Hello ks miller man, first off welcome to the forum. It is likely that you will find this place a valuable tool for all sorts of information and such. Now to get to some of your question, it isn't incorrect to make "some" welds downhand, it just depends on the application and the conditions. Tons of pipe and other fabricated items are welded with the downhand travel method all the time. When done correctly, the completed welds will meet all of the requirements for a sound weld. Sometimes there are metallurgical reasons for the downhand approach, other times it has to do with thickness and speed. We could spend a considerable amount of time in explaining the possible scenarios where a downhand method will work and where it won't, I'll leave that for another time.
Your mention of E7024 rod though is puzzling if you are referring to making downhand pipe welds. I could possibly see E6010 or E6011, or possibly E7010, E8010, E9010 or a few other rods, but your mention of the E7024 sounds like someone is either pulling your leg really hard or possibly you have misunderstood the electrode designation. E7024 electrode is a rod which is designed for flat and horizontal welding, it has a really heavy coating and a portion of this coating includes iron powder to increase the deposition rate. This is definitely not a rod to be designated for downhand welding. If you can include some more specifics regarding exactly what you are trying to qualify for regarding a certification and also the type of pipe and it's service, there are a ton of folks who specialize in all sorts of pipe welding on this forum and who freely share information that can help you out. Best regards, aevald
"Your mention of E7024 rod though is puzzling"
aevald: i am 100% with you but i have seen several times 7024 suggested for v.down.
http://www.weldingmaterialsales.com/Product_pages/e7024_productpage.htmi just saw this the other day and i asked in my own forum if anyone had heard about it...
good luck with upgrading your skills, instead of going at it alone or practicing for the first time on test day:) maybe check a tech school in your area to see if you can sign up as a night student to practice. It is cheaper- at least around here- than buying your own material and electrodes.