Novice welds - thoughts?

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Folks, I'm very very new at welding.  Picked up a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC LX235 used and I have fired it up a couple times just to practise running some beads.  Picked up a couple Arc Welding videos - I and II as well to help.I just did my first session of fusing some 1/4" steel together.  Tried a few lap welds (don't look too great), and a few corner 90 degree welds - look better probably cause they were after some experience with the laps I felt that my welding improved through the session.   I found that I really like using a combination of rods 6011 for the first pass and then 7018AC for the second pass.  I was  playing with a couple different rods too.I experimented a bit with bead patterns.  The laps were done with circular weaves.  For the corners, I did a step type of stroke with the 6011 in the root pass - gouging the metal slightly and then filling it in.  I left a slight gap when I put the metal together as well I think I picked this up from the Arc welding II video.  The 7018 pass on top of that was done with a zig zag weave pattern.Be kind to me folks.... it was my first time joining metal.   No, seriously tell me what I need to hear to improve.All using 1/4" stock.  The metal looked a lot cleaner when I started - I used a wire brush to take off surface rust.  After welding, it looks pretty discoloured around the welds.  Other than chipping slag of and a wire brush I haven't tried to clean the area around the beads.1. Lap: 1/8 6011, two passes2. Lap: 1/8 6011 first pass, 1/8 7018 AC second pass.3. Corner: 1/8 6011 first pass, 1/8 7018 AC second pass.4. Corner: 1/8 6011 first pass, 1/8 7018 AC second pass.5. Corner: 1/8 6011 first pass, 1/8 7018 AC second pass.
Reply:Run your rods on DCEP and they will burn smoother.
Reply:Hello and welcome to the forum.Since you are new to welding and just starting to learn, keep it simple. Set the machiine to DCEP. I would suggest starting by running basic stringer beads on flat plates with no weave (or see the V method below). 6013, 7014 and 7024 are usually easier to run at the start. You get a good feel for whats going on and good looking results. 7018 and 6010/6011 require a bit more skill to run and I would wait until you have a good feel of whats going on before you start with them. You want consistancy in your motions and learn to tune the machine in as to amps. Get comfortable and support the stinger with both hands and get a good steady swing down. One 1/8" rod should lay about 8" of weld with 6013, 7014, 7018. When you have the machine settings close on 6013, 7014, 7018 the slag should almost peal off in one piece on its own as it cools.After you have got the machine settings down for the rod size you plan on using, then you can start with some joints. Again stick to simple stringers with no weave at first. Just use one rod and make one pass. Skip the fancy multi rod / multi pass stuff untill you can run good stringer beads on a consistant basis. There's no real need to make multi rod / multi pass welds on 1/4". You need to be sure you don't bury slag when you do multi pass welds or its all just junk anyways.The basic way I was tought was to get a 12" length of 1/4" or thicker angle 3"x3" and tack 2 small scraps to the bottom so it forms a V. Begin at the bottom and run a bead end to end. Chip off the slag and run another bead. You will only get about 8" of weld, so you have to get a new rod to finish the 12" length. Run the next bead right in the edge of the last one and keep doing it over and over. The beads should form one almost smooth surface not bead , gap, bead. You will need to dip the angle in water to cool it after a couple of passes. Keep the metal cool or it will affect how many amps you need to run. If you find yourself running great beads, then stoping and coming back later and running crappy beads on the same settings, the steel may be getting to hot and you may need to crank the amps up a bit to start and cool the metal down more between passes.After you are good at this knock off the scrap and lay it on a side and keep running beads, This is like running filet welds. Later you can stand it up on one end and tack it to a scrap plate and do verticals.The key is running a lot of rods. I used to run 10+ pounds of rods a day as practice. The more you run the better you will get after you run maybe 100lbs or so you will begin to understand better what I'm saying.Good luck and keep at it.
Reply:I appreciate the thoughts very much.I should have mentioned - I am running DECP for both 6011 and 7018AC.  I picked up the 7018AC as I was told it was easier to restrike.I like 7014 a lot.  I've found it very easy to control in the flat position but very runny in a vertical or horizontal position.The arc welding videos I picked up had me doing weaves - circular and zig zag right from the beginning.  I imagine that what you are talking about wrt. a 'stringer' bead is simply running in a straight line?  I've tried it in the past but not gotten a bead that looked any decent.  I imagine that my travel speed was too fast.  I think that the rule of thumb of 8" of weld for one 1/8 rod is going to be excellent to get me going in the right direction.I have a bit of a hard time envisioning what you have in mind with taking the two pieces of scrap on the angle iron.  I do have a good 4 feet of 4x4 1/4 scrap angle iron that I have been practising on.   I will re-read and try to figure it out.  You are basically just talking about running the beads on the angle iron right?... just to gain practise running beads?
Reply:Yes the stringer is just a straight weld. The 8" rule isn't hard and fast and only seems to work on 6013, 7014,7018. I jknow my 6010/6011 went a bit farther but can't remember how far any more. It's easy to manipulate the rod to get good looking beads, but you can burry slag if you don't do it right. I tend to use a bit of a weave on vertical up welds as it helps me to control the heat a bit.These are not the best picts but may help. This is a chunk in my scrap pile that I had a friend practicing on. (his welds still need some more work)The first is set up like a V and you run flat welds.This second is set up like an L for doing horizontals ( thats what he was practicing)The last is just a chunk of 1/4" flat plate that has at least two layers of beads on each side from him doing flat welds.He ran most of these beads a bit farther apart than I would have liked. There shouldn't be much valley between the welds like there is in the top 2 picts. The flat plate is a bit better but they still could have beeen closer together. (not that it really matters much but it helps you keep a relatively flat surface to weld on rather than in and out of the valleys.Hope this helps to envision it. The basic reason for this is that you save on stock when you are just learning to run basic beads and set up the machine. You get to practice starts and stops doing this and don't waste a lot of metal in the process. Use the whole rod up, run 8", change, run the last 4 then start on the next row after chipping till the rod is all used up, then repeat. You want to keep running beads until you can run good beads without having to think about it and its second nature. These beads close together also have some uses such as building up worn areas and doing hard facing on buckets and such.I run 1/8" 7014 DC- between 100 and 145I run 1/8" 7018 DC+ between 90 and 150I run 1/8" 6013 DC+ between 90 and 135I usually start about in the middle to 2/3rds to set the machine for someone learning. This helps them keep the rods from sticking and then adjust from there.Last edited by DSW; 07-04-2008 at 01:25 PM.
Reply:Excellent pictures.  Thanks a lot.  Scrap for practise isn't cheap so best to make good use of the real estate that does exist.I find 7014 and 7018 quite a bit easier to control than 6011.  I imagine that they will work well with stringers.  I'll try some stringers tonight.  Hey if I can get decent welds just running the rod in a straight line, I won't bother weaving :-)
Reply:I burned a few pounds of 1/8 6013 and 1/8 7018 AC again on DC+.  I didn't quite manage your recommended density DSW on the angle iron but I got a number of beads in.The rule of thumb of 8" for a rod helped quite a bit. I mostly ran verticals - stringer beads.  I had quite a bit more success than I had the last time with verticals just sticking to stringer beads.  The beads are far from pretty - a lot less than flat anyway - although my flat beads don't count as pretty either However, they will get the job done for the kind of things I need to weld around the farm - fix the odd implement and so on.7014 and 7018 are by far my favourites to run so far - particularly as stringers.  Guessing this is because the deposition rate is nice and high given the iron powder content.  I think I will keep 10lb of each on hand.
Reply:Glad to hear that it helped. If you do mostly farm repairs 6010/6011 has alot of uses on things that you just can not clean well. They do tend to run best with the whip and pause motion rather than stringers. The beads with 6010/6011 never look as good as 7018 beads.The 6010/6011 also work quite well in vertical because they freeze fairly fast but you have to watch the digging action so need to stay on the lower side of the amps range. That said I'll always grab 7018 over 6010/6011 if I have a choice.If you get a chance put your location in your user CP so everyone will know where you are from. never know when someone is just down the road from you and can help out.Post some picts of your welds again when you get the chance and hopefully someone will chime in and give some input and suggestions. Vert and overhead stick are not my best positions so maybe some others will have some suggestions also.Also don't forget that 7014 runs DC- as opposed to DC+ on 6013, 7018, 6010. I'm also thinking that you might need to crank the heat down abit on your vert welds but not seeing any its a bit hard to say. ( my sugestion of 1/2 to 2/3rds was figureing flat or horizontal welds earlier)Good luck.
Reply:I've picked up 10lb box of 6011 to keep on hand for repairs. I find them easier to run vertical and horizontal.  I really like the fact that I can clearly see the puddle with them and that the penetration is good.  I find that they do tend to stick a bit more than the others - 7018, 7014 etc. Not bad though - once I burn one or two electrodes of any one type in a session I get the hang of how I need to control it.  One day it will just be commited to memory :-)  Until then when I am fixing something or fabricating something, I'll just keep a piece of scrap handy to strike an arc or two before I start the repair.I didn't realise that 7014 runs on DC-.  I've been using DC+ with it.  Thanks for pointing that out.The other motion I really like with the 6011 is what I saw on the arc welding video I picked up.  They did a step motion with it - move fast in the direction of the weld so as to gouge the metal and then move back to fill.  Worked particularly well for me on a 90 degree corner.I did remember to crank down the amps from what I use on flat when running vertical.  I'm only using about 115 DC+ for 7018AC when doing vertical and about 120-125 flat.  I found that cranking down the amps helped.About the only frustration I have is having my hand being so far away from the electrode tip so that movement is magnified :-) and having to move in as the rod burns takes some coordination.  I imagine this is where mig would have been a bit easier :-).  I might yet pick up a decent mig machine some day but one I might want to have around for 5/16 to 3/8 is about 4x the price of the AC/DC stick.I've appreciated the help so far very much.  Thanks!
Reply:That forward and back motion (whip and pause) on 6011 is the way those rods should usually be run. 7018 should not be run this way as I understand it.I don't weld stick all that often and I usually do what you do, which is grab a chunk of scrap and run a 1/2 dozen or so rods to get the machine dialed in and "relearn" my movements. You can bend the rods if it helps to get into places or helps you get a better movement. I don't find that it helps me but I know several that do. You can also cut the rods to make them shorter if you need to but it cuts down the length you can weld and adds more starts and stops as well as wasting more rod.As far as cutting down the movement of your hand I try to rest my elbows on something to steady them and weld 2 handed if possible. I have welded leaning on things if that helps. I prefer to weld left to right as that’s the way I swing the holder as I'm right handed or weld moving towards myself as I can brace against myself that way. Practice defiantly improves this.Glad I could help. Good luck.Glad I could help. Good luck.
Reply:Quote:  "About the only frustration I have is having my hand being so far away from the electrode tip so that movement is magnified :-) and having to move in as the rod burns takes some coordination"If you're a right hand welder, stabilize the end of the stick about two inches back from the end with a "vee" formed by the index and middle finger of your left hand.  Reverse if you're left handed.  When your hand starts getting hot, slide it back and push the stick through your fingers.  Nothing like some heat on the back of your glove to increase coordination.Having you're second hand stabilizing the stick nearer the weld helps stop the "magnification" of the control hand moving, you can "pivot" the stick to help with weaving, and you've got better control over arc blow.I r 2 a perfessional