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