Not logged inAmerican Welding Society Forum
Forum AWS Website Help Search Login
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Problems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- - By Cole Welding (**) Date 11-25-2008 02:46
I have been working on a 6" bell hole test and i am having problems with making the cap look good on the bottom....... can i get some ideas on that i am doing wrong???????
Parent - By 63 Max (***) Date 11-25-2008 04:38
Turn your heat down, start with turning it down 10 then turn it down 20, you will find a good temp for the bottom between them, this will help you on undercutting. Start turning down at about 4 o'clock. When you meet the other side dont just stop and end, try to blend it together then bring it back to you as you stop. It may help you to aim your rod back into the cap also. Hope this helps, it's alot easier to show someone.
Parent - - By Jake331 (**) Date 11-26-2008 00:58
well what does it look like?
Parent - - By Danny Lilly (*) Date 11-26-2008 03:10
Cole we all have problems, but remember we also have a signature weld. Try useing the same weld you use on 5g. Your not in the boat alone, Im going to school to try and learn it. Biggest problem, your are your own worst critic. Dont fight it, you will only keep makeing the same mistakes. Also we all do not weld the same so if you need to increase or decrease the heat, do it. Another thing I have noticed is if you let the pipe cool after you fill you get less undercut.
Parent - - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 11-26-2008 14:24 Edited 11-26-2008 14:29
I agree with the "own worst critic" from Danny. I thought my cap looked bad and would just run caps on plate over and over. When I broke down and went to school for assistance after the third day I had my 3g done and was being told that I had an awesome looking cap......my reply....ok??? As far as the pipe.....I'm clueless but do understand about the heat issue.

I have a guy at school asking me about what temp the welder is set at when I did my 3g. Then he asked what I had it set at for my hot pass. I told him the same thing I had it set at for the root, both fillers and the cap. Told him I set it around 120 with the 7018 and run a couple stringers or a fillet weld, especially with a new machine I have never run. I listen to the arc, watch my pool and when I'm done with the pass I take my hammer and slide it across the weld spatter and see if it just flakes off. If I'm happy with all of this I'll run my root, hot, fillers and cap. By the time I'm doing my filler pass I can tell for sure wether the heat is right or not. The slag usually just starts to peel off by itself, take my hammer and get up under the slag and flick it off. I do very little pecking with the hammer, less chance of inclusions or slag. The first night at school, found out a week or so later the teacher told me that first night he would just stop by my booth and listen to the arc sound. He told me that after he heard it he knew I had the machine set right.

Like I said, I don't know about the pipe, especially trying to run a 7018 around it...only done it a handfull of times in the last couple months for practice but on a few caps that I did.....or maybe a few inches of cap, I did have the slag peel off by itself.

Am I making sense? Am I an idiot....??? I here people who "think" they can weld talking about welding and sometimes it burns my butt the way they talk it down. In my feeling there is so much more to it while your under the hood, listening to the sound, the arc, the pool, when your done with the weld checking the minor things around the weld, the slag peeling, the spatter and so much more. I really enjoy this occupation and just wish I had stuck with it 10 years ago.
Parent - - By Cole Welding (**) Date 11-26-2008 22:26
i am trying to learn the right way to do things because if i go out and if someone dont like it i can get ran off.... and i dont wont that... i just want to make a living
Parent - - By 63 Max (***) Date 11-27-2008 00:44
Cole "dbigkahunna" has a point on a 6" bellhole but I was trying to give you an options to help you. When you get to larger pipe you will need to adjust your heat, atleast I do and I've been welding quite a few years.  Try different things and it will come to you. The biggest thing is time under the hood.
Parent - - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 11-27-2008 02:11
[deleted]
Parent - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 11-27-2008 04:01
Sounds like your on the right path, doing it right....because that's how you want it. I can only respect a man that has that kind of attitude towards his work. Time under the hood as was stated in another post. I've spent a ton and pounded a bunch of rod just to get to the point where I'm at.....and I'm not anywhere near good, still have lots more time. Good luck with it, stick with it and you'll get it. Lots of folks on here gave me the same advise a few months ago and I've gotten half of my AWS test done.
Parent - - By 63 Max (***) Date 11-27-2008 04:09
Cole, I guess maybe you might want to listen to the SUPER WELDER, the rest of us must not know what we are doing even though all the welds I do are 100% X-Ray and knocking on wood I have not had any repairs this year.  Again I say time under the hood is the best way to learn. If you have anymore questions let the SUPER WELDER know. Good Luck
Parent - By Cole Welding (**) Date 11-27-2008 06:50
I need someone to show  the ropes
Parent - By stewartfan20 (*) Date 11-27-2008 09:33
well shoot i guess i must really suck as a pipeline welder, i bend rods, and i am one of these up five down five guys especially on tie-ins and bad fit-ups, i will turn in my cape and super human powers tomorrow
Parent - - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 11-27-2008 16:23 Edited 11-27-2008 23:34
[deleted]
Parent - - By stewartfan20 (*) Date 11-27-2008 23:07
hey i know i am just funnin around no disrespect intended, but one thing is true, we pipeliners are some hard-headed s.o.b's,-------I think its miller time
Parent - By Cole Welding (**) Date 11-27-2008 23:21
I have the willing to learn and i am hard headed enough i will learn to be a pipeliner some how..... The reason i want to learn i am tired of being back in a welding shop...... I worked in a shop for amost 10 years and then i went to build drilling rigs and i like running my truck.... I had freedom and fresh air to breathe....  And one thing i learned went you work in one welding shop they are all the same so s##t and i am tired of it....... I went to another shop after building rigs and i dont like it ......
Parent - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 12-03-2008 02:45
I remembered this today when i got tested and it works very well it wasnt a puipe test but just a 1/2 plate welded vertically i gapped the opening at 3/32 put a 3/32 landing on the plate ran the 601 root at 190/45 and then the hot pass the same way and then ran my stringers and cap and never changed the heat for any of these passes i asked the inspector if he was gonna look at the weld after i ran the root and hot pas and he said no he hard it go in the weld looked great except 1 pin hole in the cap when i had to change rods no i didnt bend the rod i dont know how it happened but it did the inspector said dont worry bout it 'm gonna shave the cap off to bend it anyway it gets bend tested tomorrow we'll see what happens i'm pretty confident i was more worried about the pin hole in the cap
Parent - - By pipeliner04 (**) Date 11-28-2008 01:03
man big kahunna's way is the same way i do it,,,but know this,,,its not the only way,,everybodys different.  rod angle is really important when working with 70+.  im assuming this is the rod your using because you said bell hole and bottom in the same sentence.  now then,,on 6 inch,,hes right you shouldnt have to turn your heat down on a cap from top to bottom.  on 6 inch you should be able to step across the bottom instead of hanging out and puddling or horseshoeing or however you do it.  just try to take longer steps across the bottom giving it time to cool and step right back in it with more metal,,,if you have the right heat youll be amazed at how quick it will cool.  another important key like kahunna said,,,when you drag out of the bottom peel it back towards you,,if you step out in the direction your going,,most likely your button will be low,,bring it back to you and see how that works,,but keep in mind, the quality of all passes before the cap,, determine the appearance of the cap.  for example,,,if you rat rail your filler,,,your gonna rat tail your cap or have a hard time getting slag out.  try to keep the your filler flat.  what i do is just take longer steps across the bottom of 6 inch and move a little faster on the filler,,it flattens it out nice for me,,but its different for everybody, try it out and if you got some more problems,,,we'll get you fixed up
Parent - - By Cole Welding (**) Date 11-28-2008 07:30
thank you .... i am working on get a camera some i can put pics on here to let everyone see what i am doing.....somethings new just make me nervous and a question myself alot
Parent - By jwright650 (*****) Date 12-01-2008 18:36
pics are worth a thousand words....LOL. :-)
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Problems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Powered by mwForum 2.29.2 © 1999-2013 Markus Wichitill