If it's taking you 2 rods to go 5 inches, you've got way too much gap. Downhill pipeline welders would freak out if you tried to give them a 1/8 gap. Seriously.
You may like doing it that way now because that's what you're used to, but in the real world that ain't gonna fly. It's all about how fast you can make a weld. You want the smallest gap you can get a good bead in. The smaller gap you use, the faster you can finish, because the bigger gap you use, the more metal you have to put in to fill that bevel up.
Personally, I hate it when fitters give me a big gap, and when they put a big bevel on top of it, I tend to lose my cool. I'll tell them nicely once, but after that anything can happen. Don't try to give me more than a 30 degree bevel, I don't like it. You will learn that you have to put up with a bunch of people that really have no idea what they are doing.
I went on a job in Alaska once, the vaunted BP experimental GTL plant in Nikiski. They were gonna X Ray the first 2 welds, a common practice and not that big a problem for an experienced pipe welder. But, they had already cut all the pipe and allowed for a 3/16 gap on 3" schedule 40, TIG root and weldout. I wasn't a happy camper, and I let the foreman know, but he was a fitter and didn't have a whole lot of sympathy. ''We already cut that pipe, and that's what we're gonna use, whether you like it or not". Well, we had words, and he got mad, but he kinda saw my point of view. I didn't want to have to make my first 2 X Rays using a gap some no welding worm was used to using, but I did it anyway and put downhill TIG in the top and rolled it over and did the same thing on the other side.
Sorry to get off on a rant, but I been welding 30 years, and I'm telling you a 1/8 gap for a 1/8 6010 is too damn much gap. Try closing it up, turn your heat up a little, drag the rod or whip it just a little, you are gonna be surprised at the result.
Zcat thanks for the story I have seen one downhill pipe welder like his root to be about a 1/16th gap and I do understand less gap faster you go filling and I wouldn't be surprised if I do that oneday if I ever get to pipe welding in the field. On a 8 inch or so pipe at school 5G I can take about one rod and go half way around it which I thought isn't to bad maybe a little more even. So with a 1/16th gap going downhil do yall use 5/32 rods or smaller? My teacher had said something about that one time about going downhill that when you do it just burry the rod so deep you can take your shield off and weld you have it burried so much but he never told me the gap. My teacher try's to not to talk about downhill much because he always says if a person can do it uphill he can do it downhill. I think in a way I'm better uphill it just feels weird downhill but you do get more penetration. Zcat what kinda machine do you prefure to pipe weld with? Thanks
Chris
I guess an old Lincoln 200 is probably the best machine you could get for stick welding.
You could use a 5/32 or a 1/8, just adjust your heat accordingly. Your teacher was right, you wanta bury that rod so all the fire is going inside the pipe. I would do the same if I was welding plate with stick. Practice going uphill and downhill, you never know when it might come in handy.
I tried oneday I had found some 5/32 6010P rods but I think they had gotten wet so they ran kinda werid. I had a 1/8th gap but with all the heat to run that rod it should have been like a 1/16th gap instead of a 1/8. I ran a pass once downhill and couldn't believe how much penetration I had gotten I was useing a 1/8th rod with a 1/8th gap. It's unreal how much metal it will carry going downhill hell i went maybe more then half way around the pipe so 5/32 you could probally go all the way around. When my teachers not looking I play around a little with downhill to kinda learn them both.
In D1.1, you won't find a prequalified SMAW joint detail with bevel under 45 degrees, at least not without backing and a big root opening. I don't know what ASME says.
Hg
Topic Welders and Inspectors / Education & Training / root pass on single v-groove butt joint in flat position
