I need to run a bead in a 90 degree vertical joint that starts right above the floor and is about 4 inches long. I tacked it with a downward run with 7018. It made a very concave bead with what looked like very little filler metal being applied. I tried to come back and do vertical up with 7018, but couldn't get a good angle, and though I thought I was pausing on the sides long enough and quick across the middle of the weave and thought my puddle was looking good (relatively flat), it ended up very convex with a lot of filler metal in the middle and not much at the edges.

How would you approach this weld? I have 7018 and 6010 rod available.

Lay flat and hold your rod straight out of the stinger. Never run vertical down on a structural weld. If your weld is convex with most of the fill in the middle then you need to hold on the sides of the weave longer. 

Also, if your bead is convex, you may have been running a little cold on amps.

You COULD use E 6011 fast freeze rod. It runs out of position nicely.

Frosty The Lucky.

So, hold on the edges even longer, vertical up and maybe try 6011 rod? How much difference between 6010 and 6011?

Rod straight out to start. As I go up, should I keep the rod angle at 90, or hold the stinger on the floor and angle the rod up as I go? And up the amps a bit.

As was mentioned clamp the rod in the end of the stinger, or bend the rod as needed.

Straight in is fine for rod angle. Hold longer on the edges, and move quickly throught the middle. That will flatten the bead out.

7018 is to be ran vertical up. Also swivel the rod to aim at the edges, don't just weave side to side.

Your 6010 rod would also be suitable.

 

 

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. I put it to practice, and, well, I can see that I'll need to continue with a LOT more practice. It's getting better, but still not good enough. My first attempt armed with this new info, I had the molten metal dripping down the seam and my first thought was that I was holding on the edges too long. I adjusted that until I got the puddle to stay in place. but need to keep working at it. Can't expect to learn welding in a day...a week...a year...

My best advice is to sign up for a night course at a local community college welding program. My tuition was dirt cheap, and you could burn as much rod as you could during class. Having someone who is experienced looking over your shoulder while you weld is a great way to learn.

A one pass Vertical up is the hardest weld to do well. It is also THE weld a structural welder needs in their skillset.

the tricky bit is using the weave at the bottom of the triangle to build a shelf for the liquid filler metal to sit on so that it can set AND controlling the temperature so that it will set before you get back to deposit the next layer.

it sounds simple but it is a bit like reversing a trailer, once you push the heat a little too far you have lost control and it will drip down. Clamping some steel on the back as a heatsink will slow it down and what I call flaring the rod is another trick I sometimes use to cool the weld, you can see the liquid puddle (not slag) on the shelf taking longer to solidify on each weave  and you think "uh-oh its about to go, its getting too hot" so you pull the rod up and away keeping the arc lit but not welding let it cool for a second or three then get back into it.

http://www.wcwelding.com/vertical-stick-welding.html

Thanks BIGGUN and yahoo. I'll look into the local classes. I can see that the vertical up weld is really hard. Is it harder than overhead? I think I'd have metal dripping on me if I tried overhead. And I thought I was getting the hang of it when my flat and horizontal welds started looking good. LOL

If it were as easy as backing a trailer, I'd be in business. I can back trailers all day long. But I've been doing that most of my life.