what causes the flux to burn off (unsquare), then almost spray arcing?

[out in the shop]

i have been running 7018 1/8 (hobart) straight out of a freshly opened 50 lb tin. i have been encountering a very annoying problem. i am sure weve all seen it, and its happen to me infrequently in the past. but this time it was almost every stick.
what causes the flux to burn off sideways? i end up having to manipulate the rod all over to compinsate for it. then it will start doing it again. i tried just jammin the rod in the puddle. and i can regain some control.
it was just utterly frustrating. i was running all overhead horizontal t.
i was running a miller legend engine driven. and it could be purely coincedental but i was burning alot of rod, probably 70% arc time. if the machine got a 3 or 4 or 5 min break while i prepped something. it seemed to weld well again for a pass or 2. i am no where near the limits of the machine (besides its a 100% at full amp machine).....could the gen. be getting hot and doing something wrong? or is it just ME?
THANKS in advance..todd

[Rocky D]

I can think of two reasons; arc blow, or a bad batch of rod. Have you tried them on AC?

[10Speed]

Have you tried to dry the rods in an oven, maybe the batch of rods you got had moisture leak into the box while they were sitting on the shelf.

Have you had any trouble with other rods, if not I would probably rule out the welder.

[out in the shop]

i actually did think "bad batch" i actually told that to my boss.
as much as i have requested from my employer....they wont buy an oven.
its kinda bad on multiple levels.. but to elabotate the rods i routinely get from the shop are "open aired" for extended periods (week,months). and have never really encountered this before in this degree.

i dont think arc blow at a little over 100 amps??????
no i didnt try ac, dont really care for ac unless its 7024 or achf (tig)

AND yes i have explained and explained and explained why there IS a need for a rod oven. but they dont really care...just do it.

i want able to try a different batch of 7018, i did actually have a bobcat on site and tried that machine, but imho a bad legend is still better than a good bobcat.....and it aint a GOOD bobcat.
id like to talk my outfit into a new ranger 250 or 300, or even a trailblazer. but it wont ever happen....... ever
the only way ill run one of those is with a different outfit.


so is there a diagnoses of probable causes and cures for this.
i know every one of you has had this happen. and you gotta be smarter than me todd

[TEK]

[QUOTE=out in the shop;322861]
i dont think arc blow at a little over 100 amps??????
QUOTE]


might be a taste low for 1/8 lo-hy. maybe bump it up some and see how it goes. I'm betting a bad batch. And it aint you Todd. You been around long enough.

[Rocky D]

The rod can be stored unheated, until you open the can...then it should be heated, but I have used unheated rod that had never been heated, and it ran just fine. You really can't consider it low hydrogen rod, after it has been exposed to air for 4 hours, from what I have been told, but it shouldn't do what you describe.

[weldrwomn]

The rod can be stored unheated, until you open the can...then it should be heated, but I have used unheated rod that had never been heated, and it ran just fine. You really can't consider it low hydrogen rod, after it has been exposed to air for 4 hours, from what I have been told, but it shouldn't do what you describe.

Exactly...

There is no point to having a low hydrogen rod if you aren't going to store it in an oven where it belongs. For any sort of important structural work, the 7018 is junk if it isn't stored in a rod oven at the proper temp.

[Craig in Denver]

I read on the internet that 7014 isn't so dang sensitive to moisture. I think it'll keep much better.

FWIW: I suck at stick.

[out in the shop]

your preachin to the chior(MS) about the rod oven, i know, i know. i have explained about hydrogen embrittlement, i have explained its my cert. but their insurance. i even told them i could find one cheap for them on ebay.
lowhigh is not lowhigh if its soaked in H2O and the flux acts as a desiccent.

[out in the shop]

[QUOTE=TEK;322862]

i dont think arc blow at a little over 100 amps??????
QUOTE]


might be a taste low for 1/8 lo-hy. maybe bump it up some and see how it goes. I'm betting a bad batch. And it aint you Todd. You been around long enough.

it a guess , these miller engine drivens dont give you an exact amperage
you have a rough guage then fine with 0-10. i just find where it runs good without undercut and go with that. but you may be right. i have seen (better) weldors than me able to run hotter than me. with far better results and no flaws...but i am not a fulltime welder,i am a millwright, so i dont have 8 hours a day x5 to fine tune my technique. i weld on an irrregular basis..
i really dont enjoy stick welding all that much, at home i never stick weld. its tig or mig
when i burnt my cert plates (d1.1) 1 inch plates oh and v. i ran aroot at about 140amp, then backed down to125. as the plates warmed i progressively lowered the amps to around 100. maybe right? maybe wrong? but they both passed!
i will be the 1st to admit, i am not the BEST WELDER, i am ok . and maybe running a little low on the amps is a crutch. but i cant see the amperage being a big factor in this problem, seeing is how sometimes it ran good , sometimes not....and the dial is 100 ft from me. so i didnt change it. i just dont know???

[DrIQ]

If you are consistantly getting the arc burning off one side of the electrode you probibly have a batch of rods that are refered to as off center. If you break the fingernail of flux off the end of the electrode the core wire will be covered with a thinner coating of flux on one side, this causes the arc to burn off to the side with the thinner flux. The arc becomes long and results in the spray type transfer due to the flux fingernailing.

[Jonesy70]

I have to say it is a bad batch of rod...Pich it and get a diffrent can with a diffrent batch number

[out in the shop]

well i really appreciate your votes of confidence. i was hoping that, and i cant tell either way.....so ill go with that. but i would have to say i would have more confidence in hobarts ability to make welding rod,than of me laying it in. thanks guys , todd

[Hammack_Welding]

This may sound crazy, but what condition are your cables in? I experienced this problem once, and it never seemed to start until after a few rods were burned. Turned out I had a bad connection in my stinger and the cables and stinger would heat up a bit, and the arc would start acting crazy. After discovering the problem I had with the stinger, I replaced the stinger, and even though I would not have thought it, the welder seemed to weld fine afterwards. Just a thought.

[out in the shop]

funny you mention that...when the job was all done. my firewatch was wrapping up the leads and pulled the cable right out of one of the dinse connectors on the ground side. hhhmmmm loose connection very possible..
of course i find it at the END OF THE JOB and really didnt put 2 and 2 together. but i think you may be on to something. i usually request that machine (legend) becuase it welds way better than our bobcats. its an older power supply, but i think it was the papa to the trailblazer(and in that general generator family) and it welds very nicely....but i was feeling a little let down that day(days)