arc/stick welders, need some help
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 410
Likes: 1
From: West Virginia
arc/stick welders, need some help
I am teaching myself to stick weld. I've done MIG for a while, but this is a different ball of wax. If you would not mind giving my welds a look over and give me some constrictive criticism, I would be thank full.
This one is straight down. Seems a little dark, sorry.
This is from the side. The red arrows are areas of concern to me. Seems to me I'm having undercutting. I've tried different amps and stick angles but I keep getting this crap on the weld toe.
The other side.
I'm getting good penetration in my welds (I think). I stuck two 1/4" plates together, just gaped and burned no bevel or root pass, fill pass or cap pass. I just wanted to see about the penetration of my welds. I could not break the weld or even bend it. Penetration was a little over half the thickness of the plate (I cut through the weld to check).
All in all I don't think I did too bad for my first day at it. I'm still hoping for some advice so I can get better.
Thanks,
Buck
This one is straight down. Seems a little dark, sorry.
This is from the side. The red arrows are areas of concern to me. Seems to me I'm having undercutting. I've tried different amps and stick angles but I keep getting this crap on the weld toe.
The other side.
I'm getting good penetration in my welds (I think). I stuck two 1/4" plates together, just gaped and burned no bevel or root pass, fill pass or cap pass. I just wanted to see about the penetration of my welds. I could not break the weld or even bend it. Penetration was a little over half the thickness of the plate (I cut through the weld to check).
All in all I don't think I did too bad for my first day at it. I'm still hoping for some advice so I can get better.
Thanks,
Buck
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 173
Likes: 11
From: Danville KY
Buck, I worked as an iron worker for several years and was a certified welder, there's coal plants all over W Va still holding together with my welds that don't look much better than yours. The areas you're concerned about look like slag to me, kinda hard to tell in the pictures. Only advise I can give is burn a lot of rods, easy to tell you've done a lot of welding. Not a lot of folks stick welding these days.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 410
Likes: 1
From: West Virginia
Thank you for your response. Yes the areas I was concerned about were indeed slag. Never had to deal with it on MIG, even the flux wire does not leave that much slag to deal with.
I have gotten much better and burned about 1/4 a box of sticks. I have much better control of the stick and my welds look so much better then the ones I posted. I look at those pics and compare that to what I'm welding now and think the first ones suck. lol My weld puddles are much more uniform and closer together now.
I had some undercutting problems when I started horizontal beads. A little digging online I found my answer. Changed my stick movements from )))) to UUUUU and problem almost completely went away. Ran a few more beads and a couple of sticks and the horizontal beads look great too.
It's been a learning experience, but a fun one.
I have gotten much better and burned about 1/4 a box of sticks. I have much better control of the stick and my welds look so much better then the ones I posted. I look at those pics and compare that to what I'm welding now and think the first ones suck. lol My weld puddles are much more uniform and closer together now.
I had some undercutting problems when I started horizontal beads. A little digging online I found my answer. Changed my stick movements from )))) to UUUUU and problem almost completely went away. Ran a few more beads and a couple of sticks and the horizontal beads look great too.
It's been a learning experience, but a fun one.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 636
Likes: 0
From: Saskatoon
I looks like you are moving a little to fast or jerky make small circles with each circle slowing moving the direction that you are welding. the rod should be held at about 10-15 degrees rearward angle,meaning the top of the rod and your hand is ahead of the bottom .
If you have undercut on one side that means your not holding the rod vertical.Google Image Result for http://www.tpub.com/content/construction/14250/img/14250_144_2.jpg
If you have undercut on one side that means your not holding the rod vertical.Google Image Result for http://www.tpub.com/content/construction/14250/img/14250_144_2.jpg
