vertical stick welding

[trotsky2]

I am welding a roof together rhs 100x50x2mm, have made trusses and am joining them up on the roof with noggings same size. problem is i can't seem to get a good vertical joint due to inexperience. my welder is cigweld easywelder (135A) sticks are 2.5mm satincraft, please give me some tips to help me, peter

[Rocky D]

Welcome to the forum, Peter. Those of us in the USA are probably unfamiliar with your machine and electrodes...hopefully someone down under will recognize it and give you more specific information. As to your poor fit up...is it gaps you are having difficulty with? or machine settings?

[thingy]

Yeah,you need to match up rods to polarity,,e6010 you use dcep[+] for your stinger for example,different rods run different,[6010 verses 7018],,than you got the uphill verses downhill thing,,but you pretty much said it when you said you didn't have experence doing it,,maybe have someone give you a little lessen or take a stick course somewhere at a school,,welding is not something you can just learn when you start a project that needs welding,lotta skill,tricks,involved,its not near as easy as they sometimes make it look on tv,,right? thingy

[trotsky2]

Welcome to the forum, Peter. Those of us in the USA are probably unfamiliar with your machine and electrodes...hopefully someone down under will recognize it and give you more specific information. As to your poor fit up...is it gaps you are having difficulty with? or machine settings?

ok Rocky now i can elaborate in the correct language, the vertical welds that i am doing are four inches high, the machine is a single phase 15 amp machine.
The welds that i finish up with looks like ****y **** due to trying to fill in the gaps.
If i have the current on high the moltem metal runs too quick or i blow holes in the metal, if i have it on too low the molten metal still runs too quick, i did a welding course in 1994, i can weld right side up and upside down but the vertical i still can't get right.
I did find a link yesterday that helped indicating that i should have no greater arc than the width of the electrode, so that indicated i should use low current,
One thing that i am not sure of is whether i should vertical up or down.
cya m8

[Rocky D]

G'day Peter...the verticals are normally up, however you can do down, but the trick is not to let the flux get in your way. If you have a gap you will need to whip the rod out of the puddle and let it freeze some to keep from 'packing a sad' mate. For verticals you will need to turn down the heat some and keep a short arc. hope this helps.

[trotsky2]

G'day Peter...the verticals are normally up, however you can do down, but the trick is not to let the flux get in your way. If you have a gap you will need to whip the rod out of the puddle and let it freeze some to keep from 'packing a sad' mate. For verticals you will need to turn down the heat some and keep a short arc. hope this helps.

Thanks Rocky, down with the heat and short arc i will and i think the vertical up is for me but we'll see, i really should be be grinding the slag out but i'm balancing on a ladder, the old back has seen better days and I've just had a rotator cuff, so i'm getting a bit lazy,your advice will definitely help, oh by the way, the other post, 53 same girl 30 years 3 grown up kids that won't leave home, cya m8

[hmburner]

I went to college to take a millwrights course back when i was young and handsome. Part of the course was learning how to weld anything that might break on the jobsite. The instructor taught me that as a general rule of thumb,3/16" or less you weld downhill and more than 3/16" you always weld uphill. Been using this method for twenty years now and it has never failed me. If you really want to perfect your skills,practice welding uphill in 316L stainless.......thats and art

Bill

[trotsky2]

I went to college to take a millwrights course back when i was young and handsome. Part of the course was learning how to weld anything that might break on the jobsite. The instructor taught me that as a general rule of thumb,3/16" or less you weld downhill and more than 3/16" you always weld uphill. Been using this method for twenty years now and it has never failed me. If you really want to perfect your skills,practice welding uphill in 316L stainless.......thats and art

Bill

well thanks to to that old bloke wherever he is, and thanks to you for passing the message on, I will weld down on my 1/16" (2mm) RHS.
One day I will graduate to stainless but my dream is to weld an aluminium hull for a plane or boat, when i get time! all the best, Peter Holmes

[Clay Walters]

... the old back has seen better days and I've just had a rotator cuff, so i'm getting a bit lazy,..., 53 same girl 30 years 3 grown up kids

ditto :D

I only tinker at it and have never had much luck on anything other than flat. When I have too do it I have had better luck on verticle down. I guess one day when I've nothing else going on I should get some scrap out and practice some of that. :rolleyes:

Regards,

Clay

[trotsky2]

ditto :D

I only tinker at it and have never had much luck on anything other than flat. When I have too do it I have had better luck on verticle down. I guess one day when I've nothing else going on I should get some scrap out and practice some of that. :rolleyes:

Regards,

Clay

Gee I wish I had time to practice but I need to finish building this house, I guess in reality we are practicing all of our lives at one thing or another, all the best, Peter Holmes