7014 and 7018 overhead

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 03-03-2007 22:47

Side to side weave with a slight pause at each end. Rod angle is very important. Less than 22 degrees works for me.

By aevald

Date 03-03-2007 23:33

Hello Elliot, dbigkahunna had a very good response for you and I would like to add just a bit more to it. My experiences with E7014 for vertical and overhead have not been very good, if you have the choice I would use the E7018 over the other for those positions. In my opinion the E7014 tends to have a more fluid puddle and is much more difficult to control and results in less desirable bead profiles, it can also be much more sensitive to amperage setting changes. Unless you are limited by having to weld with AC current I would avoid this rod for vertical and overhead.
Overhead welding with E7018 can actually turn out pretty good as long as you maintain a comfortable stance to minimize shaking and fatigue. Also try to keep your arc length very consistent, varying this length in the overhead position can cause the puddle to backslide and not be drawn along as the weld progresses. Surface tension is the physics that explains this, after a certain arc length has been exceeded the arc no longer maintains it's grasp on the moltern weld pool and allows it to slide and pool behind the arc, it then reforms the weld pool and the weld progresses again. The resulting bead will generally have high and low spots and narrow and wide spots. If you are working on a multiple pass weld scenario the resulting welds will look really rough in overall appearance. If possible pay attention to where your ground connection is in relation to the direction of the welding, WHEN POSSIBLE try to weld away from the ground, this goes for any type of welding.
When you are welding vertical and notice finger-nailing on the end of the rod this can either be an indication of too steep of a rod angel or possibly an arc-blow issue, or a combination of the two, many welders that you talk to will probably also say that there are some brands of rod that are more notorious for this than others. For a more thorough explanation of arc-blow go to the search portion of the forum and type in arc-blow, I'm sure you will find some threads explaining this in a more indepth manner. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. Regards, aevald

By elliott (**)

Date 03-03-2007 23:46

Thanks guy for the info I will try chaging the stinger angle next time .also should I change the amps on the machine..Its sett at about 95-110 amps on one eighth rod. Thanks again guys.This forum is great alway get good anwsers for you guys which helps out newbies like myself.Its apperchated alot. Thanks again

By aevald

Date 03-04-2007 00:25

Hello again Elliot, the amperage settings will vary alot depending on the type of machine that you are using and the input voltage that is available to operate the machine if it is a shop based unit. If it is a portable engine driven one there can be a lot of differences as well. Try getting a piece of 1/4" to 3/8" plate and grind all of the mill scale and rust off of it, run a weld bead on it in the flat position at a speed that will yield a bead approximately 5/16" to 3/8" in width, if the amperage is set in the ballpark of the correct range the slag will possibly curl up from the start of the weld towards the end of the weld or it might be laying on the top of the bead in short sections that can be readily brushed off without having to beat the slag off. If it is set a little cold you probably won't be able to get the slag to come off very readily, you also may not be able to attain the width that I talked of without having a really tall bead that doesn't appear to tie into the base metal at the edges smoothly. At the proper amperage setting you should be able to get the 5/16" to 3/8" width without using any side to side motion of the electrode. This description is referring to the E7018 electrode, E7014 will have slightly different characteristics, although the slag may be more apt to curl from the start of the weld towards the end of the weld and stay in one piece while doing so. If the amperage is on the high side there will likely be more spatter associated with the weld and possibly instead of having a bead of the correct height with a nice crown to it and the sides of the bead tied in nicely at the edges, you could have a wide irregular bead with little build up in the center and lacking any sort of uniformity. Once you have the machine set so that it will produce the weld in the flat position properly you can usually weld overhead at this setting or you can reduce the amperage UP TO approximately 15 amps to do the vertical welds. Practice will really dictate when you have the setting where it needs to be for your particular style of welding. These are just some suggestions that I would make for you, they are not etched in stone. I'm sure others might have differing opinions for you, you should listen to all of them and try them to decide for yourself which ones to use.
Back to the amperage settings for a brief moment, the reason that I don't list a specific amperage has to do with differences in actual machine amperage outputs, unless you have calibrated instruments to measure exact amperage levels a specific number has little significance. You will need to develope a feel for when settings are correct, as you continue to improve your skills and knowledge in welding you will understand this better and better. Regards, aevald