Hello. I hope I'm not crowding the board with 6013 queries. I have always had problems with these rods, especially on paint or rust and applications that don't leave me wondering about their difficulty, but it is all we use at work besides a MIG for the most part. I kind of got the hang of them through the normal long process of experimenting with angles, travel speeds and so on. Im wondering...in terms of penetration and travel speed:
In a T or lap joint, with 6013 if the heat is right, i've noticed you can travel so fast that the joint ahead of the puddle is clearly visible before it melts into the weld. Sometimes my boss wants things done this way for a tiny little neat bead on ornamental work. Normally I like to go a little slower at least, with my arc on the leading third or so of the puddle and relatively slowly burning across, especially on thick metal melting the joint but not nearly the same way as I have tried to describe. As a picture the effect reminds me of stepping a 6010 (or a 6013 which i will personally avoid doing...unless I find it improves anything) where you are digging the joint out before filling it. In principle it sounds like a good thing to be doing. However the extreme is if Im going along like that, really fast and "neatly" as my boss would say, if I go too much faster a bad weld is produced.
Am I losing penetration by going a little slower (not TOO slow) and failing to keep the arc on basically bare metal to get this effect (The visual effect achieved by either traveling this fast and hot with a 6013, producing a tiny neatly stacked weld, or "stepping" a 6010--the normal deeper and larger weld)? For choosing not to step the rod in most cases?
I am having trouble clarifying...so let me rephrase.
Is the visual effect I am seeing the same as a "keyhole"? Am I losing penetration by not maintaining one on fillet welds for example?
The answer must be go and try and experiment. I will, but either way thanks for the time. Don't compromise on safety ladies and gentlemen.
I wanted to ask you folks. Thanks any and every one.
