Welding Tips and Tricks

So here is my first project that I have completed in intro to ARC in the welding program I'm taking at Triangle Tech in Pittsburgh. Its a 6x8 3/8" pad plate. This is the first thing I have ever welded on so please feel free to give me some tips from what you can see. One side is 6010 and the other is 7018. I had a lot of fun doing this project, just trying to get a feel for running stringer beads. The next lab we have will be a vertical up Tee joint.

That's your first welding?? I know tradesmen who can't weld that well.... Top effort.

Wow Thanks Mike! Yes, other than running some practice stringer beads, this is the firsts welding I've ever done. I also managed to keep the plate pretty straight from distorting. Some of the other students in my term ended up with potato chips from distortion. I also got to see what the effects of porosity are as part of the flux coating on the 7018 rod I was using fell off mid bead on one of my passes. You can spot it in the picture if look close enough. The more I weld the more and more I enjoy it. I'll posts some pics and updates of the next upcoming projects!

Your amazing.

No worries mate, just keep going and make sure not to get a big head(too much)

Lookin good! Keep practicing and you'll get as good as you want to be.
Cheers.
-Eldon

jrouse,
The one thing that I am most impressed with on your practice plate is the straightness of your stringers. A lot of people lose their way when running beads on plate. I love it when it looks like you used a straight edge. I used to draw lines on the plate with a piece of sharpened soapstone when I first started using SMAW. The line gave me something to follow vs wandering all over the place.

jrouse wrote: part of the flux coating on the 7018 rod I was using fell off mid bead

I had trouble with a mfg's (name withheld) E7028 when they were going through a phase where the formula of the flux coating was being changed to meet tighter hydrogen levels. We would open the can and half of the can's contents would already be missing flux on the rod...or it would fall off while running a pass like what you described.