Need some welding advice

[490Dave]

The problem i'm having is that i just cant seem to get a 6011 rod to work on mostly mild steel. I can take a 7014 and lay down some awesome beads at just about any amperage. I have tried the 6011 anywhere from 45 to 145 amps and i'll burn a lot of holes and spend a lot of time grinding. Any advice?
Thanks!

Dave...

 

[Jaybird]

Try a larger rod like a 5/32 at about 150 or so amps AC.
Ocillate the rod forwards and back with tip angled toward your path, instead of away (drag) that you would do with a low-hydrogen.

 

[jmics19067]

a 6011 rod has a very aggresive coating for burning thru rust grease paint,if the metal your welding is clean stick to the 7014 or 7018 rod. if you are using a dc machine set on reverse polarity try switching the leads.

If possible lay your work out so the weld seam is downhill about 45 degrees and pull the weld downhill. Even though it is an all position rod this angle just seems easiest. Also since the 6011 rod is very aggresive you do not need to chip the slag to restart the arc so in thin cases or building up rust holes , you can get away with start the arc form your puddle , pull the arc away let the puddle solidify and cool, then restart the arc adding to your previous puddle,etc etc etc.

 

[Jaybird]

Just a word on your advise, jmics...
I have found that any downhill weld is substandard with a 6011. It is easier to run a downhill pass with a 6011 than just about any rod, however the weld is far, far weaker than a good uphill or horizontal pass.
Uphill anything at all that counts. The secret is having your heat proper.
I also agree that running a reverse low-hydrogen rod(7018) is far better for a clean surface than a 6011. Using a low-hy you should not ocillate the rod on a flat pass like a 6011, just drag it making short side-to-sides making sure that both pieces of metal are being penetrated.

The ocillation you are describing by letting the puddle cool is a fair explination of how to run the 6011 rod. You can also weave it from one side to the other with short arcs to get the same results.

 

[jmics19067]

Jaybird,

As usual you give very excellent advice. Although downhill welding can be a problem with penetration I wouldn't think it is 490Dave's immediate concern if burning holes through. And it might just help him get used to the aggresive nature of the 6011 rod. The 45 degree just seems to help to get in the middle road of burning thru a flat weld or the spotting "hit or miss" bird dookie welds of vertical.



490Dave,

if you are doing an overlap or T joint try concentrating most of your puddle/heat on the main flat piece and oscillate the puddle into the edge of the overlap or the T. With the aggresive nature of a 6011 rod it is difficult to get a large fillet area without blowing away the edge.

 

[Highbeam]

I am no welder and the previous posts seem to be on a much higher level but here's what I would do.

Sounds like the wrong size of rod. When I burn holes through the metal I use a smaller rod and less amperage. It takes more heat to melt the large rod and the heat will burn through. Less heat to melt the small rod and it is less likely to burn through. I have no problem switching back and forth between 70 and 60 rod, just one takes more amps. I can never remember which takes more amps so I lay a bead on a scrap piece of the same thickness to get things tuned.

Good times. Can't beat the smell of an arc welder in the garage.

 

[490Dave]

Thanks guys for the replies! Actually i got the 6011's at a garage sale for like $2.00 for about 20 lb. I am fairly new to welding and have a lot to learn i know but i'll get a chance to try the advice this weekend.

 

[MDA]

Could the 6011 rod just be the wrong tool for the job? I took an introductory welding course last year and we used a variety of rods and metal thicknesses. I am not a 100% sure, but I think we used the 6011's and I remember them being a bitch to use. They would burn, spit and not pool properly not matter what I did. There would hardly be any slag when I was done and it never really deposited much metal. The instructor was not too bad with it, but even he admited that it was a tough wire to use.

When I asked my instructor why someone would use them, his impression was that it would be useful to someone doing a first pass on welding two ends of a large presurized pipe together because it penetrated so well. Once you use it for the firt pass, you would fill the rest of the area with something like a 7014.

Again I re-iterate that I am going on memory from a year ago now. I'll see if I can find my notes tonight. I can appreciate that they were cheap, but they may just not be the right tool for the job.

-Mark-

 

[SFO]

We always called 6011 dirt rod because you can weld just about any kind of dirty material togther with it.

 

[jmics19067]

Originally posted by 490Dave
Thanks guys for the replies! Actually i got the 6011's at a garage sale for like $2.00 for about 20 lb. I am fairly new to welding and have a lot to learn i know but i'll get a chance to try the advice this weekend.

I would be worried that they might have been wet at one time. look at the coloring of the flux if they have turned dark grey or mottled looking<they should be a nice medium/lite grey> or if the rod itself looks rusty they could be just plain useless.

Try heading out to sears or somewheres and buy like 1 lb of fresh rod. and compare how they look and how they weld to the garage sale stuff.

 

[Jaybird]

A dry 6011 is one of the easiest rods to get started and to use.
I bet those rods have been wet. Once they get wet, they can have tiny cracks in the flux making them useless.

 

[Moto Squid]

Originally posted by Jaybird
A dry 6011 is one of the easiest rods to get started and to use.

Yep, those are the ones we used at school...and even the Freshmen could get half-way decent welds. I'm no pro welder (dang good for a high schooler though) but like someone else mentioned you might want to try a smaller rod. You can also adjust how much heat you put into the metal by what angle you hold the rod at. When welding I use the half-moon motion as I move along.


While we're on the subject of welding..... :) I need to do vertical up welds on the hinges on my truck. Would it be better to use stick or wire??? I've done vertical up and overhead with stick but never wire. I'm welding the 1/8" hinge plate to the body sheetmetal. Which welder and what would be a decent setting to get me in the ballpark? Thanks

 

[jmics19067]

I am not a weldor but I do a lot of maintenance welding at work. I doubt highly I could do a satisfactory job with an arc welder on sheet metal consistently. I would either use the MIG or a torch for that,possibley even brass.

But that is knowing my limitations not yours.If your eyes are good your helmet lense clean and your hands steady,40- 50 amps with a 1/16" stick concentrated on the 1/8"plate and basicly just wetting the sheet metal with the puddle would probably work nicely.

find some scrap and practice, and find out which method you think you do best for that situation.

 

[Jaybird]

A wire weld is a downhill and horizontal pass only. Don't try to uphill a MIG on mild steel.

I suggested a larger rod for the 6011 because you can usually have better luck running a fast pass than with a smaller rod. Logic would make you think use the smaller rod, but with a 6011 it doesn't always work that way.

If it is sheet metal we are talking, go with wire feed or torch.

 

[dave186]

if ya like the 6011 try some 6010, its even more fun ;)