Vertical Welding With 5/32 7018

JTMcC

Direction of progression is an essential variable in all piping codes, all of the API's, all of the ASME's, etc. So in the real code welding world you certainly DO have to "sweat progression".

Pipeline construction IS construction, duh.

As you travel thru the many, many oil patches across the land, flow line is used to describe most all gathering system work amungst the welding community.

We don't build houses or pour concrete but everything we do is construction. All we do is weld, to code, in a pretty wide variety of construction fields. And oil patch work is held to a considerably lower standard of inspection than most pressure piping. Lot's of nice people make a good living in that field, but it is a simpler, easier workplace than many others.

So, sorry if you're offended, but there is as much or more missinformation being put out in my field of endeavor than most and I like to do my little part in clearing up some of that missinfo when the opportunity arises. "That" is what works for me.

JTMcC.

__________________
http://www.firstratefabricators.com

notjustone

i know this in an old post and the guy probably already has mastered the 5/32 by now but someone else might read this in the future.

years ago when i first started out, fresh out of school, i had to take a d.o.t. test to weld on a bridge here in ny. 1 inch plate 45 degree angle 1/4 inch root with backer plate. 5/32 7018 all the way out vertical and overhead. just couldnt get the verical no matter how much i practiced. im not saying this will work for everyone but it worked so well for me that 15 years later i can still remember what i did.

i grabbed a cpl big old 2 inch plates welded out a cpl passes with 1/8 then jumped up to 3/16 cranked the old sa-200 up and spent a cpl hours just banging in pretty crappy looking vertical up welds. but the point was after a few hours with 3/16ths when i jumped back down to the 5/32 it felt like i was running 1/8 inch again. the day of my test i asked the guy if i could run a cpl warm up beads in a scrap plate real quick banged out a cpl 3/16ths beads and when i dropped back down to the 5/32 it was like i was icing a cake

for me if im having trouble with a big rod ill jump up a size get used to having alot more heat on a scrap piece then when i go back down it just flows in for me.

notjustone

ohh another helpfull tip when welding 7018 up is worry about the sides pause on the sides so you dont get "wagon tracks" undercut. then whip to the other side if your weave is not to wide the center will take care of itself just make sure your pausing out long enough to fill in the undercut.

my father in law was a navy welder in the 60s, worked the alaskan pipeline, litterally hundreds of pipe and structural jobs ect ect ect. he used to walk up behind me and say "worry about the sides and the center will take care of itself".

jw macaw

if you're running 7018 low hydrogen rods you can't start from the top and go down in the vertical position, ever! always start at the bottom of the joint. this rod won't go through heavy rust or paint without porosity. what are you welding that you have to use a 5/32 rod? if your not used to this rod it can be very tricky. using a 3/32 or 1/8 in. diameter rod will make things a little easier. remember, to get the benefits from this rod it needs to be kept in a preheat oven.

Louisg

Use a smaller rod at the root like a 3/32 7018 type. Once you have accomplished that , lower your heat to a comfortable amp and plug away. You should have no problem. If you do , call me, and I'll send my boys over to get it done for you Hahah

bhock

Im sure someone will find this advice helpful so thanks.
But if the original poster hasn't figured it out since he asked back in
May of 2007, I hope he found another line of work.

__________________
Brett Hocking
Eagle Eye Construction/Aspen Custom Cabinets
Buffalo, WY

Louisg

I know < thanks buddy

Willy is

My first cert test was with a 5/32 7018 on 3/8 plate with a 1/4 inch backing strip. (make damned sure the backing strip is tight as hell and sufficiently tacked or yer foocked)

It requires a lot of amperage to keep the rod from sticking.

It requires a tight arc and virtually all your time spent is on the sides; the heavier plate where your heat sink is. If you hesitate too long...... split seconds in the middle....on the backing plate you'll blow a hole through it or have the puddle fall out. It's a bad idea to have your lap..... I mean your crotch, not the AWS term, situated under that puddle.

I agree; you control it on the sides and the center and face will take care of itself.

It's almost counter intuitive, because you are running a lot of heat onto a plate that is overloaded with heat, but running a little more amperage allows you to keep a tight arc that allows better restarts and prevents porosity.

Practice w/ a 1/8 inch rod and get that down first, always on a test have a brand new filter and cover plate, and really pay attention to the liquidus and solidus (that means watch your puddle ) of the parent metal, and be able to distinguish the molten metal from the molten slag.

Be proud if you can do it since many can't.

willy