Structural Steel

[GaryM]

Ok want to further my welding skill and have been doing a lot of stick welding and ran a 3/4" plate but weld off the procedures outlined for my stated performance standard. It took a lot of passes with 7018 to finish out the weld with 3/32 should have used 1/8 but did not have any.

There is a picture posted of the weld when it was all done. The cover pass looks like crap to me but I have no idea what one should look like. I did a really good job of cleaning between each pass. The slag came off so nice. The set up at 110A looks to be about right. At least that is what I think.

Please tell me what to do different.

Gary

[Canuck]

Gary,what position was this weld done in? If it is flat then you could even use 5/32 rod to speed things a bit but 1/8 is okay to use aswell. What guide lines did follow? As far as the cap pass is I think you moved a bit fast on the weave just try to slow it down a bit. And remember the only position that you have to weave in is vertical if it is not vertical then you run overlapping stringer beads.
Hope this helps.

[GaryM]

I went off WABO Washington Association of Building Officials. The weld was done in 1G or flat, it was the frist one ever.

So you are saying on my cap i could have just made a couple passes a litte hotter to get a nice flat weld and that would have be ok?

Before any more practicing is done i am going to get some 1/8 and 5/32 rod. I think on the bigger rod that my synco 180 does not have enough of a duty cycle to get anything done. Should have my dynasty 300dx in 2 weeks. Then I can run bigger rod quite well.


Gary

[Canuck]

If the code dose not require a weave for the cap then I would run 3-4 overlapping stringers. And for 3/4 plate the heavier rod should work better. That weave was really wide for 3/32 rod. I to have not run 5/32 rod yet on my 180sd around here I can just about everything with 3/32 and 1/8 6010 and 7018.
Keep on trying and I am sure that you will get it.