Machining a 1” Plate Welding Coupon

[Shotgun]

You should have had the steel yard cut it at a 45 degree angle.

 

[pontiac428]

My armchair assessment is that you need to run a little more heat. I like to see the slightest touch of undercutting on the edges. Along with the heat comes flatter welds. Your spatter control is good, I'm sure part of it is the Dynasty, part is the 7018, and part of it is you and your arc control. You can seriously use non-stick cooking spray on the parts you aren't actually melting to reduce what sticks.

Slag removal has to be thorough. A wire wheel makes more sense than hand scrubbing, but watch for contamination on the wheel. Depending on the spec, I've seen the ironworkers grind out the discolored skin from the weld to shiny metal before the next pass.

For hard starts with the 7018, I kind of peck with the end of the rod instead of striking it like a match. Pecking breaks away extra flux and chips deposits off the end of the electrode. It's like a tap-tap hammering motion, stubbing the tip of the rod against the base metal. With this technique don't need to fiddle with stuff while you're in the hood.

I know you have been to a lot of welding school and practice a lot. I'm not minimizing that, just passing on some tips that may help here. I grew up around the welding industry and picked a few things up along the way.

 

[erikmannie]

Are you going to make coupons? If so, is your capable of bending 1"?

I make coupons for myself, & definitely recycle the thick ones.

I do not have the capability to bend anything.

 

[erikmannie]

My armchair assessment is that you need to run a little more heat. I like to see the slightest touch of undercutting on the edges. Along with the heat comes flatter welds. Your spatter control is good, I'm sure part of it is the Dynasty, part is the 7018, and part of it is you and your arc control. You can seriously use non-stick cooking spray on the parts you aren't actually melting to reduce what sticks.

Slag removal has to be thorough. A wire wheel makes more sense than hand scrubbing, but watch for contamination on the wheel. Depending on the spec, I've seen the ironworkers grind out the discolored skin from the weld to shiny metal before the next pass.

For hard starts with the 7018, I kind of peck with the end of the rod instead of striking it like a match. Pecking breaks away extra flux and chips deposits off the end of the electrode. It's like a tap-tap hammering motion, stubbing the tip of the rod against the base metal. With this technique don't need to fiddle with stuff while you're in the hood.

I know you have been to a lot of welding school and practice a lot. I'm not minimizing that, just passing on some tips that may help here. I grew up around the welding industry and picked a few things up along the way.

Those are very helpful tips. I welcome any and all tips.

I have spent *some* time in welding schools, & I have spent a *fair* amount of time welding. However, the truth is that I have spent the lion’s share of my time working long hours at my day job which has nothing to do with welding or machining.

In most cases, I am too tired from the work week to do any welding & machining on Saturday. My employer is *very* good at sapping 100% of their employees’ time & energy.