Anyone having troubles with E7028's

Date 03-31-2005 19:44

I figure I would leave out the name brand, because if anyone else is having problems they will know what brand I'm talking about. I'm just curious and throwing out a "feeler question" just to see if there is more going on than just the one pallet of rods that I have here in the shop currently. I've called our supplier and they are coming to see us with the mfg's reps to try these out for theirselves. They seem to think we have a bunch of guys that (with 35 years of experience) all of a sudden can't weld or something, and this is very annoying.
John Wright

By fbrieden (***)

Date 03-31-2005 19:50

Mr. Wright,

What types of problems are you having?

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 03-31-2005 19:58

At first these rods were difficult to restart, they say it is just our welders finding something to complain about. I say OK, maybe so.

But that isn't creating a quality problem as much as the porosity and having the flux fall off the rods while welding that we are experiencing now. Sometimes the flux will just blow out on one side (several inches of it)and then sometimes the flux simply breaks up in rings and slide down the rod as you weld. These rods are a different color(flux is dark splotchy grey) instead of the softer grey color they used to have. I have 7 50lb cans sitting here now and I've taken back many cans already and swapped them out. Looks like they have been wet, but they are right out of the sealed container from the mfg.
John Wright

By CHGuilford (****)

Date 03-31-2005 22:53

I haven't used 7028 in many years now but I remember having problems similar to what you describe. Same basic response, the welders must have "forgotten how to weld".
If I recall correctly the "consensus" was that the rods had gotten damp and were re-dried at too high a temperature, at the factory. I was a fitter/welder then, and was not part of the fact/fault finding process, so I don't know how accurate that opinion was.
We switched to another brand and didn't have the problem anymore.

Chet

By pjseaman (**)

Date 04-01-2005 03:14

The only 7028 I've ever used was McKay and it was an un-opened box and I believe new rod burns better than even a box opened a day ago. I haven't had any trouble with McKay, but I don't burn much rod mostly mig and tig.
pjs

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 04-01-2005 14:03

I wasn't out to beat up on any mfg's just asking to see if this has happened to anyone else or if anyone has noticed something different in these rods over the past 8-10 years like we have.
John Wright

By Buell508 Date 04-03-2005 02:12

I have had A problem with one brand of 7018.
I open A new 50# can and have they are junk,I put them in an oven for a few days but they are still NG.
This was with 3 cans.
I try A differant brand and they run great.
The problem is my company only gets this brand.

By jamsie Date 04-15-2005 00:30

Are you using a rod oven for storage? I do know these rods hate moisture.
Just my .02

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 04-15-2005 11:27

Yes, we maintain many rod ovens throughout the shop. These rods would have problems straight out of the can. The mfg. has made good by supplying us with a complete replacement of the whole lot of rods. Every 50 lb can we had with that lot number was replaced free of charge. I never could get any real answer out of them as to what the problem was. But they admitted it was the rods and not us or how we were handling them. This was a large quantity of rods that this effected.
I'm just glad they made good on the product like a large mfg should.
John Wright