Stick welding vertical up

[bczygan]

I enjoyed reading this thread. I did a lot of welding on power houses, refineries ,etc in the 70's early 80's. I loved 7018 because you could make it look so pretty, once you got your hand. The 6010 cover pass can be difficult. Best, prettiest, weld I ever saw was on Bellevue PH, S of Omaha. Young guy did a 24" XH horizontal cover pass with 6010. It was about 2.5" across and it was laced so that it was just...perfect. Perfect, in every way! I can see it still. I could pass about any test anywhere back in the day. That is long passed. I stick to mig these days as I don't have a stick machine.
Make sure you rod is dry and hot if you can. It's amazing what a little time in the oven can do for old 60 or 70 rod. Rod angle and not a very pronounced weave. Net/net, there is no substitute for what you are doing and that is practice, practice, practice. You'll get it, if it doesn't drive you crazy first.

Don't worry......I was crazy to begin with!

12 hour day tomorrow. Morning class 9-2 and then just stay straight through in the lab including the evening class 5-9! Should get some good practice in.

Bill

 

[Jackfre]

Don't worry......I was crazy to begin with!

12 hour day tomorrow. Morning class 9-2 and then just stay straight through in the lab including the evening class 5-9! Should get some good practice in.

Bill

Difficult to stay focused on that long a day. It won’t be how much rod you burn, but what you see doing it. When you get frustrated, take a breathe, relax, don’t get pissed off, laugh at yourself, relax and lay it in there.

 

[joe49]

OP? No comments since first post. Has been on site since 1st post a few times.. So how about some feed back OP.

 

[bczygan]

Difficult to stay focused on that long a day. It won’t be how much rod you burn, but what you see doing it. When you get frustrated, take a breathe, relax, don’t get pissed off, laugh at yourself, relax and lay it in there.

It was a long day for sure. Took a number of breaks. And when I got frustrated, got the instructor to help me. That was the secret to progress a number of times. It improved my techniques in a number of instances. So much so, that the instructor had me show things to a couple of other students.

I got through assignment#11!!! It was a tough one.

Learned how to keep the weave flat by pausing at head and toe of the maneuver. Makes a nice flat fill. Good for cover. Used the inverted T for a root and it worked well. It;s amazing how one demonstration and one little hint from the instructor, can transform how you do. Put all these together and you develop some skills and get a bigger bag of tricks.

My bad in my description before, We ARE using 1/8" electrodes.

Now I get to do the same one as #11 but with 3/32 7018! Tried with 1/8" and 90A and there was lots of slag and hard for me to control. Tuesday and Thursday next week are the last classes. Then I will start the TIG class. Will continue going to the 101 class Thursday evenings for extra practice time.


Bill

 

[Iron-Iceberg]

Always good to have someone grab the tool your using and do a perfect job with it. Let’s you know it’s not the tool or the setting, but that you need more practice. Or maybe a little tutoring.

 

[joe49]

''Tried with 1/8" and 90A''
That's to low for 1/8'' 7018 it should be up in 115A to 125A depending on size of material and arc length.

 

[Mgdoug3]

''Tried with 1/8" and 90A''
That's to low for 1/8'' 7018 it should be up in 115A to 125A depending on size of material and arc length.

I agree that it sounds too low but the setting on the welder may not be accurate. My welder is about 15 amps off. If I try to use 1/8 7018 uphill at 120 amps I burn through the metal. At 100 amps, it is just right.

 

[joe49]

Agreed welders can be off. That's were experience comes in to set a amperage for the work at hand.
I have almost no experience with any lower cost or quality welders. My welding experience is all on industrial welding machines. Most are very close to amp setting.

 

[sberry]

My dc buzzer is way off, I should write it down but about 8 higher with 3/32 than the dial and 12 or more on 1/8. It's smokin hot. I was at a place the other day where they had AC, was smokin hot at 75 for 1/8 6011. Ran them on 70. Poor guy gets used to that will have a real time on a machine that reads right like my Maxstar does.

 

[Mgdoug3]

My main welder is a Thermal Arc 161. When someone wants me to come and do some welding, I bring my welder even if they have one. I know where to put my amps without practicing. If I use their welder I have to find some scrap metal first just so I can dial in the amps.

 

[bczygan]

I don't think the welders are off.

The material is thinner than should be used for that though.

And after using 6010 at 75A. we would move too slow.

Bill

 

[joe49]

My welders.
View media item 85725View media item 59310And a Dayton MIG.
These handle everything I need, without lying to me.

 

[rustyjames]

@joe49. I've got one of those Millers too, a GoldStar. Those are what they had in Vocational School when I attended in the early 80's. There's nothing like running a 7018 with one, smooth as can be.

 

[sberry]

I have used a couple Goldstars. They are good. I can't tell much difference between machines but when I am current and practiced can tell a couple amps difference especially on smaller electrodes. 75 for 1/8 6010 is low and at the bottom limit on light sheet. I only turn down about 5 when I do move the dial for that and usually buck thru it out of laziness unless it's continious or critical.

 

[joe49]

@joe49. I've got one of those Millers too, a GoldStar. Those are what they had in Vocational School when I attended in the early 80's. There's nothing like running a 7018 with one, smooth as can be.

The Lincoln SA 200 on the truck is even smoother. It's no wonder much of American infrastructure was built with them.

 

[rustyjames]

@ Joe49 -- yes indeed, I'm quite familiar with those machines too, I've burned many pounds of 7018 wire with those as well. What's it have for an engine, Continental flatty?

 

[joe49]

Yes, Continental.

 

[sberry]

I have 2 S.A. While they weld well would trade them both for a new Trailblazer.

 

[joe49]

None of the Millers I ever used were as smooth as a SA200. I will say if you let the Lincoln sit unused for a long time you do need to run some to get the brushes seating good and commutators cleaned up.

 

[sberry]

It doesn't matter to me. Most of these machines are above the skill of the average operator and I don't pipeline. Back in the day when I was a daily operator I could be pretty consistant and fussy. I worked on nuke and never really did ever see the machine that generate it but they were simple with a single dial, when I come home and run a dc buzzer really couldn't tell the difference. I have ran it against my Maxstar, same thing.
I got a Weldanpower 210, it's about my favorite really. Crisp on 6010. Got a lotto poop. I have a GS 8000 Linc too, I like the 210 better for some reason.

 

[sberry]

I would have trouble with a critical test today. It takes me a couple weeks till I am really driving the machine. The work I do looks good to great to most people and general customers. Even on nukes the schedule could be erratic, not arc for 2 weeks sometimes and a lot of it short difficult welds. Different than jobs where welding every day all day and outright falling asleep. You could get so relaxed on the same joints where the quality could shoot way up.