stepping or dragging up hill 6010

Date 01-11-2008 17:44

I have friends that dragged 6010 uphill (with a little wiggle) on roots and did a very fine job. I never used that method myself, I always preferred stepping. I could see itbetter and control my depth of penetration better.

The trick is to get your heat right, step out just enough to let the puddle cool and 'eat' the landing without enlarging your keyhole too much and drop back on your 'shelf' to deposit metal, and then repeat the process. when you get the hang of it it will look a like a stack of dimes knocked over on the inside.

By Superflux (****)

Date 01-12-2008 01:57

A couple of thoughts. First is heat vs. gap...tighter the gap, up the amps and visa versa. Find the right gap-amps,it's all about what feels right for you. I typically use nickel gap and nickel land on uphill and nickel land and two 1" banding straps tacked together for gap on downhillIf your undercutting on one side only, probably need to point the rod towards the undercut...very slightly of course. If undercut both sides, tighten up your gap or backoff on the heat to reduce key-hole size, or try adjusting rod angle closer to perpendicular. Like js55 said, when you get everything going right, you will get the "stack of dimes" root. Keep playing with the variables and it will suddenly all come together miraculously. Good Luck.

By meliz G (*)

Date 01-12-2008 06:01

thanks for the advice i just came back from burning rods with an experienced welder he said that i was going way to slow and that i need to keep the rod deep in the bevel and that my steps where to long so i guess its just practice from here on out man i sure hope it miraculously comes together for me cause ive been burning rods for a little while now

By js55

Date 01-14-2008 14:40

Stepping uphill SMAW roots is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult welding skills to acquire. Next would be downhill SMAW roots.
Its interesting that these are two of which so many welders begin.

By welderdude (**)

Date 01-14-2008 22:58

yeah...start people off with the hard stuff! make them do uphill first! ha! I actually wasn't any good at uphill roots until I did a lot of downhills...there's something about being able to see the puddle that helps you understand how the root deposits. You can see what happens when the gap closes and when it opens up and you can learn how to control that easier when learning downhill. a lot of the same principles apply to uphill in that regards.

By Aspirate (**)

Date 01-21-2008 00:17

...yup, some usually do start with the hard stuff. Almost all vocational or community welding schools have 6010 uphill root in the beginning of their program. Which is good because.. like he said, it'll helps people understand deposition of the bead. Step or drag.. either method will work fine. It just depends on the conditions as you are welding. Most of the pipe I weld is thin wall (sch 40 or under) with nickel land, and I've never dragged completely on 6010 root going uphill around a pipe. For 1/8" 6010 root, I run around 105 to 120 amps (on new miller). There are ways of running hotter than that & stepping it. It is the method I use if I can't get to the machine or when they mess with my settings.

By nra2877 Date 02-09-2008 04:19

Howdy. I'm in a welding class right now and only picked up a welder for the first time in my life about 4 months ago. I'm struggling with the idea of controlling the depth of penetration. How do you do it? Adjusting the heat? It seems to me the penetration is gonna take it's own course. Enlighten me please.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 02-09-2008 05:13

nra2877: In this thread they are talking stick welding on pipe , and the penetration must be 100%. The proper rod and the proper joint preperation [bevel with the proper land and joint gap]are key to making this possible. Most of 'em like and use Lincoln SA 200 machines because they are the best for this, altho there are other machines that work nearly as well [I went out on a limb saying that]. As a general rule proper joint preperation and rod selection play a big part in penetration, You cant just pump up the power and make it happen if everything else is wrong.

By mooseye (**)

Date 01-20-2008 04:49

I wouldn't call it dragging. With 6010 root you will get a more uniform bead and penetration by pushing the rod into the root opening with a very short arc. Set your amps to just enough to break down the wall on both sides. This is a little difficult to explain in text. It is like you are running a flat bead only around a pipe. You will never see a keyhole and the inside of the root will look almost as if you welded it from the inside with no breaks or dimes.

By Sourdough (****)

Date 02-01-2008 23:50

If you use a very small gap and a ****load of heat, you dont need to step at all. Just lean that rod backwards and outrun your puddle.

If it sounds like a 737 in a wind storm, you're doing it right!

By Aspirate (**)

Date 02-03-2008 03:17

I agwee.. though abrupt noise (grinder sound) sometimes blocks me listening to 6010 root. I've found some type of earplugs can help (block background noise, and let closest noise thru). Helps out.. especially when joint prep isn't "perfect."

By Sourdough (****)

Date 02-08-2008 09:05

we should do a thread on ear safety.......I'm deaf in one ear.

By Aspirate (**)

Date 02-09-2008 00:49

yah, sorry to hear that. Wayy back when I was learnin, I had a spark go deep into my ear canal. Hurt like a b!tcch for a day, and I was lucky it didn't make it to my eardrum. Found out , this can happen in any helmet designed to take earmuffs (Some shells are wider at the ear area to clear earmuffs). They don't mentioned this in any safety, so yall wear earplugs or earmuffs while welding!.. even if theres no noise hazard.

Oh, run hot, and step it.