My second weld (see pictures)

Comments will be appreciated, as always. Got 1 gauge welding cable last night and played with the welder for 5 minutes today. To my pleasant surprise, I can weld in the garage, it does not stink all that much.

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This is my second butt weld. Two 1/8x1.25" flat pieces were placed next to one another lengthwise. I set amperage to 80 amps, according to Wayne. I used 6013 1/8" electrodes.

To weld them, I first tack welded them in two places, about 1/2" from each end. Then I ran one bead on one side and then, one bead on another. This operation consumed the remaining 2/3 of that electrode (first 1/3 was used for the first weld).

You see the weld with slag removed, from both sides. I then used a chop saw to cut the joined pieces to see what's happening in the weld. To my surprise, the weld looked like it was original metal, no sign of any dissimilarity or boundary.

(Click on the thumbnail images to enlarge)

Reply to
Ignoramus15937
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It's very difficult to see dissimilarity and slight imperfections in metal that has been rough cut. You should try grinding the cross-section smooth and flat (a disc sander is ideal for this) and then polishing it. Then you'll really see what's going on.

- Michael

Reply to
DeepDiver

Great point. I will check it out and will try to polish the area.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus15937

Here's what I tried.

I tried to do some destructive testing. I sliced a small slice across the weld, put it in a vise and bent 90 degrees. Then I held it with pliers and banged on it with a hammer, until it bent 180 degrees. It bent and did not break.

The picture of the bent piece is in the same place.

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i
Reply to
Ignoramus15937

On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 01:01:22 GMT, Ignoramus15937 wrote:

Not bad for the second rod burned. You do need to take the same pieces and just run one bead right next to the last till you fill the metal up on both side. What this will do is help you with keep the arc the same length (one of the reasons for the uneven looking weld), keep the proper travel speed (another reason for the look), and just overall let you get some time behind the rod which is one of the big keys to good looking as well as strong welds.

It will take some time burning rod for the motions needed to become semi automatic. Till at least some of the motions become semi automatic you'll continue to have trouble. There's just to many things to worry about while making a stick weld for you to be able to concentrate on all of them at once. At least some of it needs to be subconscious so that you can concentrate on the puddle and maintaining a good even bead.

Looking at what you did on this bead I'd say you may still be a little hot. That's not to bad for a beginner as long as you don't burn through the plate. It's easier to run a rod hot and get a strong but ugly weld. As you get experience you'll be able to get a strong consistent weld at a lower amperage. It's just takes some practice for that to happen. Try going slower in a even travel. Stick welding is all about keeping a even travel speed with what ever motion is needed for the rod. In this case you just need to do a stringer bead. No real motion is needed except the steady advance of the rod. With 6013 being a drag rod you should let the flux coating of the rod just touch the seam before the weld. Pay attention to the metal puddle that follows and not the flux. That's probably the hardest for beginners to learn. The molten metal and molten flux will look different while you're welding. Usually the metal will be brighter than the flux. Pay attention to the trailing edge of the metal puddle. Make sure it's flowing out to both sides of the weld smoothly and strive for a even curve on the back side of the puddle. Admittedly with 6013 this is harder to do because of the abundance of flux (one of the reasons I don't like 6013) but it's still possible to do. If you have trouble with this then try some 7018 (I recall that you got some when you got rod). With 7018 it's much easier to see the metal puddle than with

6013 (the reason I like it). With a bead like you're doing I'd recommend a slight side by side motion with 7018. It'll help reduce the height of the bead and blend it better with the metal. When I say side by side I mean slowly weave the rod across the puddle as you advance. No quick motions are needed with stick welding (well at least till you get to some of the fancier stuff). Just make a slight zig zag down the seam. Actually touching the metal on each side of the seam with the rod. Don't weave too wide. In this case with the thin metal you're welding a weave no wider than the rod itself will be gobs.

There's still a lot more to it than what I've described above but hopefully it'll help get you on the road to a more consistent bead.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

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Reply to
Wayne Cook

Son....you made some decent welds. Congratulations!

Your arc length varied considerably..as did your speed of travel..but you indeed got the idea.

Now do as I suggested, and weld a bead alongside this bead. Then another and another and so forth, until the plate is covered with beads. Use the basics about arc length and speed to show you what is going on with each technique. Lift the arc a bit for the first bead. Stick the arc in the puddle for the next bead, and compare them..weld fast, weld slow..compare. etc etc

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner

If you want to subject it to an even tougher test, cut a longer length (say 2") and hold it in the vice as before. Then bend it back and forth instead of bending it just once. Eventually something will break. If you're really unlucky it will be your vice :-), but probably it will be the weld. If you did a really strong weld it will be the parent metal. This type of test shows up slag inclusions because the repeated bending gives cracks which begin at the inclusions the opportunity to grow.

As others have said, that's pretty good for a second weld. Well done. Keep practising and soon you will have something resembling a rusting modernist sculpture in your back yard!

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

Thanks. I read your post last night and, this morning, visited a steel supplier and bought about 50 lbs of steel plate scrap. (I may make a mini welding table with one of those plates). I will practice a lot, although I need to buy more electrodes.

I did not burn through the plate, i checked it.

Got it.

Exactly the case for me.

I will try 7018, yes, and will buy more rod after I compare 7018 and 6013.

Got it. Will try. I'll save your post also.

I will practice, it is a fun activity actually.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus11514

Thanks Gunner.

Yep. Following yours and Wayne's advice, I got myself perhaps 50 lbs of scrap this morning and will practice a lot, as soon as I have time.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus11514

Got it. I may try doing that.

Thanks, I have plenty of rusting modernist things in my yard. :)

As you said, I will practice quite a lot.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus11514

Hello

Not bad for your first attempts at sticking metal together.

One cheat you could try in the short term is to put two soap stone marks along the weld line; can be done with both fillet and butt welds. Put one line on either side about 1/4" or 3/16" from the joint.

As you are welding watch that the puddle contacts the soap stone lines; this will help you establish a consistent travel speed. This should only be used for as short as a time as possible too help develop your skills.

When you are creating a macroetch specimen polish with 120 grit sandpaper minimum; then pour acid on the weld section in order to increase the contrast between the base metal and weld metal. The acid used to clean concrete may be strong enough for home use.

The weld reinforcement is normally remove from the bend test coupon; this allows the coupon too bend at or near the center of the weld and not out in the base metal.

John Noon

Reply to
John Noon

Thanks. I think that my another issue was that I set my shade on the lens too dark and it was hard to see what was going on.

i

Reply to
Ignoramus11514

Damn I never new HTML would create such a large file size.

Sorry about that...those on dial-up have permision to throw something at me...

John Noon

Reply to
John Noon

You know folk's that suffer from night blindness will use lower shades of course.

Reply to
Rod Ryker

Good point about the shades; I have the opposite problem and run one shade darker.

Rod: I'll only point out that those are recommendations. You know folk's that suffer from night blindness will use lower shades of course.

Reply to
John Noon

Rod: Not me, I use an 8 for everything under 35 amps TIG. Some folks I know use an 11 at that current. I can't see how they see. It's funny, sad really because these same people think I am killing my eyes using an 8. I always say, you'll go blind more quickly playing with yourself. ;) -- Rod Ryker... The intricacies of nature is man's cannon fodder.

Reply to
Rod Ryker

ignoramus11514@NOSPAM.11514.invalid

Slow down i and get comfortable first, this is extremely important. You can't get a good weld off balance and shaking.

Allow the rod to form a puddle approx. twice the width of the rod. If you blow through, turn your heat down. You need to find the range your welder wants to weld at and not a preset, every welder is different. I only use a meter as a reference.

When the puddle forms, "slowly" lead it across the plate maintaining the size of the puddle as best you can. "STAY WITH THE PUDDLE". It will "appear" that the puddle is pushing the rod across the plate. The result will be a weld of superior quality with a silvery bright line on either side called fusion lines. Without fusion lines, any weld is suspect.

rg, aaawelder

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Reply to
Randy Gross

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