3 position plate test: E7018 rod

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I have never been to a formal school only shown a few things by others who have. Practiced ALOT! and picked up what I know by educating myself. I've only ever taken onb test and needless to say I did not pass. It was a bend test and it cracked. I had to much porosity in the weld. The beads looked good, uniform, and clean. Since then ( About a year) I have burned several hundred pounds of rod. The only position still giving me trouble visually is overhead. How do I keep the porosity out of the weld? What do I do to lay the bead overhead? Should I atempt to take the test again or goto school?
Reply:Make sure you have the right amps dialed in amd try to keep a shorter arc length to start...after you know what you are doing you can open it up or close it down ect...based on your needs. Overhead 1/8 7018 should be about 120ish abit lower a bit higher but in that ballpark. Keep your eye on the puddle and make sure you are laying in a nice even bead.'Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by Phantom_Sniper8541 Since then ( About a year) I have burned several hundred pounds of rod.
Reply:the hardest part of overhead is trying to get comftorable.  Overhead is actually pretty similar to flat, the difference is trying to get your arm and head in the correct positions to see what your doing.  As Mark said, burn a couple hundred more pounds of rod and you will be fine.
Reply:I run overhead on plate nearly as hot as flat unless I am welding on thinner material. I keep the arc VERY short and manipulate the tip of the rod from side to side. Even on what appears to be a stringer bead, I move the end of the rod. The motin may be very small but it will help spred the heat out some to keep the center of the bead from staying molten too long and giving the puddle time to sag.If you have the individual beads down ok but the cap still looks rough, practice the bead placement.Where the toes of each bead fall plays a big part on how the final cap looks.Here is a little animation I mad in reference to doing a horizontal joint but it may let you know what I am talking about related to bead placement.http://weldingdata.com/horizjoint/horizjoint.htmlHave a nice dayhttp://www.weldingdata.com/
Reply:As others have said practice is key. Let me rephrase that "Good practice is key", doing it wrong 1000 times won't help you get better fast. It may just reinforce the bad habit and make it harder to do it correctly.That said if you have the opertunity to take a night class at a CC or Votech school I'd say do it. Some things are just simpler to learn if someone watches you do it. You may be doing something that you just don't realise that they pick up by watching you. A good instructor can get you up and running well 10x faster than you could ever do on your own. If you are good already then they can help you get better fast as they just have to work on your weak points.Good luck.
Reply:Most of the guys I have seen have problems with overhead try to run too cold or hold too long an arc. With 7018 you will be running just about as hot as in flat or uphill. I don't change settings from one position to another and tend to run a bit on the hot side, but I have been at this a long time. With 7018 you want to keep the arc as short as you can regardless of position.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Thanks everyone for your imput on my problem. I am running a little hotter than usual and everything looks pretty good. I still get porostity sometimes...but it seems to be in all positions and randomly. Its has been raining ALOT here lately and I think some of the rods my have absorbed some moisture. I don't have a rod oven yet.    As for practicing the wrong thing...your probibley right. I work as a QA/QC now and I already know what to look for in weld defects....I'm just trying to learn how to do it so I can do some of the work instead of only inspecting it. Plus it means RAISE!   I wish I knew someone who could watch me and correct my methods. But no schools around here teach in the summer, and they want you to take all or nothing. I can't take off work for that long, and I work out of town for weeks or months at a time.
Reply:What brand of electrodes are you using? Get some Lincoln Excalibur and try it if you haven't already. It is by far the best I have ever used with Harris coming in second. If you are using Atom Arc throw it away. I think they engineer that stuff to be porous though I have heard they are building or just finished a new plant and are changing their manufacturing process. Maybe it will go back to being like it was before they changed it the first time (as in real good stuff).The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Just a thought,  but are your rods fresh or out of an oven?  Old low hydrogen rods will cause porosity at times.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......