wrong you may be tight arcing to one piece and long arcing on the 2nd causing you to melt holes in the 2nd piece. Move quickly, but no so fast you loose the puddle. Use the smallest rod possible and keep the amps down on the lower 1/2 of the suggested settings. Good joint fit up and design helps. Lap joints are better than but joints since the overlapped material takes the heat better than a thin edge. Also big gaps will cause 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:You have to keep moving at a consistently quick rate of travel speed welding 1/8 steel with stick. I weld 12g steel (slightly less then 1/8" thick) with 3/32 7018 frequently. Dont slow down or you will blow through. Keep a tight arc as DSW said. Long arcing will increase voltage and increase burn through.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Tight joint (no gap) 70-75 amps & actually drag the rod, watch the puddle & adjust your speed .REAL TRUCKS DON'T HAVE SPARK PLUGS