Welding Tips and Tricks

What amerpage would you run a 1/8 7018 on a 1/2 inch plate of steel in the 3g position for the root pass. I did mine at 110 amps and the root came out good. I'm just curious as to what y'all would run your root at?

Amperage of stick welding is more based on the rod diameter and position then the plate thickness.

I know there are exceptions, but generally is simply rod diameter.

For a 1/8 rod 110A is in the ball park. 1/2 is pretty much the same as 3/8 plate just gunna take a few more passes.

Also depends on the mass of the weldment. Once it warms up you might get away with as low as 80. But if it’s cold and large and your welding flat might be at 160 or more.

I’ve never set my heat based on numbers. I set my heat on what I see. How the puddle is laying down. Other factors include weld position, type of weld joint, welding machine itself, incoming power to the welding machine etc.
Depending on all those factors, I’ve used between 100-140 amps for a 1/8” 7018 electrode.

snoeproe wrote:I’ve never set my heat based on numbers. I set my heat on what I see. How the puddle is laying down. Other factors include weld position, type of weld joint, welding machine itself, incoming power to the welding machine etc.
Depending on all those factors, I’ve used between 100-140 amps for a 1/8” 7018 electrode.

Exactly. Which is one of the biggest hurdles to learning SMAW. Reading the puddle.

v5cvbb wrote:

snoeproe wrote:I’ve never set my heat based on numbers. I set my heat on what I see. How the puddle is laying down. Other factors include weld position, type of weld joint, welding machine itself, incoming power to the welding machine etc.
Depending on all those factors, I’ve used between 100-140 amps for a 1/8” 7018 electrode.

Exactly. Which is one of the biggest hurdles to learning SMAW. Reading the puddle.

Exactly. Which is one of the biggest hurdles to learning WELDING. Reading the puddle.

And the points go to tweake.

But what nobody has mentioned is why exactly SMAW is a good learning process for watching the puddle, and I will point out that because of the slag being forced into the puddle, it makes it more difficult than other processes to follow, You must have your electrode angled back or the slag will be all over the top of your puddle, where if you have it angled back it will blow the slag behind the puddle so you can actually see it.

Stick welding is not easy, but it is a great preparation to other processes in regard to reading the puddle.

This is coming from a non-professional, and my free $0.02.

TraditionalToolworks wrote:But what nobody has mentioned is why exactly SMAW is a good learning process

because its simpler, only one main setting. no other hands/feet having to be used and that when its bad it looks bad.