Yes, but if you are welding on pipe, and the procedure calls for DC, better keep it on DC! I have never seen a PQR where the procedure was ran with AC and that is and essental variable. THe critical thing on open root with low hydrogen is travle speed, heat and root opening. You want just enough heat to melt the bevel edges, the root opening needs to be the width of the welding rod and the travel speed needs to be ..... This is not so much hard as learning where the machine you are welding with likes to run the specific rod. If you have much experience it should not take too much trying to find out where the machine likes to run. If you practice on one machine and go to another, you will have to see where the new machine runs better. I have seen few machines weld the same at the same settings There is a little difference. And if you are testing, this test is about 3/4 mental. The 7016 has great open root charastics. It was developed for open root welds. I have tested a lot of welders using the 7016 root 7018 cap test. I have seen guys who can make the bead look like a wedding band and others look like hammered do-do. If you have experience running 7018 you should pick up on this after 4-5 nipples. If you have little or no experience with 7018 you are SOL. This is not a beginner weld!
BABRT's