Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello ladies, enbies and gents! I'm a student of welding at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, CA. I am in my first semester and am loving every second of it. Currently on SMAW, specifically 6010 and starting 3F today. I was watching tons of videos on welding before school started because I was so excited about it and so became familiar with Jody, ChuckE2009, Steve Bleile, etc. and decided to join this forum to learn more outside of class and hopefully make a friend or two.

I do want to say that every welding supply store I went in to buy gear from, the place I bought my boots, etc. has been so extremely supportive. I got huge discounts on almost everything I needed and people were happy to share their own experiences or told me about their family members who went through the program and what sort of work they are doing. I hope to be able to share in that same way in future because it was very welcoming and I truly appreciate the solidarity and camaraderie I got from people upon hearing I am going into welding.

Anyway, just wanted to gush for a bit. Any small tips on vertical uphill stringer beads with 6010 before I head off to class today would be appreciated, or just tips in general as well. I am going to get a demonstration first, but having more information never hurts.

Sorry about the double post, let me know if it's a problem.

Alright well here's an update I guess. After about 2 hours I finally started getting it. My technique for the 3F stringer beads with 6010 became a sort of whip & pause with a little side-to-side wiggle on the pause to widen the weld pool. Had some issues with undercut along the plate towards the end but I think my main issue is that I sometimes start going too fast about halfway through. I usually take a lot of pictures, but I didn't think about it today. Maybe I could start a topic somewhere to show my progress.

Welcome and good luck at school. I wouldn't feel disappointed about any progress you make. Until you burn a hundred pounds or so of rod you probably won't feel to comfortable.

Thanks, and yeah I'm not disappointed. Taking tips from everybody and refusing to let myself get discouraged or bored. I just want to practice identifying what I'm doing well and what still needs work. Like I said I love all this so far, was never as excited to go to school as I am now.

The only 2 bits of advice about stick welding that ever seem to make a difference to me:

1. Arc length is crucial. Undercut, especially uphill is more often caused because you lose contact with the base metal. 6010 I run "scraping" the base. The deposition rate is so fast, you need to stuff rod (this is a characterization not a technical term). Its always been a harder rod for me to run than 70xx, because I can read 70xx puddles more easily.

2. Whatever you do the left side, you do the right side. Depending upon the direction or hand you weld with, you will always have a "strong side" when welding. So I force myself to count in my head, even still, to keep my rhythm and timing on both sides of the weld. Even on a "forward and back" I use this method. It has produced more consistency for me, and kept me away from a grinder and closer to a stinger are than I deserve.

Jrezky, welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the welcome and tips, I haven't spent much time switching side, switching hands, positions, etc. just yet. I thought originally it would be better to get the technique down in the most comfortable way first and then practice other ways, but now I am wondering if I should practice both hands, both directions, etc. right from the start. It will take a bit longer to get, but it might help better in the long run. Perhaps something to think about, thanks again!