First time arc welding- what do you think?

[72chevynoob]

On a whim, I decided to try out our old arc welder today. It is century welder, 250 amp ac or dc. I had it on dc with 6011 rod. Below are some pictures, what do you think? Any advice? And what rod should I be using? Almost everything we weld is thicker than 1/8"
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[ETsC10]

Extremely nice beads for a noob! ...and I'll leave the comments
from the pros on the welding questions.

Personally, I'm 3rd generation metal worker yet am afraid of
the strike(!) Something other than arc welding, I'm OK.
But I certainly do recognize a good weld.

CONGRATS! You are doing great!!




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[72chevynoob]

Originally Posted by ETsC10

Extremely nice beads for a noob! ...and I'll leave the comments
from the pros on the welding questions.

Personally, I'm 3rd generation metal worker yet am afraid of
the strike(!) Something other than arc welding, I'm OK.
But I certainly do recognize a good weld.

CONGRATS! You are doing great!!




.

Thanks! At least I know I'm on the right track! And thanks for flipping the welder pic. By the way, I'm not a complete noob, I can use a mig welder fairly proficiently, this is just my first time on arc.
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[ETsC10]

Originally Posted by macartneyl

I remember our first welding lesson and Its completely bad. Well probably if you have a recently welding experience there is nothing you have to worry.
If you have NO welding experience, the first place to start is a course. you can do a weekend TAFE course ... are not overly priced and can do steel and (if you are really good at it) Aluminum.
Arc is cheap and can produce good strong welds, but its not as forgiving as MIG and its...

First off....WELCOME to the board! You're going to love it here!!!

Yup. A simple Community College weekend or night class or, as available in many towns through the Chamber of Commerce and the like, are a great way
to go. All the basics and options are taught and you don't have to own your own equipment.

I went to a Community College for machinist training and welding was one of the requirements...never did tell Dad they taught me more than he did.

...only that I aced it!

[donut]

The 60xx wire is fine for most stuff, depends on what's handy.
Depending on your heat and size wire, "whip" the 10,11 series wire (stack of dimes..)

7018 is very common, easy to weld with, and "pretty". It's pretty much "stab and run" But generally it does take more heat to run it.

Advise, slow down. Don't be afraid to let the puddle build. Keep practicing
My welding was far better 10 yrs ago, when I did it everyday.

[PanelDeland]

I agree with the above.I've never been a good weldor(this spelling is used for the person welder is used for the machine) but I do weld slightly better than that with stick after a few passes.I just don't weld often enough to keep my skills up to even what I can do.Practice is the key.

[ssapach]

If memory serves me correctly, 6011 is the cellulose electrode meant for AC welding. Provides basically the same weld as a 6010 run on DC+.

I'll say it's not so bad for a beginner, I don't doubt that my first welds were much worse off than that! The bead second from the bottom is looking the most consistent and closer to a decent travel speed and amperage setting.

6010/6011 rods don't necessarily need to be "whipped" while you are welding, you can simply drag them across the metal. It really all depends what you are trying to achieve. But whipping it will give you more metal deposit, deeper penetration and overall a heavier weld with a more desirable profile.

I would also agree to try and hit up one of the trade schools for evening or weekend classes. I went to Lakeland College in Vermilion for my welding ticket, and I know that they used to do evening classes for anyone wanting to learn. When you go for a welding ticket in Alberta, there is no doubt that the emphasis is still on stick welding (aka SMAW) and I actually find that I can weld better with the stick welder than with the mig.

If you want to try thin material with the stick welder, 6013 rods will be your friend. They easy to weld with, burn cooler and will weld on dirty metal. Sometimes referred to as "the farmer rod". But if you want something good and strong or to weld larger/heavier pieces, then 7018 will be your friend.

This is how 6010 looks when it's been "whipped". We used to refer to it in school as the manipulative technique.

[72chevynoob]

I was going to take the course last fall, but was late with signup. It is offered at a local high school, I actually took it before for mig. The teacher actually knows his stuff and welds proffessionally. I will probably take it this fall for stick then, and just practice and check youtube until then.
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[johnnyclack]

I was running rod before there was wire……

Both 6011 & 6011 need to be whipped, I call it oscillation.

This is done by moving out of your molten puddle the width of your welding rod then back up into it connecting your white metal (puddle) then move out again same distance (rod width). This is what gives the bead what is referred to a stacked coin appearance. It takes time to develop & maintain this rhythm. This movement is much more precise with stick welding then wire feed, wire feed is much more forgiving.

As pointed out earlier 6010 & 6011 both have a cellulose flux, and therefore draw moister giving the rod a shelf life. If you are just starting to play around with stick make sure rod is fresh (buy small amounts) after your familiar with running stick you will have a feel for running “wet rod”. And yes I have both of these rod’s in water (not under water, but in water)

Do not overlook YOUTUBE for tutorial lesions, there are many out there to choose from so good & some not so good.


Now go burn some rod

[72chevynoob]

I found an awesome channel on youtube for beginning arc welders : http://www.youtube.com/user/ChuckE2009 He seems to know his stuff, and I found out what I am doing wrong. I guess I have done too much mig welding, because I was pushing instead of dragging the puddle, and like some of you guys mentioned, I was going too fast. One more question, I have the welder set at 130-140 amps, and it works for me, but in the videos his was only set at 85-90. Is this a problem? Or is it just because I am using old sticks?
Thanks for all the help!

[johnnyclack]

You’re on the right track, for old rod more heat is often required, for fresh rod heat range for 1/8” 6010/6011 is usually between 85-100 amps depending on metal thickness.

Also heat tends to build sooner with stick-VS-wire so be sure to let your welds cool (some) when running multiple passes.

[MYBAD66]

going to school at the local CSN for welding tech and aviation tech and those are some damn fine welds friend! currently taking my basic SMAW and TIG classes SMAW wooh is it fun....and HOT! can't count how many burns i've gotten even while wearing all my leathers. TIG tho....eesh thats a whole different ball game

[fp1967]

72chevynoob, my opinion is don't worry about what number the amps are set at, to me it seems the number is inconsistent on different brand welders. It seems to me if you take a Lincoln 225 amp ac welder and a Miller 225 amp ac welder and set them both at say 90 amps, the Lincoln seems hotter. So the Miller needs to be turned up a little more. Lots of large industrial welders don't have amp numbers on the dials, it is just a scale from 1-100. You have to get used to the welder you are using and adjust from there.

[donut]

Ditto. Actually, the individual machines will differ also. It's ultimately up to you to set it.

Service intervals, how it was last used... Jump on an 8 pack machine that has been used for arc gouging for the past week, your dial may read 150 amps for +/- 90 that your running, if it runs at all.

[jeh]

I have been a Pipeliner for 18 years and its a hard trade to try to teach people.( I'm trying to teach my son now) If you get your amps and volts dialed in the best thing to do is keep practicing running beads till you get the results your happy with. That's my .02

[NONHOG]

That's cool. My friends dad taught welding at a local CC. Iwas pre teen when I 1st arc welded. then not again till Jr. high. Last I arc welded was HS.
Love to try it again. Been over 30 years.
Keep up the good work!