Welding Rods for beginners

[daugen]

I am impressed with the overall art of welding. There are so many variables that
affect the job, or so it seems to the newbie.
But I do have a question. I gave up on trying to make little back and forth motions or zig zags, kept getting mounds of slag with some penetration below.
After I got it to where a final "dress" run could be made, then is it ok to pull the rod slowly and smoothly and not do anything but that? Last run, not the early penetrating
run. For those of you who do it perfectly in the first pass, well I am impressed. I kept making a nice run, only to bang on it with the pick and have all kinds of stuff chunk off,
so I had mountains of the moon again.

I'm gathering by early comments that other methods of welding do not produce all this weld weakening slag.
Which if I had decent skills, which I don't, I would probably not be creating.

 

[Eric Salop]

is it ok to pull the rod slowly and smoothly and not do anything but that

That's it Drew, with a tight arc and no wild zig zags, keep practising that slowly and smoothly technique on pieces of scrap and soon you will be producing welds where the slag peels off itself to reveal a "stack of dimes" that looks so great, you will almost feel sad when it comes time to cover it in primer

 

[k0ua]

That's it Drew, with a tight arc and no wild zig zags, keep practising that slowly and smoothly technique on pieces of scrap and soon you will be producing welds where the slag peels off itself to reveal a "stack of dimes" that looks so great, you will almost feel sad when it comes time to cover it in primer

Exactly.

 

[bigtiller]

is it ok to pull the rod slowly and smoothly and not do anything but that?

I took a voluntary, free, after-work welding class. About 15 hours total in one week and 20 years ago. So don't depend on me for welding tips. But I do remember welding on scrap steel once that I started the weld and didn't pull the rod. The rod actually pushed it's self! Yep, that's right it pushed it's self, and made one of the best looking welds I ever made. I think that rod was 7024 and was a big one, maybe 3/16".

 

[k0ua]

if you want to see a 7014 welding rod welding by itself, start looking at about 7:45

Stick Welding Rods and a lot More - YouTube

 

[daugen]

I had to chuckle when I got my TSC carryall yesterday. It was looking pretty good until I turned it over.
Looks like someone went to lunch and didn't come back.
I'm going to take a power wire brush to remove the paint and put a few more welds in where they can't be seen.
Going to use 7014.
When all the stress is being put on one relatively small area, why wouldn't they weld it all?
I'm guessing the welding inspector went out for the same lunch.
Some of it is ok, just looks like they didn't finish

I'm in the middle of painting that mower deck and will post the final result. Sure looks nice from ten feet away.

 

[LD1]

Must be training the new guy?

 

[daugen]

Must be training the new guy?

I wonder where this thing was made. Wherever it was, there was certainly no welding inspector in attendance.
That mess is real third world welding.
Did the spool gun run out of wire there? How did that bird's nest get made? (never used a spool gun)

I'm going to wind up repainting this carryall anyway so figured it made sense to do a little welding first.
I already have the 2x6 decking wood ready to cut, but obviously should get welding done first.

 

[rusty842]

7018 are the way to go if you have a way to properly store them. They don’t like moisture and should be stored in a rob oven to “work properly”. The older they get the harder they are to use in the Alabama humidity. 7018 generally like a DC machine better, which you have. I really like 7014 for general welding and use 6011 for really think stuff because they penetrate better.

 

[LD1]

7018 is a good rod no doubt. But not everyone has pipefitter welding skills and not everyone needs pipefitter/structural weld quality.

7018 is more difficult to weld with for a beginner. And as a result, can frustrated some to the point they just give up with welding all together.

I have said it before and I'll say it again, a good weld with 7014 is better than a bad weld with 7018.

 

[k0ua]

Yeah, but once mastered, 7018 is "good stuff". I figure an asian fellow "welded" your carryall. And from what I understand, some of those guys really like "birds nest soup". So I reckon he was just fixing lunch

That would not have been welded with a spool gun, just a regular MIG nozzle. I suspect it was the guys first day on the job. No, there didn't seem to be any inspector.

 

[lilranch2001]

I agree with James once mastered it is truly a miracle rod.
But then I only use Atom Arc 7018, so I cannot testify about the other brands.

And I love watching the slag curl back on a well laid bead!

As I have posted on these threads before it's the only rod I really go to, other than silicon bronze for certain applications

 

[sd455dan]

7018 is a good rod no doubt. But not everyone has pipefitter welding skills and not everyone needs pipefitter/structural weld quality.

7018 is more difficult to weld with for a beginner. And as a result, can frustrated some to the point they just give up with welding all together.

I have said it before and I'll say it again, a good weld with 7014 is better than a bad weld with 7018.

I have a 7014 story told to me by my FIL (retired millwright) he was having a round drum fillet welded to a flat surface.

Forget what he said this part was used for.
When the guy got done welding with 7014- in what was described as a ( really nice looking weld) they started to pick up the unit and the round piece lifted off and had absolutely no penetration on one of the 2 surfaces. The weld was ground down and re welded (same weldor) with 7018 and was solidly fused.
He said after that He allowed no 7014 to be used on equipment in the lumber mill.
and told me they pretty much used 6010 or 6011 root passes and capped with 7018 or just did all of the weld with 7018.

I wanted to try some 7014 out but as often as he brings projects or repairs over, He would notice the rod and think I didn't believe him. So for now no 7014 for me, unless I hide the sticks :laughing:

 

[Shield Arc]

sd455dan several years ago I did some fillet weld break tests. 7018 that never seen the inside of a rod oven broke with 18-blows from a 4-pound hammer. 7018 right out of the rod oven broke with 23-blows from a 4-pound hammer. 7014 broke with 10-blows from a 4-pound hammer.

 

[LD1]

sd455dan several years ago I did some fillet weld break tests. 7018 that never seen the inside of a rod oven broke with 18-blows from a 4-pound hammer. 7018 right out of the rod oven broke with 23-blows from a 4-pound hammer. 7014 broke with 10-blows from a 4-pound hammer.

And if I remember right, the one process that is cursed among many structural welders as no penetrating, and being a glue gun.....did the best on your tests.

 

[Shield Arc]

And if I remember right, the one process that is cursed among many structural welders as no penetrating, and being a glue gun.....did the best on your tests.

Yes, Lincoln L-56 Mig wire broke with 29-blows of a 4-pound hammer.

 

[PhysAssist]

I had to chuckle when I got my TSC carryall yesterday. It was looking pretty good until I turned it over.
Looks like someone went to lunch and didn't come back.
I'm going to take a power wire brush to remove the paint and put a few more welds in where they can't be seen.
Going to use 7014.
When all the stress is being put on one relatively small area, why wouldn't they weld it all?
I'm guessing the welding inspector went out for the same lunch.
Some of it is ok, just looks like they didn't finish

I'm in the middle of painting that mower deck and will post the final result. Sure looks nice from ten feet away.

Do what I do, back up to 20 feet away, and it'll look stellar! :laughing:

 

[mike69440]

I had to chuckle when I got my TSC carryall yesterday. It was looking pretty good until I turned it over.
Looks like someone went to lunch and didn't come back.
I'm going to take a power wire brush to remove the paint and put a few more welds in where they can't be seen.
Going to use 7014.
When all the stress is being put on one relatively small area, why wouldn't they weld it all?
I'm guessing the welding inspector went out for the same lunch.
Some of it is ok, just looks like they didn't finish

I'm in the middle of painting that mower deck and will post the final result. Sure looks nice from ten feet away.

That's why TSC can sell these things under $100 when on sale and made in USA.
I bet the manufacturer as at least 30 seconds of weld time in the manufacturing process.

I added weld and reinforcement to the L angles. Mine is good for over the 500 lb. rating now.