Welding Tips and Tricks

I am a beginner. I’ve burned 25 pounds of rods. I have a project that requires channel (1/4 inch) to be welded to 6x6 x1/4 square tube. This creates a vertical flare bevel weld. I have tried everything I can think of at the flare bevel. From 1/16 to 5/32 at every Clams. Can’t keep the puddle from blowing out of the unfilled back of bevel. Arc wanders from bevel side to flat side blowing out middle. Can anyone help?

If possible switch to an ac stick welder. They are a dimena dozen here in Australia. Just an old buzz box from someones garage. If it's only got an on off switch and no polarity switch, it's an ac unit. Not affected by arc blow because of the constant change in polarity.

Mick

Richardb wrote:I am a beginner. I’ve burned 25 pounds of rods. I have a project that requires channel (1/4 inch) to be welded to 6x6 x1/4 square tube. This creates a vertical flare bevel weld. I have tried everything I can think of at the flare bevel. From 1/16 to 5/32 at every Clams. Can’t keep the puddle from blowing out of the unfilled back of bevel. Arc wanders from bevel side to flat side blowing out middle. Can anyone help?

what rods are you using?
what technique are you using?

i would not automatic assume its arc blow.
i'm picking that your not keeping on the front of the puddle.
also where you point the electrode is a bit of a deal on those welds. sometimes tube can be a bit funny and be more prone to blowing through. so you may need to angle away from it a tad. but that also ties into what technique your using especially if your weaving.

pics help a lot.

You could zip it closed with 6010/6011 vertical down.
Then switch to 7018 (or whatever you are using) for vertical up.

I’m with Dave. That is a common configuration of joint if your making hangers for pipe. I fill in the deepest part of the groove with small 6010. And then 7018 over it.

Edit.. if your machine has an arc force setting then turning it up can sometimes help drive it into the crack better.

It is arc blow, nothing surer. RHS is notorious for it.
Switch to ac and be done.

That type of material is not commonly associated with arc blow. I think you have a different issue.

Richardb wrote:I am a beginner. I’ve burned 25 pounds of rods. I have a project that requires channel (1/4 inch) to be welded to 6x6 x1/4 square tube. This creates a vertical flare bevel weld. I have tried everything I can think of at the flare bevel. From 1/16 to 5/32 at every Clams. Can’t keep the puddle from blowing out of the unfilled back of bevel. Arc wanders from bevel side to flat side blowing out middle. Can anyone help?

First question I have is what type of welder are you using? A/C, DC or both. If you are running in DC then you're going to need to do multiple passes with the first being 6010. Think of that as a root pass. After that you can use what ever you want for the fill passes.

If you do have A/C capability then just run in A/C mode and the problem should go away. As was mentioned before, Lowe's/Home Depot and a few others sell the Tomb stone Lincoln A/C stick welders for about 375.00. They are also pretty popular on Craigslist for cheap. These are 240V so it all you have is 110v then that won't work.

Supposedly changing the work clamp location also helps conquer arc blow.

I don't think its arc blow. Arc blow rears its head at the end of burning a rod at high amperage. The magnetic field has time to grow and the rod stub gets to hot so the arc starts to wander. I've never had magnetic arc blow with 1/16, 5/64 and 3/32 rods.
With 1/8 rods and up arc blow can be a problem at the end of the weld. Just stop, get a fresh rod and continue.
I think your problem might have more to do with a bad ground, bad weld prep, and/or to long an arc. Did you clean all the millscale of to bare metal? The welding current takes the path of the least resistance. If on a flare bevel like that one side has better connection to the work clamp than the other the arc will start to favour that side, especially when long arcing.

Oscar wrote:Supposedly changing the work clamp location also helps conquer arc blow.

Oh shoot, I wonder if he tacked it...

sschefer wrote:

Oscar wrote:Supposedly changing the work clamp location also helps conquer arc blow.

Oh shoot, I wonder if he tacked it...

I wonder a lot of things all the time, like why people don't post pictures in the first place, since they usually speak 1000 words, if taken correctly.