Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi guys,

Been a while since Ive jumped on the forum. Since last time i've achieved basic certificates in stick, mig and safe workplace practice and i'm thinking of entering the industry as a 2nd class welder while completing further training modules on the side to get my boilermaking certificate a few years down the track.

this question may seem silly and i've searched a bit but not found the answers, so maybe one of you experienced fellas can help me out with it.

basically referring to travel speed with any given setup, what i find myself doing is concentrating on the weld puddle and trying to 'stay on the leading edge' i.e waiting till the puddle builds up, and moving the electrode at the pace required to prevent molten metal getting infront of the arc. sometimes i feel doing this i travel too slow, and end up with a bead that's quite big and wide

i find it difficult to 'remember' how fast i was going between beads as i'm not guaging my speed on cm's travelled but rather purely on how the weld puddle is behaving.

the slag coatings usually come off very easily and i'm often able to remove most of the slag in one piece by sliding the chipping hammer under the end of the bead, as i understand this usually means a good weld but will a weld that's deposited too slowly also exhibit easy slag removal or is this an indiciation that everything is pretty much right?

thanks for the help
Dan

That's a great question. From a pure physics point of view I'd have to say that a slower deposit rate would give a better mix ratio (rod and base metal) and I would think would equate to a stronger weld as long as the heat affected zone (HAZ) didn't get out of hand. Just a guess though, hopefully a pro will step up with the correct answer.

i find it difficult to 'remember' how fast i was going between beads as i'm not guaging my speed on cm's travelled but rather purely on how the weld puddle is behaving.

Your doing it right Even if you have the exact same setup, same plate/thickness whatnot, your not going to move at the exact same speed everytime. But, most of the time if your doing alot of the same welds, like production work, you can get into a rhythm.

the slag coatings usually come off very easily and i'm often able to remove most of the slag in one piece by sliding the chipping hammer under the end of the bead, as i understand this usually means a good weld but will a weld that's deposited too slowly also exhibit easy slag removal or is this an indiciation that everything is pretty much right?

Firstly, I wouldn't base too much on the weld by how the slag comes off. I'm sure you've noticed the differance between 6010 slag and 7018 slag. But, from everything I've ever seen it usually means your heat is in the right range. As far as what the slag could tell you about the weld itself, I would look at a couple other things besides the slag removal-Mainly, the toe tie in will tell you alot about the edges of the weld. If you can look at the backside, the discolartion will give you a(vague) idea of penetration.

cheers guys,

yeah fair enough about the slag. i haven't used 6010 rods, i have used 6013, 7016 and 7018 (although they are called different things in australia depending on who sells the electrodes)

i was doing some random beading with 6013's last night and struggled a bit differentiating the slag from the weld pool but the beads came out nice and smooth if not a little too thick, but i was happy with the ripples and penetration, getting i suppose 4ish inches or a little more of weld per electrode (3.2mm (1/8inch) electrode at ~120 amps)

did not try going faster as i felt there wasnt enough puddle behind the electrode and i didn't want to crank the amps up as the piece was getting quite warm and glowing red as it was.

still having lots of fun with the welds and i plan to keep training maybe get my 3g mig then work for a few years while completing all the modules for boilermaking. funny system here in australia apparently i can either get an adult apprenticeship and recieve $15/hr or work as a 2nd class welder at $20+ an hr while training privately and getting the same trade papers at the end of it

DanW wrote: getting i suppose 4ish inches or a little more of weld per electrode (3.2mm (1/8inch) electrode at ~120 amps)

With a 1/8" 7018, if running simple stringer beads, you should be getting about 10-12 inches per rod. Anything shorter, talking stringers, is to slow travel speed.
I'm also talking flat stringers, as vertical and overhead will be different. I would think the 6013 would be similar.

thanks for the input, i am running flat stringers no weaving and attempting to go just fast enough to stay infront of the puddle (or what i percieve to be just fast enough to stay infront)

have you got any tips for properly recognising when the puddle is getting close, maybe i am watching the slag and waiting for it to get too close to the arc and thus going fast enough to stay infront of the slag rather than the puddle? lol

Just running stringers, try to not let the puddle get any wider than 1.5 times your rod diameter (flux included).
A stringer for a 1/8" 7018, after deslagging, should be 1/4"-5/16" wide.

thanks for that mate, i will keep that in mind- i guess i was waiting for the flux to build up before my mind would accept the 'puddle' is getting ahead of the arc. will try and set my speed on the width of the deposit next time and see how i go

thanks again this is a great forum

had another crack- beads were coming out nicely, this time i just didn't let the weld pool slag and all get thicker than 1.5-2 rod widths.

ran the 6013 first on ac at 125ish amps, the bead looked very nice on AC but it was harder to run than on DC so i switched over. had to run faster and faster as the plate got hotter so i ended up turning amps down to 115 eventually so i could keep a bit more control as i like going a bit slower

thanks for answering the questions once again

Dan W.,

Nobody but a local farm owner will pay you to use 6013. It's a low penetration "patch" for most ferrous metals. If you want to make a living at this, lose the 6013. The money is in 6010/7018 rods (DC electrode positive). 8010/8018 pays even better.

As for seeing the difference between the puddle and the slag; This bit me in the ass several years ago, when I discovered (during a weld test) that I needed glasses. Also, what welding lens are you using? The color of the lens will affect your ability to see the puddle. The best lens I've ever used was "silver", and looked more like a daylight view than any other I've used. The plastic "gold" lenses aren't too bad for stick. Green glass, and red glass, made me rely on my experience more than my vision to make the distinction.

Steve

cheers Otto,

i much prefer running the 7018s but for the course i was doing they decide what rods ya gonna use and when so didn't have much choice.

I've got green lenses in my helmet, it's an auto dark (uni mig) wasn't sure if the inner lens could be replaced easily but will ask the guys at the shop next time i'm there- great tip, thanks

Dan,

With an auto-lens, you're pretty much stuck with that greenish tint. I'm a stubborn "old-school" guy, so I have more options for a flip-down hood.

My remark about my vision was no exaggeration. Have you had an eye exam lately?

I have excellent distance vision, but I wear "+2.00 Diopter" reading glasses when I weld. It makes a great deal of difference. If your vision is good, consider a "cheater" lens--basically a magnifier that fits your hood.

Steve

you can always go the way of a cheater in your helmet. just make sure you've explored all other avenues because once you go to the cheater, you can't go back-everything will look way too small