![]() 09/09/2013 at 23:59 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
1) striking the arc and not sticking the rod to the work is difficult for me
2) keeping the arc length right is difficult for me
3) getting the right travel speed is difficult for me
So basically I've got a lot of practicing to do. Luckily, I have a machine here at the house.
![]() 09/10/2013 at 00:02 |
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Practice, practice, practice. Only way to learn. (unless you go to Michigan and see Brown Dog Welding. But you are still going to have to practice. Good luck!
![]() 09/10/2013 at 00:21 |
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What size rods are you using?
![]() 09/10/2013 at 05:50 |
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Stick welding! Mine old enemy! What makes you wanna learn stick welding, by the way? Just curious.
![]() 09/10/2013 at 08:56 |
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1/8" 6010
![]() 09/10/2013 at 09:00 |
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I'm taking some welding classes at the local community college and the intro class is stick, so i'm learning stick. From what I can gather, if you can stick weld decently, the other processes are a lot easier to learn.
I want to learn to weld (generally) so I can build some furniture, weld stuff on any future lemons cars I build, etc. I figure it's something a guy ought to know how to do.
![]() 09/10/2013 at 09:23 |
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Keep at it. As for striking the arc, some rods like different techniques. Some like when you give the rod a good tap against the work piece, some like it when you scratch them like a match. Play around with different techniques and see which one works for the rod you're using. It is also a total feel thing for getting the arc going, so it is tough to give a step by step for striking an arc.
For arc length it again depends on the rod. I'm usually welding low hydrogen rod which tends to like a very short arc length. As a rule of thumb, the shorter the better for arc length. Though it might be different for 6010 which I don't think I've ever welded with. Rule of thumb for arc length is that you should just see a ring of fire around the end of the stick when you're looking down it. Some rods might need a little more arc length to keep them from stubbing though.
Travel speed is probably the most difficult thing to judge. You can't really feel travel speed the same way you can feel how fast you're feeding in the rod. It seems like it is very easy to go with too fast of a travel speed though. Try going slower than you think you should. If your travel speed is right the bead should be slightly wider than the width of the rod and be nice and consistent with even ripples. Bead width depends on how much of a weave you are doing, but if width is consistent you're probably doing a pretty good job.