<VV> Re: Re - AC Stck Welding tips

[Garth Stapon]

Arjay:

Glad to hear that you like the material.

You have a few options on electrode selection..

A rule of thumb is to change the electrode diameter into thousands of an
inch to determine starting current.

For example, 1/8 " diameter electrode = 0.125 inches. Starting current is
125 amps.  Go up or down from there depending on the base metal thickness
and welding position.  Generally, when welding out of position, to
counteract gravity, reduce your current levels slightly to get a faster
freeze puddle.(A rule of thumb is to try to place your work in the flat or
horizontal position as it makes the process much more user friendly.)

There are five major families of carbon steel AC welding electrode.

E6011- all position 60,000 KSI
E6013 - all position 60,000 KSI
E7014 - all position 70,000 KSI
E7018-AC - all position low hydrogen AC, 70,000 KSI - note - only special
grades of E7018 are suited to AC welding.
E7024 (Flat position jet rod) 70,000 KSI

My personal favorite for AC welding of carbon steel is E 7014 as it almost
welds by itself.  This is what I would categorize as a contact electrode. It
is commercially available in 3/32 and 1/8 " diameter.

The best weld quality can be achieved with E7018 AC, but keeping it dry once
the box is opened is practically impossible unless you invest in an
electrode storage oven.  Failure to keep it dry will offer no mechanical
property advantages when compared with other electrodes. With AC power, this
grade is typically  less than user friendly.

You should also consider buying an E309 stainless electrode 3/32 or 1/8 "
diameter as it will weld stainless to steel, stainless alloys and a large
variety of medium carbon steels.

On heavy sections always consider the use of preheat, store your electrode
in an old refrigerator with a light bulb to keep it dry and have some fun
burning rod.

(You guys are keeping me busy) - I expect a plasma cutting question any day
now......

By the way, I am giving a lecture on automated laser and plasma cutting
technology at the American Welding Society meeting in Cleveland on Tuesday
of this week.

LATE POWER GLIDE SEDANS RULE
----- Original Message -----
From: "Arjay Morgan" <n3lkz at yahoo.com>
To: "Garth Stapon" <stapon1 at earthlink.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 11:51 PM
Subject: Re Gonzo welding


> I really appreciate your welding seminars on VV. Very
> high level, almost esoteric stuff.
>
> At one time I was a steel sculptor and my mentor was
> one Joe Clanton who was welding bulldozer blads on
> Omaha Beach. He taught me all the technwques...MIG,
> TIG, SMAW. braing, silver soldering, you name it. All
> I would do now with some of those techniques would be
> to hurt myself.
>
> Right now I content myself with a simple AC buzzbox
> (which I'm told is the most difficult system to get
> good at because you have so littl control). Anyway,
> it's what I have and I like it. My problem seems to be
> that there is no chart showing type of steel to be
> welded/ vs welding rod to use/vs amperage to use. If
> there were some chart where this information resided
> I'd find it a boon, since right now it's a matter of
> taking a 60,000 pound road at 89 amps and seeing if
> it's too hot or too cold for a given joint. Have any
> suggestions?
> Arjay Morgan
> Zephyrhills Fl
> 64 monzaconvert
>
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Celebrate Yahoo!'s 10th Birthday!
> Yahoo! Netrospective: 100 Moments of the Web
> http://birthday.yahoo.com/netrospective/
>