uphill stick welding,.....Help!

bawjaws · Oct 21, 2008

this is a problem thats been bugging me for a while and ive finnaly got around to asking about it, i dont do arc welding much uless ive ran out of something for a mig, now to the problem! i can weld piecess together when there flat on the ground ok but when it comes to vertical/uphill im screwed :laughing:

the problem is that i cant contain the pool and it keeps dripping no matter how fast or slow i go and usually leaves big gaps filled with bubbly dried flux, so has anyone got a clue what im doing wrong?

now for the pics

1. the monster! :ashamed:

2. the rods
3. prep
4. position
5. the "weld"!!! :laughing:

6. the penetration,- zero! :mad:

7. my normal flat welds :welder:

8. normal weld penetration

ps, why is it that on photos that garages look really really old and manky! :laughing:

bawjaws · Oct 21, 2008

forgot to mention- 3.2 rods, about 120 amps, 40x8mm flatbar veed and gap and usual 20 degree angle and about 3mm arc length

Welderpaul · Oct 21, 2008

I like the fan - Factory fitted option...?

fluxcored · Oct 22, 2008

To be honest, can't do vertical uphill anymore without practicing again but a few years I was sort of average on an uphill weld and preferred that to downhill.

I used to move the rod from the one side to the next and pause sligthly in the middle for half a sec for the weld pool to cool off ever so slightly and then continue. Found that if my timing is off slag is often included but after a while I got a reasonable looking strong weld without any slag inclusions.

If I remember correctly I set the welder at a lower amp than I would normally use for a flat weld so that I can go much slower and control the pool better.

I would like to hear what the real weldors have to say about this.

bawjaws · Oct 22, 2008

I like the fan - Factory fitted option...?

phhh,factory options? from powercraft :laughing:

it was a piece of ****e - kept cutting out so i slapped it on! :laughing:

I used to move the rod from the one side to the next and pause sligthly in the middle for half a sec for the weld pool to cool off ever so slightly and then continue. Found that if my timing is off slag is often included but after a while I got a reasonable looking strong weld without any slag inclusions.

cool, ill give it a go later on :welder:

shenion · Oct 22, 2008

Check out the Lincoln Electric Stick Electrode Welding Guide.

They recommend a whipping technique. I have yet to master it though

fluxcored · Oct 22, 2008

Yeah, I always say that I'm a better grindor than a weldor. :laughing:

Drains · Oct 27, 2008

Bawjaws, you need a bigger gap on the joint. Then, as fluxcored says, weave left, pause, right, pause, etc (or try the whip...). The object is to provide a cooled step of weld for the next bit of weld to sit on. It only takes a fraction of a second for the weld to cool enough to provide that step, but only if you...

...drop the amps!

Around 10% fewer amps than you'd use on the flat, or gravity will prevail. I'd also suggest 2.5's instead of 3.2's although it's a preference thing. Depends on the material, but the lower heat input used in a 2.5 can make things easier to control. If the first run isn't enough, lay another, bigger weave on top (as shown in that Lincoln pdf)

bawjaws · Oct 27, 2008

cheers si, ill have to have a gid old buggeraboot with the arc, ill try and get around to it tomorrow ang get back to this,........ **** ! just remembered, out of flatbar! :mad:

dutchman · Oct 28, 2008

I struggled quite a bit as well, until I tried a different rod type.
Both are 6013, but have somewhat different freezing characteristics..

bawjaws · Nov 7, 2008

finaly had another shot of uphill welding today but this time with the left-right whip tecnique and im very pleased with the results, the good bits look really neat too, the order i went in was right, left then joined the two together (middle) feel free to comment

Drains · Nov 7, 2008

Looks like you're getting the hang of it B/J. Nice one. :clapping:

It looks like you were moving across too quickly to start, hence the bad joining, then you slowed down, and it worked.

The whip really refers to doing an uphill stringer, rather than a weave. The left right weave would be a fill/cap.

How was the penetration through the gap?

runnach · Nov 7, 2008

Yup, as Si stated, whipping is the norm while running stringer runs, helps to prevent burn through if/when key hole gets a tad to big for deposition rate.

If your weaving, keep arc length & weave both tight, slight pause at both edges. Your nearly there by viewing your pics!

Cheers......

bawjaws · Nov 7, 2008

ive not checked the penetration but i assume it wont be great, i really just need to keep practicing and get better at it, but im starting to enjoy arc welding more then mig!

btw they look alot beter in real life, the phone pics are ****e! :laughing:

scarecrow · Nov 7, 2008

Looking good the next step is the box weave

snowcat · Nov 7, 2008

yep on a weave, concentrate on getting your edges right, pausing for long enough to allow the work to solidify but not too long to get an inclusion or lose the arc..... get the edges right and the centre does itself,

fluxcored · Nov 10, 2008

Good show. What I did when penetration was an issue - once I got the hang of it - was to burn thro on purpose and build it up from there.

Of course it took much longer to finish the weld and I stopped and started a few times to prevent too much heat build up.

But you're doing great. Did some round tubing this weekend with stick and the 1st couple of welds were horrible - grinder took care of that real quickly tho. :laughing:

I never touch my MIG any more - it's a virtually brand new Miller - done less than 50 hours. Nearly sold it until I discovered the price of the machine has doubled.

aero · Nov 20, 2008

Some of those welds look like you had the power way too low, were you experimenting with the power settings as you went?

Once I've done all this paperwork I'm suposed to be doing while at my desk ...erm...I might slip out and see if I can have a go at this too

(any excuse to get the welder out)

bawjaws · Nov 20, 2008

ye i turned the amps a good bit lower but it does look alot better in real life, the photos arent of the best quality

arcstick · Dec 4, 2008

weld a regular step weld root pass then use a zig jag motion on the other two passes try to stay in or near the weld puddel slow moveing use a cresent moon jig jag pattern but be careful verts get hot quickly (heat rises)

uphill stick welding,.....Help!

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