Got any vertical up gems of knowledge?

[Haywire]

I'm practicing uphill stick. Seems more practical than just flat or fillet. I'm using 3/32" 6011 at 50a DCEP. I've tried the various weave patterns.. frowns, triangles, squares, unicorns, daisy pedals... . Little circles seem to work best for me. As is the norm, a constant movement is easier for me instead of a stop, pause and change direction kind of thing. Left is my first attempt (1/8" 6011, 100a), middle is where I stopped tonight with the 3/32 6011, and right is downhill with 3/32 7018.

Any recommendations other than put on the helmet again and get back with us when you've burned 50# more? :laughing:

 

[nybirdman]

Your are doing O.K.,I would save the 7018 down hill until you get really good.
7018 up hill with a clean surface or 6010 root.
I think you will find it easier to practice with the inside of an angle,some place for the puddle to go.
Or try open butt root with 6010 and 7018 out.that's the standard for us Old pipefitters.!

 

[Shield Arc]

Haywire running a vertical bead on a flat plate is hard for anybody to make look good. Maybe get some 1" x 1/4" flatbar and do fillet welds.
Until you find what method works best for you, try a J motion.

 

[tb525]

You can also try doing a box weave with the 6010/6011. And I would stick with 1/8 rod while you're learning. The 3/32 6011 will get hot a lot quicker and the arc characteristics will change..

 

[Renze]

Downhill vertical welding is the most easy weld to make look good... however the chance of poor penetration (just a droop which is melted against the steel, but can be pried loose with a screwdriver because it didnt penetrate) is big.

for vertical welding you need to lower the amps and the wire feed. Or in case of stick welding, just the amps and perhaps use a smaller electrode.

Vertical up welding is only done when heavy welds are required, at great strength. For cosmetic welds, down welding gives better looks.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Using 7018 for downhill should not be done. The only time to do this is with really thin material or when all you want is an air seal. Boilermakers sometimes downhill the boiler external skin at the corners. It is just to produce an air tight joint as it has very little weld metal or strength.
Welding uphill on a flat plate is the hardest to make look good as it want to drip down on you. Much easier to weld in a groove. For 6011, horseshoe motion or the modified U as depicted in the previous post would work well. Dont do that with 7018, as you arent supposed to step this rod, you want to just weave it from side to side in a zigzag pattern while hesitating a moment on each side to allow it to tie in. Watch the puddle and not the rod as you move to each side, you will first get some undercut into the base metal but hesitate with your rod and watch the puddle till the undercut fills up then weave to the other side and repeat. You can weave the low hydrogen rods 3-5 wire diameters without a problem but the wider your weave the faster your oscillation speed needs to be and more amperage is needed to keep your puddle molten. If you go too slow or run too cold, you will get a fish scale weave which some folks think is pretty, but it is easy to have non fusion or trapped slag in these wide weave pattern. A close weave with very small ripples is preferred. Save the fish scale pattern till you get very good at welding.

 

[Gary Fowler]

TB 525 also gave you some great advice on using 1/8" 6010. I find that the 3/32 dont carry much metal and get hot quickly and when they start turning black, the arc gets erratic. They are ok for root passes on 2" and below pipe or really thin metal where you just want to fuse them together. I see some folks saying they used 1/16" rods but I cant imagine welding with those as the 3/32 are so flimsy that you can barely keep them in place and couldnt carry enough weld metal to be of use. If I were welding something that thin, I would use TIG or oxy/acetylene.

 

[Haywire]

I was doing some downhill with 1/8" 6011 at 110a last night. I'll let you guys point out the uphill... you know the tune.. ♫♫ One of these things is not like the other, one of these things is just not the same...♫♫ The thing that makes downhill easier for me is that I can see what the puddle is doing behind the rod. I slow down when I see it isn't filling in and speed up when I see it's piling up. I think what I need to do is cover up good and get the weld above eye level so I can see what the puddle is doing.

 

[Shield Arc]

I think what I need to do is cover up good and get the weld above eye level so I can see what the puddle is doing.

That's OK for now, but that's a bad habit to get into! Especially when you get into overhead welding!

 

[Haywire]

I suppose what I need to do is get to where I can stop, pause and reverse direction consistently. I just flat can't do it. Hence the little circles.

Ian