rate my welds

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I bought a variable amp 200-295 stick welder this past summer and have had a little time topractice on it.  I have tested my welds by smashing with a hammer or sledgehammer and they are quite strong now  but as a beginner level welder i want to know what i am not seeing.here are the pics 3/32 6013 at about 75amps6 welds done this morning i took more pics but the rest were blurry. Attached Images
Reply:ok I will startthere is too much spatter in both welds. the weld in the top picture  is poor, it looks like not enough amps and i didn't grind a previous weld out all the way so there are inclusions in the weld.the weld in the second picture is fair , good penetration but the transitions are poor from where i had to start and stop around the tube.am i close?
Reply:I would like to see your welds on a flat plate. I think it is important to master the flat position before moving on to pipe. Try padding a plate and then post results."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:Not bad at all for just starting out, but that wire is best suited for vertical down welding. Not to say that you can't go vertical up, because it is an all position wire, but it is also a less of a penetration wire as say a (6010 or 6011) wire. Now depending on what your project is (let's say a trailer) I would personally feel better welding it up with a 6010 or 6011 root pass and then capping it off with some 7018. Don't forget, preperation is the most important thing to do before welding, cleaning of material and good fit-up are very important factors in welding and are good habits to get into. I guess I got a little off track here. As far as your welds go it look's like you might have been a little cold starting out with your heat setting and moving a little to fast. Once you get your puddle started on the bottom use a (z weave) motion around the pipe holding the sides a little longer so you can lose that undercut. You should be able to watch that puddle follow you right around the pipe. Pipe welding takes a lot of practice to get good at, but like I said your doing pretty damn good for just starting out. Keep up the good work.
Reply:I think your own diagnosis of your welds is pretty much spot on. Except for the spatter. You're going to have spatter with stick welding. All that clean metal around the weld is just begging spatter to stick to it. Obviously too much means something is wrong. But to me, the spatter doesn't look that bad. Just make sure to clean it up.
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manI would like to see your welds on a flat plate. I think it is important to master the flat position before moving on to pipe. Try padding a plate and then post results.
Reply:Originally Posted by JammerNot bad at all for just starting out, but that wire is best suited for vertical down welding. Not to say that you can't go vertical up, because it is an all position wire, but it is also a less of a penetration wire as say a (6010 or 6011) wire. Now depending on what your project is (let's say a trailer) I would personally feel better welding it up with a 6010 or 6011 root pass and then capping it off with some 7018. Don't forget, preperation is the most important thing to do before welding, cleaning of material and good fit-up are very important factors in welding and are good habits to get into. I guess I got a little off track here. As far as your welds go it look's like you might have been a little cold starting out with your heat setting and moving a little to fast. Once you get your puddle started on the bottom use a (z weave) motion around the pipe holding the sides a little longer so you can lose that undercut. You should be able to watch that puddle follow you right around the pipe. Pipe welding takes a lot of practice to get good at, but like I said your doing pretty damn good for just starting out. Keep up the good work.
Reply:when welding  something thinner like   .083 or .095 wall mild steel  tube  would the deeperpenetrating rod 6011 be more likely than the 6013 to burn through?or does it have more to do with the amps you use?
Reply:you'll get there, practicing and asking questions is how. good job putting your work out there for constructive critizisim . In my opinion stick is the best place to start. Tubing is challenging for a beginner. Do lots of "t" , lap and butt welds for practice until you get a good looking weld every time. THEN start on tubing.:cheers:
Reply:6013 doesn't wet in very well.  Has a tendancy to pile metal even at higher amps.  Mainly because it has very little penetration.  At least that's my take on it.Increase the amps, and it will create enough heat to burn thru without making a satisfactory weld.  The heat goes into the parent metal, without the penetration you think you will get at higher amps.I used it for years, I mean YEARS.  General equipment fabrication.  I had good luck with it because I was into, and am still into good joint prep.  The grinder is my friend.  I love to grind bevels.I've completely abandoned it in favor of 7018.  The switchover was difficult for me, and in addition.......some of my previous techniques were not correct.1/8 6013 seems to run best at around 135amps AC.  You can go as low as 90amps, but the metal really starts to pile. 3/32 will run at the amps you are running.  75amps.  If you're concerned about the high beads you're seeing, turn the machine up to maybe 85-90amps.I can't weld round stuff for crap  Had I tried to learn on round stuff, it would have been over a long time agoTry some straight flat fillets to get acustomed to the rod.  Push the rod into the metal until you feel it dragging, look at the results in the puddle, then adjust your arc length to suit what you actually want to see in the puddle.  Although 6013 is a drag rod, you have some leeway in arc length.  Much more leeway than 7018.It's about all I can tell ya.  Tain't no pro"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:burnthru is a function of too much heat in the weld zone, very often a fast freeze rod like 6011 will let you whip, which allows the metal to freeze, and removes heat momentarily from the weld zone.Doing this withe the rod your using will generally lead to slag inclusions because the arc shouldn't be removed from the puddle"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I haven't done much stick welding, but what I have done was with 6013.....and I can tell you that it isn't the easiest rod to learn with.  Once you get it down and perfect your technique, you'll find other rods a dream to work with.  I took a class on stick welding, and the entire semester dealt with various joints, but all we worked with was 3/32" 6013 and 16 gauge mild steel coupons.  with that setup, you're either buring holes in the 16 ga or you're moving too fast and not penentrating.  It took prefect technique to get a "good" weld.  It was frustrating, but worthwhile in the end!
Reply:Originally Posted by BurningMetalI haven't done much stick welding, but what I have done was with 6013.....and I can tell you that it isn't the easiest rod to learn with.  Once you get it down and perfect your technique, you'll find other rods a dream to work with.  I took a class on stick welding, and the entire semester dealt with various joints, but all we worked with was 3/32" 6013 and 16 gauge mild steel coupons.  with that setup, you're either buring holes in the 16 ga or you're moving too fast and not penentrating.  It took prefect technique to get a "good" weld.  It was frustrating, but worthwhile in the end!
Reply:Originally Posted by romancandleI bought a variable amp 200-295 stick welder this past summer and have had a little time topractice on it.  I have tested my welds by smashing with a hammer or sledgehammer and they are quite strong now  but as a beginner level welder i want to know what i am not seeing.here are the pics 3/32 6013 at about 75amps6 welds done this morning i took more pics but the rest were blurry.
Reply:Originally Posted by JohnnyWeldergrinded
Reply:When I run stick i run at the hottest the rods will. Passed my tssa smaw 6g with or without backing by doing so. Once you learn how to watch the puddle it wont matter how hot you run it since you will adjust your speed based on the puddle. The puddle will tell you everything you need to know. To solve undercut I do the 1-2 trick. While watching the puddle ofcourse.   The only advice I stress is watch that puddle.25 years of age.Been welding since Feb 23rd 2009.LU1007 Millwright (A1)
Reply:here are some beads from this morning, i am not happy with most of them i didn't tighten the lock on the amp lever all the way and the dial was moving all over on the first few welds. Originally Posted by farmersamm3/32 will run at the amps you are running.  75amps.  If you're concerned about the high beads you're seeing, turn the machine up to maybe 85-90amps.
Reply:Originally Posted by B.AppelWhen I run stick i run at the hottest the rods will. Passed my tssa smaw 6g with or without backing by doing so. Once you learn how to watch the puddle it wont matter how hot you run it since you will adjust your speed based on the puddle. The puddle will tell you everything you need to know. To solve undercut I do the 1-2 trick. While watching the puddle ofcourse.   The only advice I stress is watch that puddle.
Reply:stay away from circles unless you dont plan on doing open roots. from the pics doesnt look too bad just watch you speed...keep your eye on the puddle.25 years of age.Been welding since Feb 23rd 2009.LU1007 Millwright (A1)
Reply:I am a huge fan of 7018 but I use 6010 mostly on my portable unit. (I don't have a hotbox on my trailer yet).  However when I was learning my dad / teacher made me make a X with 1/4" material and weld it till it was 2" thick. We then cut it in half and sprayed it with Magnaflux Dye Penetrant to see if there were any holes or slag left behind.  We did this with 6010 and 7018 a few times before I even attempted to take the AWS D1.1 test. It was boring and I did more cleaning than welding but today I will put my welds up against anything. So my advice is to just practice till you think you have it down and then practice some more. Anyone can weld but not anyone can be a welder.Regards,Eric H. SmithMiller ABP-330Hobart Champion 16Millermatic 185Craftsman Atlas LatheBridgeport MillMiller Spectrum Plasma CutterGrizzly G4015Z Combo Lathe/Mill
Reply:I only like 7018 as a finishing pass. I find it doesnt have the same penetration properties as a 6010-6011. With my open roots ill use a 6010 then do a light 6010 hot pass and finish it off with 7018s. Never failed a test. But like Don says practice is key....I dont think a true welder ever stops practicing.25 years of age.Been welding since Feb 23rd 2009.LU1007 Millwright (A1)
Reply:I went to tractor supply and picked up some 6011 Hobart rod to try out. future project list   welding table  make a back blade edge for my fisher 7"6" plow blade .  pipe framed flatbed for my truck (beds getting rusty) like you see on the rock crawler  web   sites. go cart with  suspension for my son.maybe not in that order and i have a ways to go before i will have the budget and all of the  tools- skills needed to complete these.I will post with pictures when i start the builds.
Reply:I am by no means a professional but it looks like you need to slow down some or raise your power up. And scrap the circles and patterns unless you are dealing with up hill welds. I also like 6010 or 11 for the penetration factor and just cap with 7018. but I have not done a lot to speak of either....They drovew this in to us at college tho...lol
Reply:We have to teach our students to weld using AC only machines.  Why I do not know, but that is just the way it is here.  Anyway, usually having a class with 25-40% females in it we start them out on 6013 since most of them will be scared of the arc to begin with.  Once we get them used to striking the arc and teach them to run the bead, the girls usually weld better than the boys.  With that being said, after a few weeks of welding with 6013 and 7018, we take all the 7018 and 6013 rods away and make them use 6010 and 6011...  It separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls.  Me and the other instructor get a kick out of watching their egos build using the easier rods and then deflate when the 6010 and 6011 rods kick their butts
Reply:May I make a comment here about the splatter stuff??  I am fairly new at welding too, while reading up I saw where they advise using a non stick spray or gel to prevent splatter from messing up the tips,, i just naturally applied it to the areas around the welds I made,( i use Pam)  and it keeps most all the splatter from sticking there too...Lookin good bud!! Just watch you're speed and you will do great things before long, my welds looked like that once too, but then I learned the right speed and to breath nice and gentle and hey presto I was able to make clean welds and pass my certs.. Practice makes perfect!!