Welding Tips and Tricks

I really struggle with welding 6010, & 6011, can anyone give me some advice on what to do so that I can get better, much appreciated

chadmh91 wrote:I really struggle with welding 6010, & 6011, can anyone give me some advice on what to do so that I can get better, much appreciated

What size rod and amperage???
What thickness of metal, what position, and what joints??

Little more info, and maybe some pics will help us diagnios the problem.

~John

If you want to get better with 6010/11 than you start running a pad of beads ala jodie's video. Learn to run a consistant bead with the rod. Than you run a t-joint and get that figured out. than you go to open-butt(which is what the rod is bad for) joints. Flat, horizontal, vertical. Than you go to pipe.

chadmh91 wrote:I really struggle with welding 6010, & 6011, can anyone give me some advice on what to do so that I can get better, much appreciated

Videos. Arc length and whip technique.Forget "little circles". That's just stupid. The nature of the flux demands a whip technique.

chadmh91 wrote:I really struggle with welding 6010, & 6011, can anyone give me some advice on what to do so that I can get better, much appreciated

I am going to have to agree with the padding of beads. Like mentioned, once you master this, move on to other things.
What specifics are you struggling with?
-Jonathan

I think a lot of guys run 6010, and 6011 to hot! Structural welders seem to anyway. Arc length has a lot to do with it also. Get the amps, and arc length correct and it's a lot easier to get the stack of dimes look.

I'd have to agree with arc length. Probably the first year I was welding I held too long an arc. Once I learned to bury the rod in there and hold that real real tight arc things improved alot.

When i used "firecracker" rods for the first time at trades school, i used the same technique as gp rods, massive undercut ensured, the teacher told me "you dont hold an arc gap with these rods" wether thats what everyone does, i dunno, but it worked for me.

Mike-I've found that depends on the machine. My machine at home is a newer inverter with a dig function, and I can bury the rod all day and it wont stick. The machines at the welding school I'm at trying to get certified are millers and I'm not a fan. I'm stickin the damn thing all the time. Tried turnin the heat up, still sticking it. Shouldn't be sticking a 1/8" 6010 at 100 amps. With my everlast inverter with dig I run about 80 amps and I can't stick the thing if I wanted to. So sometimes you end up havin to hold a bit of an arc just so you dont stick the damn thing....but the smaller the arc the better.

Hey,

I should clarify, the school machines were ac buzz boxes, so the rods must have been 6011s, if that makes a particular difference.

Have never used one on a job, should buy some one day.

Mick

weldin mike 27 wrote:Hey,

I should clarify, the school machines were ac buzz boxes, so the rods must have been 6011s, if that makes a particular difference.

Have never used one on a job, should buy some one day.

Mick

Ive run 6010 and 6011, and I prefer 6011. It's an easier rod to run, performs very similarly to 6010, and runs on any voltage. I'd say 6010 penetrates a bit more aggressively, but for hobby work or repairs around the house I'd take 6011 any day.

Chad do you have experience running other rods (6013, 7014, 7018?). If 6010/6011 are your "first" rods, I think you are making things harder on yourself than need be. My recommendation is to run a drag rod (6013/7014) first, and get used to striking an arc, laying a bead, proper rod angles and proper speed of progression. Once you get comfortble with this concepts then you can go to 6010/11 where you now also have to worry about arc length.