Welding Tips and Tricks

Ok, after weeks of practice I think I have a handle on SMAW SS but the stops and starts are going to be my downfall.

I can't cant restart like other rods: strike an arc ahead of the bead and drag it start as that will put a lot of garbage in the weld that will/may surface once I start the next bead. Unless I'm wrong.

I do stainless pipe welds all the time and I strike my arc just where I want to start welding, stainless rods work like that, with 7018 I start ahead like you do.
I also travel fast at the beginning to get my starts look smooth if you travel same speed at the start as you do on rest of the bead you get that ugly lump at the start, that you have to grind off.

I hope you can make any sense I am trying to say here, I am very rusty on writing english

FAILED once again.

I took the 3G/4G stainless SMAW test again today and both pieces ended up breaking my heart.

I will not attempt this test again.

Perhaps this is a sign for me to move on from this current gig and expand my welding knowledge more with another company.

SS smaw can be a mother! Don't give up if there willing to pay you to test

Poland308 wrote:SS smaw can be a mother! Don't give up if there willing to pay you to test

You're right, SS can be a mother. One spec of slag can ruin your day. Overhead I long-arced for a nanosecond and it was enough. It left a nice little pocket with a piece of slag. 3G, it was my tie-in which looked good on the surface but the heartbreaker broke it.

The company paid for the previous test. I paid for today's test. We are over budget and behind schedule so I doubt my company will pay again. Although it's cheaper to keep me as a contractor will charge $75+ an hour for what SS needs to be welded.

Unless the company wants to pay for another test, I'm not going to bother anymore with it. With the minimal amount of welding left at this project, I'm not sure it's worth for me to stay and NOT be welding.

Sometimes you have to weigh, not just how long this job will last, but the relationships and future possibilities. Good luck either way!

Poland308 wrote:Sometimes you have to weigh, not just how long this job will last, but the relationships and future possibilities. Good luck either way!

The PM, Superintendent and I have a great working relationship and already discussed the possible positive and negative outcomes of this last test.

I already knew my job may depend on me passing the test. No pressure there. LOL.

Hey, it's been a good 1.5 years with this company though.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskZ88uMH

Gentlemen,

My old superintendent was fired. The new guy gave me a new box of test plates to practice stating, "I need you to pass this test. Not only will you save me money but this will set you up for future projects."

So starting tomorrow I will be running practice plates once again.

My question is....

Is there a way to ensure that all of my stops and starts are OUTSIDE of the test pieces? Is it advisable to plan my beads in a way so ALL stops and starts fall outside of the pieces to be cut to bend?

Thank you.

Probably.

The first inch of a typical test plate gets cut off and tossed. The second inch is the one that gets bend tested. The middle two are kept as proof. The 5th inch is also a bend piece or back up, depending on if they are doing 2 bends (root/face, etc.) and the top inch is also discarded.

If you plan your welds to avoid stop/start in the second or fifth inch, you could likely get away with a bad start.

That is what I know of AWS testing. I also did some ASME and ISO stuff on stainless that got x-ray and bend tested but don't know the what/where of the procedures for that type of testing.

Often no. You will simply need to grind back into your previous weld to ensure a good tie in.

Poland308 wrote:Often no. You will simply need to grind back into your previous weld to ensure a good tie in.

Unfortunately, I can only grind the root. Once the root is in and I get a thumbs up, I'm only allowed to use a wire wheel for cleaning.

The root is the most important. After that the wire wheel should be enough.

Poland308 wrote:The root is the most important. After that the wire wheel should be enough.

Yeah the tie ins are my greatest concern.

Grind back at least a 1/2 inch. And feather it pretty thin for a 1/4inch for the tie ins.

If you`re running rutile then starts would be as previous poster mentioned - on the start of the weld.

Rutile ss stick requires tight arc all the time, best is to just practice vertical stringers with no pausing on let`s say 5mm plate with 2,5 mm rod. Amperage for vertical is usually pretty low compared to same diameter rod on mild steel.

If the job allows it you also have rutile-basic electrodes on disposal from Lincoln, which are from my experience great to work with.

Poland308 wrote:Grind back at least a 1/2 inch. And feather it pretty thin for a 1/4inch for the tie ins.

No grinding allowed after the root pass.

Plan ahead,as you get close to the end of your comfort zone whip ahead and leave a low spot to start up on