7018 weld advise. Pics.

[Hersheyfarm]

So keeping 7018 in a air tight container isn’t good enough? How you know when they went bad?

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I have a thread on tbn somewhere asking about 6013/7014/7018 comparisons for filler/top pass, and I came away with the opinion that for most hack welders like myself, it's all the same except 7018 is also a prima-donna when it comes to storage. BTW outside of the US, 6013 is used for root passes. Here's a quick article: E613 Welding Rod, What Can You Do With It? | Everlast Generators

Most welders I worked with in the pipe trade were the type that always said: don't blame the machine, the material, the rod, or the fitter; just figure out how to overcome the negatives. Yes 6013 and even 6014 can be used as a root pass, its just a little harder to get full penetration. Closer fit and higher heat (amps) gets the penetration for that reverse side bead.. Don't skimp on amps for the filler passes to prevent overlap that traps slag along the edges or grind the edges out to shiny bare metal. to prevent slag in your bead keep the heat directed toward the bead just laid called back hand welding. The heavy slag is your enemy but necessary to make the rod work and keep out impurities.

Ron

 

[user.69169]

Lay spec sheets 6013 and 7018 side by side and you see pretty much same numbers as welded.
7018 got little more ductility.
6010 - 11 different rod, Fast freeze for root pass.

Few years back Irish fellow on WanabeWeb pointed out 2/3 de globe pipe is welded 6010 root, 6013 out for cap and it works. Posted up big bunch of pics f his work.
6013 dcen
Dis country all nuts for 7018 "because enginitwit spec it", dey sure do because enginitwit don't know how to weld so he just copies what guy before him speck. Remember, whole train load of enginitwits designed dat bridge down at Florida International and watched collapse long before dey got few hundred people dancin on de bridge.

Got whole bunch ExSpertz too gonna weld out 1/8 angle wid 7018 for strength. Sure dey are.
Nother bunch get all jumpin up blatherin how 6013 only good for sheet metal, dey read someplace. Too bad dey didn't keep readin and learn all steel up to 1" thick is SHEET. Over 1" is PLATE. But hey you can't get in trouble by bein in middle of sheep, right.
I pretty sure few tons of 6013 leave rod plant every day and it sure ain't gettin made to sit in warehouse accumulating. Know for sure comes in 3/16 diameter too. You think dat for 1/8 steel?

You get good enough to hire onto Code job employer gonna teach you what he wants you to know.. Den you watch guys dippin 6010 - 11 in water can before dey strike arc.

Storage- You makin Code welds gonna be Xrayed? If not, put rod on shelf in dry location and forget all de storage crap you saw in internet.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

“Dry location”

Is that in barn with no heat/ac? Or in a basement?

 

[user.69169]

I'd go wid barn long as de roof don't leak or sweat cause barn built wrong. Fairly stable temperature.
Cellar OK if not damp.

Rod gotta have some moisture or coating drys and falls off.

 

[the old grind]

Highest humidity in my house right now is downstairs in the machine shop at ~35%. All my rods and unmounted spools are indoors, upstairs and open to say 25-35% if not questionable and sent to the rod oven for a few days before a 'job', which often should wait until I'm halfway capable.

btw, sad to see that several lbs of rod I was given had been damp for a while (threw 'em in with a free Miller) and showed rust on the exposed ends. IIRC they bore a flux type that all but demanded clean metal, say like most 70xx vs so many 60xx series. They're not all I have of size/series, but I don't expect to even try welding with them.

Thanks again to Hersheyfarm for letting us pipe up in the thread, and to (removed) for coming across so well in front of the class.

Merry Christmas, guys!

 

[user.69169]

Dangit, I come across well again. You guys gonna ruin my Cowledge purfesser image wid dat.

Saturnalia lookin good fer 2020-- Saturn not mad at us and Sun comin back. Actually clicked up 1° today.

Not gonna get into rod oven subject. Nobody here welding to code, and only 3 limecoat SS rods I know of in a bud vase in china cabinet as memorial to man who taught me many lessons.. Pete was one of de best, did wid SS stick what most can't wid Heliarc. Them rods rode in toolboxes for years to remind me dat man.

You get job goin where der rod tender and you turn stubs in for count from beer can in holster we talk bout ovens..

 

[Sarge338]

With 7018, you can just about run the bead with the stick touching the part. You can give yourself a little bit more arc length than that, but you want to keep it pretty tight. Also, if you manipulate the stick just a little, that will flatten out the profile a bit. Just don’t go too wide with the manipulation, or you could get slag inclusions in your weld. “Weave” the bead the width of your rod core, and see how that looks. Just a simple back-n-forth with a brief pause on each side. 7018 isn’t really meant for manipulation (hence the small movement), but I had to do it in class to drop that crown some. Your rod angle for that flat plate should be about 15 degrees from straight up.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

Just stacking coins on top of 7018 with 6011.
Preparing for test(joking lol)

 

[GeneV]

When practicing, one tip I picked up from youtube is to run beads in opposite directions, as in run a bead left to right, next one practice doing right to left, flip the coupon 90 deg and run beads back to front and then front to back. Pretty good practice.