picture worth a thousand words

[digger2]

I would start by practicing on things that dont matter.Way back in 73
when i first started my journey into the welding world,we started laying beads on a 1/4"x6"x6" steel plate,running bead after bead, side by side
like the matches in a matchbook.Do one side full of beads then flip it and do the other side full and so on.You are just practicing laying beads and not wasting much metal...just rods.But thats what it takes...practice,and theres no way around it.It takes time and lots of it.
I've seen guys give up because they could'nt get the hang of holding the arc,or because they had trouble with the rod sticking.Or because the welds look like bird terds.Everybody whos ever tried to learn the skill has been there,including myself.Welding is an art and once you learn it it will be worth it.
Keep at it,eventually you will get better.But as has been stated
learning from somebody who has experience will be worth tons and save you
lots of time and trouble...........good luck.

digger2

 

[IslandTractor]

. my helment is a h. f. red one for $60. it has 9-13 variable adj. & grind mode. i started out at 12 then gradually turned it down to 9 but still can`t see the edge of metal to follow the arc, i can see the arc ok but can`t see where i`m going & i`m not in the smoke what is wrong. ??

do i need a better helment, if so which one i do not want to spend over 150 that is half the price of the welder.

As someone who started welding not too long ago I found the most difficult aspect of welding was learning to focus on the puddle and see it through the smoke/dark/whatever. It is a challenge and as others have pointed out, practice is what is needed. I would certainly not suggest welding on your equipment with the current level of experience you have.

Just get some scrap and use the 7014 drag rod so you can spend your effort and focus on seeing the puddle. Once you really can see it you will find it easier to monitor though the smoke etc. It is almost never as clear in real life as it seems in some of the videos on youtube though unless you are using gas MIG or TIG welding. You just need to learn to look through the flux smoke just like you learn to look through the snow when you are driving.

I find that I use the lower settings of my auto helmet (8-9) more than higher settings just to help see the puddle. The other trick I found was to add some very high intensity light in the form of halogen work lights that I set up fairly close and focus right on the area to be welded. If the extra light is enough to make you squint without the helmet, it will be helpful once the helmet kicks in.

Agree with all the other comments about proper clothing, high top steel toed boots, cotton clothing, no synthetics and pants legs outside boots.

 

[gwdixon]

wow, lots of good advise, thank you all.

welding school is to far away [ i am just at the edge of the sticks } nobody around that i can snag for help, so i`m pretty much on my own but i have lots of help here.

i`m using 7018 { new } 3/32 rod bought 10# of lincoln. my helment is a h. f. red one for $60. it has 9-13 variable adj. & grind mode. i started out at 12 then gradually turned it down to 9 but still can`t see the edge of metal to follow the arc, i can see the arc ok but can`t see where i`m going & i`m not in the smoke what is wrong. ??

do i need a better helment, if so which one i do not want to spend over 150 that is half the price of the welder.
i got at h. f. welder apron combo pack the gloves are for a giant & the apron & cuffs are for a midget.

if i need to get different rods i will, 6011 6010, 7014 which one to start with. ?
& no i did not clean the metal very good to start from now on i will grind it clean .
the local welding store doesn`t carry a whole lot of stuff any suggestions on a supplier i can call or web site that you fellows use.

i welded some cross pieces on my grapple last night, don`t know if i should post them, not pretty. i found out welding upside down doesn`t work...

thanks again, candyman

See, I told you you'd get some good advice.:thumbsup:

7018 is not the best rod for seeing the puddle. It has a lot of slag that tends to cover things up.

Try a little (5 lbs.) of 6011. It strikes easily, doesn't have much slag, and the puddle is MUCH easier to see. An extra benefit is that it is a deep penetration rod so will get a better grip on the base metal - things won't fall off as easily.

It is easier to do overhead for some with 6011 because it is a fast freeze (solidifies rapidly) rod. 7018 tends to drip or sag - as you probably found out.

The 6011 needs to be held just a bit away from the metal to keep the arc going so that takes a little practice. The welds are usually butt-ugly for a beginner but don't mind that for now.

Your helmet is probably just fine. There are better ones out there but many folks use the HF helmet without issue.

Try the halogen light trick mentioned for better illumination. HF has a 500w small one for less than $10 (with a coupon, I think).

Don't worry about posting pictures. In fact, your best advice will come from them. Notice that nobody talked down to you or berated what you are doing. These guys genuinely want to help.

Looking forward to more photos of your practice beads.

 

[deereman75]

one other thing. If you dont want your hair on fire (trust me it sucks) get a welding hat. I got mine for $10 at air liquide. the brim can either cover the back of your neck, or your ear. I have seen a lot of fire balls fall into my helmet, and thanks to the hat, they havnt burned me. (on the head at least) Also, please dont weld using running shoes. I normally wear high top leather steel toed boots, but one day I had just a bead or 2 to do, and I was too lazy to put them off. Of course one of the fire balls falls into my shoe. If I wasnt wearing wool socks, my foot would have been badly burned.

 

[Shield Arc]

my helment is a h. f. red one for $60. it has 9-13 variable adj. & grind mode. i started out at 12 then gradually turned it down to 9 but still can`t see the edge of metal to follow the arc, i can see the arc ok but can`t see where i`m going

I don't know how old you are, but you might start looking at dollar store reading glasses. Try to find ones that give you the clearest vision at about 12 to 16 inches from your eyes. If / when you start Tig welding you'll want the focal point a little closer.


Another thing, if you go with 6013, or 7014 these rods require more of a rod angle. You really have to force the slag behind the puddle. Or you'll get slag inclusion like you won't believe!

 

[rhett]

This link is a helpful chart for the shop. Print a copy for reference.
Rod Selector for Stick Welding

These guys are near Ohio, Ground shipping should be reasonably fast.
WELDINGSUPPLY.COM - Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

or google "welding supplies" / "welding supplies in Ohio" for a seemingly endless list of suppliers :confused2:

 

[KubotainNH]

This link is a helpful chart for the shop. Print a copy for reference.
Rod Selector for Stick Welding

Nice chart, that's a keeper.

 

[flusher]

& then some.

i`m probably should not post this it is real bad, but that is how you learn.

tell me all the things i did wrong & how to correct them. my first time ever welding. i bought a powerarc 200 from mark .
one of the many problems i`m havng is the rod keeps sticking & i can`t see what i`m doing, the shade # is to dark. ?
i`ve got a lot to learn & a long way to go.


oh, also when your cutting metal with a grinder, be careful that you know where to sparks are going.!!!

some may think boy that guy is a real bozo, well..

candyman

Get yourself a few boxes of 7014 and 7024 drag rods. They're easy to use and you'll get more proficient faster with these rods. Google these rod numbers to get more info on their use.

After gaining confidence, try 6011 (a fast freeze, high penetration rod).

Weld two-handed, not one handed.

Stick to horizontal welds while learning (vertical and overhead welds take quite a bit of practice to do effectively).

Move the rod slowly, don't be in a hurry.

Adjust the setting on your autodarkening helment so you can see the puddle clearly. The key to successful welding is to take your time and watch the edges of the puddle--that's where you tie in the weld material to the base material--very important to do this correctly in order to get a full strength weld.

Practice, practice, practice. Figure you'll have to burn at least a few hundred rods before you get the hang of it.

Sticking rods--increase the current by 10-20 amps and control the gap to 1/8" or so. Gap control comes gradually with more practice.

Good luck.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

The ugly thing about your pics wasn't the welds, it was what you were welding on! Zero practice, zero experience, zero preparation is not a good combination when welding on your valuable equipment. Do not weld on anything else of value until you take some of the advice here and weld on some properly prepared scrap, starting on the flat. Even the best professional welders will often make some passes on a piece of scrap to get set up for a job.

In your pics you were trying to weld through heavy paint and even a warning sticker. All of that plastic will contaminate the weld and create a smoky fire that will obscure your vision and fill your helmet with poisonous smoke.

7018 is sensitive to contamination so you really want to gently grind to bare shiny metal for an inch around your weld. Get a chipping hammer and wire brush. The combo chipper/brush tools are good. In your pics the welds are still covered in slag. You can't tell what the weld looks like until you chip and brush off the slag. I also recommend getting another grinder and keeping a wire brush on it. It will do a great job of cleaning all of the slag off a weld and all of the soot from the surrounding area. If you are going to make a second pass all of the first pass slag needs to be cleaned off before you start.

You can try dragging the 7018 rods too. Start the arc and tilt the rod towards the puddle , then just rest the flux coating against the metal and let the bead burn down the rod while you do nothing but maintain the coating in contact along the path you want to weld. If your heat is adjusted right you should get a nice looking bead and the flux should peel off on it's own as the weld cools. Do all of this on scrap plate! Then try different joint types, welding them and tearing them apart to see how strong your welds are.

Good luck, take your time, and have fun!

 

[candyman]

thank you all for the great advice, i`ll get some scrap & practice& with some different rods.
i`ll get some good cloting . i see h. f. has fiberglass welding blankets what are they for. ?
so the helment i have is ok. ? i saw in one of the videos the welder was holding the rod in one hand to steady it, how do you not get burned doing that.

candyman