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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / pipe welding help!
- - By FLA-welder Date 10-31-2011 23:30
Sorry if this is the wrong section but im a welding student needing advice on my root pass. This is with 1/8 6010, 1/8 inch gap and land schedule 80 carbon pipe in the 6g position. On the bottom left(my bad side) it seems like no matter what I do I will always have lack of penetration. I know it could be a few things but some tips would be greatly appreciated
Parent - - By Blaster (***) Date 10-31-2011 23:37
Assuming that you can get proper pen on the other side of the pipe, it is that you aren't seeing that you aren't maintaining the keyhole. 

If the electrode is between your eyes and the keyhole, you are welding at least partially blind.

You need to either weld it left handed or orient your hands so that they are out of the way. 

In either case you must get your eyes behind the electrode so you can watch the keyhole.
Parent - - By FLA-welder Date 11-01-2011 01:07
im sorry im actually having trouble on the whole bottom half, i meant to say the left side was even worse, sorry for not clarifying as well as i should have.
Parent - By Tyler1970 (***) Date 11-01-2011 01:48
man. just try to tighten up your gap just a little bit and try that.
Parent - By Blaster (***) Date 11-01-2011 02:01
In that case it is likely you are not sticking the tip of the rod in tight enough.  I like to keep a slight drag on it and prefer to keep the tip in close the whole time.  If you start putting weld on the bevel faces rather than between the lands the pipe can close up on you.

If you are jerking it off, forward and back, you may be going too far foward or not coming back soon enough... you could try not less movement.

An 1/8" root is plenty... an 1/8" land is pretty heavy, especially for a 1/8" rod.  Personally I like 3/32 x 3/32.

More current couldn't hurt.  If you have a dig control on the power source you may want to turn it up.

Regardless pene is all about maintaining the keyhole.  If you don't have a good keyhole, for goodness sake change something - don't keep welding or all you will accomplish in another bad root.  :grin:
Parent - By Rafter_G_Weldin (***) Date 11-01-2011 03:53
Lessen your gap and land. Turn up the heat just a little stick the rod in and burn it in don't step it just drag it. Works just fine for me
Parent - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 11-02-2011 00:05
1/8 gap and land, wow. I run a 3/32 ish gap and land up or downhill. When I do the bottom half I'll get down on one knee right under the pipe. I will face the pipe and it will angle up over my head, or at least be pointing that way. Then I'll strike the arc and and weld the root to the right. When done with that side I'll get grind and get back into to my crouching tiger hidden welder position. This time I'll be slightly to the left as I'm right handed. Usually I'll perch my left arm somehow as support/guide for my right. Then strike the arc, work into the opening and push the rod in and drag it up. As I get about 8the o'clock I'll start to push up off my knee. At about 9the o'clock I'm rising up pretty quick so I dont have to stop then continue until I reach my feathered weld at 12 o'clock.

On your root I've seen guys whip out and back, this is good if your root opens up as you can stack it and fill. Others push the rod in and drag up, kinda like running a downhill root. Dont know if anything I said will help, 90% is just running the rod until the light comes on in your head and you say, "ohhhhh". A revelation if you will. Good luck, like somebody said, change up things and try them out.
Parent - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 11-02-2011 00:07
You going uphill or downhill?
Parent - - By rcwelding (***) Date 11-02-2011 22:59
I had a dang good welder teach me to use a Saw Saw blade or a machete blad as a spacer. They are about a nickle wide which has worked well for me. If its small pipe I drop the test into some angle iron. This lines it up perfect.  I clamp one side down then put in the saw blade and clamp the other side. Now pull the blade and your gap is locked in. 1/2 in tacks on the sides, then drop the angle iron. I run between 100 120ams depending on the pipe thickness. Im not great at it yet but that has worked for me.
Parent - - By Chris2626 (***) Date 11-02-2011 23:27
Thanks rc I like that, you're right a machete is like the perfect thickness
Parent - - By rcwelding (***) Date 11-03-2011 02:09
Rick Harnish taught me that trick..  He said its great to have around as a spacer pluss sometimes you just need to Chop something.  Im not sure what he ment by that but the word on the firing line is his helper runs faster than any other helper..! Lol..!
Parent - - By Rafter_G_Weldin (***) Date 11-03-2011 04:16
Rick and a big knife is not a good combination lol
Parent - - By rcwelding (***) Date 11-03-2011 11:53
Lol..  Shad he gets this little evil grin when he's using that thing..!  He keeps it tucked under the skin on that 300D..  I think thats the ONLY reason he wont run a Vantage. No place to put his knife...!  Lol
Parent - By Rafter_G_Weldin (***) Date 11-04-2011 02:45
I have 1 tucked in the hood of my 200 it looks like a sword from the pirate days even has a hook on the end of it. I went for material today and they had a bucket full of new 1s for 3.75 each i bought 2 just in case i run into Rick lol
Parent - - By Chris2626 (***) Date 11-03-2011 04:24
I've heard of guys using the medal straps that they may use to bundle lumber together and take two of them and tack weld them together but that'll give ya about a 1/16 gap
Parent - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 11-03-2011 18:44
I like a .045 cutoff wheel, leaves a perfect gap for a 1/8" 6010.
Parent - By makeithot (***) Date 11-04-2011 17:36
Everyone has a technique that works well for them as you can see from the # of posts you have received. what works for me is a root gap slightly wider then 3/32 if using 1/8 rod and a land about the same that way if I have to zip cut the tight side all is good. I will normally set the heat just hot enough to maintain a key hole and keep the rod tip pushed in so all you see is a light ring on the back side you have to maintain a short arc length for this. Turning up the heat to achieve penetration is not always a good thing as it will have a tendency to suck the root back as it cools. leaving you with a concave profile. When welding out the pipe I run 6 - 9 , 3 - 12 , 9 - 12 and finally 6 - 3 o'clock this helps to distribute the heat so it does not build up to much on one side of the pipe which in turn will require you to adjust your heat as you go. Be sure to feather stops starts and tacks as you go. Works for me.
- - By hillbilly delux (***) Date 11-04-2011 05:31
OK. rig welders.....Test question.... What was the original use of the machette that almost all pipeliners carried way way back in the day?
Parent - - By Blaster (***) Date 11-04-2011 14:11
Rattlesnakes.
Parent - By rick harnish (***) Date 11-04-2011 14:53
Snakes was my answer as well. But as I was a kid back in the day, for all I know they cleared their own right of way!
Parent - - By weldwade (***) Date 11-04-2011 17:56
Mainly to scrape the nasty tar pipe coating off the pipe. Also for snakes and chopping up small branches to make a fire for lunch.
Parent - - By hillbilly delux (***) Date 11-04-2011 20:39
Thats What the oldtimers tell me its to get the dope off the pipe back in the day.
Parent - - By weldwade (***) Date 11-04-2011 20:58
I scraped off my share when I was a helper.
Parent - - By hillbilly delux (***) Date 11-04-2011 21:05
Wade are you calling yourself old?  lol
Parent - By weldwade (***) Date 11-04-2011 21:20
Nope im only 40 years young. I grew up in the oil patch in the four corners area. There was a bunch of it in the ground then.
Parent - - By Pickupman (***) Date 11-04-2011 21:12
I was thinking it was probably to scrape off the millwrap coating, hot wrap or mastic, but didn't want to look stupid.:red: We made a draw knife out of an old file we use for that all the time.
Parent - - By hillbilly delux (***) Date 11-04-2011 23:18
you should take a picture of it and post it here
Parent - - By mike wiebe 3 (*) Date 11-05-2011 02:07
When I helped my dad he had one he modified to have a handle on both sides so it was easier to scrape off the pipe dope. That was many moons ago.
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 11-05-2011 21:21
Gotta be a heck of a lot better than a using my Case pocket knife like I did on Friday. Maybe off to Smilemart to see if they have a cheap machette tomorrow, gonna need it for Monday!
Parent - By Rafter_G_Weldin (***) Date 11-06-2011 12:46
I found a junk yard in san antonio that has them brand new for 3.75 they have a website Ashleys steel and recycling. Is the name. I bought 2 the other day
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / pipe welding help!

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