Help!!

[Ed Tipton]

Let me start bt saying that I am not a welder. I've only recently started welding, and by welding I mean sticking two pieces of metal together and having them stick! My problem is that I am trying to weld standard 3/4 inch black iron pipe onto a piece of 2" angle iron. Nothing special. My problem is that I am having one hell of a time striking an arc. All I seem to be able to do is stick the electrode to the metal. I am using 6011 3/32 welding rod and I've tried everything from about 90 amps up to about 135 amps, but nothing I've tried is working for me. I have tried other types of rod, but everything does the same thing. I have ground down through the surface to get to shiney metal, there is not significant rust or corrosion, no paint, and everything is good and clean. I know my welder is a good one...it is a Miller capeable of 280 amp output, and I have seen others use it without any problems. Once the arc is struck, I do OK, and if I lose the arc, it sometimes seems easier to go right back in the same area and pick it up again, but that initial arc is kicking my a$$. Any suggestions?:mad:

[torker]

Ed...Do new rods start ok for you? If the first strike is ok..here's a little tip for you. When you finish your weld...lift the rod off quick. This saves the cellulose (or whatever) coating near the end of the rod and helps relight it. If you pull it away slow...the coating will burn up the rod and the arc will scatter when you go to to relight.
Also..turning up the fire isn't always the answer. This also tends to burn off the coating and makes for harder starts.
You HAVE to be steady to get good clean restarts in the beginning. You only have a short arc length that will be clean.
Try this...hold the stinger in your right hand (if you're a righty) ...hold the rod in your left hand... it won't bite you...cept you do gotta have gloves..right.
Now posiition yourself with at least one elbow anchored...push the rod thru the fingers of your left hand...slowly push it into the steel. You will see the arc jump across the gap all by its lonesome. Usually you have to pull the rod back away just a hair to get proper arc length.
Another way...slide the rod across some part of your weldment and drag it right into where you want your weld bead. Drag it on the coating...keep the tip from hitting anything until it's right over the groove or weld joint.
You can't do this with all rods. some..the arc will jump out thu the side of the coating.
Getting the rod stuck like that is sorta like flinching when you shoot a rifle... right when you need to be the steadiest...the arc makes you "jump" a bit and you mash the rod into the cold steel...it's gonna stick.
If your welder has an arc force adjust on it...you may need to turn that up. this may clean up restarts if it is too low.
Keep on it...you need to learn to slow down and relax a bit more. you are prolly tense and jerky.
Russ

[torker]

Shoulda mentioned...when the rods get stuck...what do you do? If you try to wrassel with them and pull them off....you are in for a long haul. Just relax..give the stinger a bit of reverse twist and pull the stinger off the rod. Wait a sec and the cooler rod wil pop off pretty easy. Once you stick a rod it's very hard to relight. You need to slide the rod under the bench or a piece of steel...slide it out(drag it) til the tip arcs...let the burned coating burn off til you see good coating again. The burned stuff won't focus the arc like you need it to.
This sliding the rod and starting an arc is actually good practice.
Don't try to burn off the ruined coating in your weld. Burn it off on a piece of scrap or under the bench as I do.
Russ

[R W]

Get a piece of scrap and try different amp settings, practice till you can start
and run a reasonable weld without to much difficulty, have not used a 6011
rod, but from what I've heard I believe you may find a 6013 easier to use.

[mark61]

If you got rods that have been open for a while scratch the end of the rod clean of any rust helps. Restarting a used rod? Crack off the coating that may cover the end.
Practice makes perfect! Starting is a skill! Bang the rod end down and pull back slightly....

mark61

[camdigger]

Ed
Not discounting Torker's or others advise, personally, I have had success by using the scratch start rather than the tap start. Think wooden safety match. Position the rod somewhere along the bead and rub the the end of the rod on the work. Keep the rod moving and lengthen the arc to about 1 rod diameter until it's stable and move the arc to the end of the weld. Run the weld and pause or back up slightly at the end of the bead to fill the weld crater.

Having said that, I have seen 20 year welders stick the occaisional rod. Best I've ever seen was an older gent using a big 3 phase machine. He'd tap, twist his wrist to the side, and pull back just enough and be off welding. Time after time, rod after rod. 6010, 7018 didn't make any difference. He did have 35 years in the trade at that point....:rolleyes:

6011 is a bit sticky compared to other rods, but digs through crud better than any other except 6010. Keep practicing!

[Boucher]

This may seem contrary to what you try to do to keep rods dry. 6011 is supposed to have some moisture in it. Get you some water in a container and stick 6" ot the end in the water and shake it off and then try to start the rod on a bare piece of scrap steel. Be sure the ground is good and be sure the electrode holder is reasonably clean in the area that holds the rod.

[torker]

Ed
Not discounting Torker's or others advise, personally, I have had success by using the scratch start rather than the tap start. Think wooden safety match. Position the rod somewhere along the bead and rub the the end of the rod on the work. Keep the rod moving and lengthen the arc to about 1 rod diameter until it's stable and move the arc to the end of the weld. Run the weld and pause or back up slightly at the end of the bead to fill the weld crater.

Having said that, I have seen 20 year welders stick the occaisional rod. Best I've ever seen was an older gent using a big 3 phase machine. He'd tap, twist his wrist to the side, and pull back just enough and be off welding. Time after time, rod after rod. 6010, 7018 didn't make any difference. He did have 35 years in the trade at that point....:rolleyes:

6011 is a bit sticky compared to other rods, but digs through crud better than any other except 6010. Keep practicing!
Cam..that's what I was "suggesting" to Ed about dragging the rod across or under a piece of metal to initiate the arc...scratch start...explained way more complicated than you did..lol!
BTW..6010/11's are prolly one of the worst rods for sticking....because of the cellulose coating burning back as I mentioned.
And they CAN get too dry.
Most welding shops I've been in with any amount of people...have a sign over the rod ovens..."Do NOT put 6010 in the ovens"
BTW...soaking a 6010 rod in water...crank the heat WAAAY up...you have a poor mans plasma cutter. Just don't be craving a smooth cut.
I've used it on demolition work where we had to cut thru stainless more than once.
Russ

[airsmith282]

cut the electrode in half i had a hard time as well wiht my 70 arc wleder and hte other day i though ok ill cut the stick in half and now i can weld like a pro well almost and how you can take the other half and trun the end to the clean wire with a sander and then you get 2 electrodes for the price of one and its more rigid and alot eaiser to strick and arc and keep it going ...

[#66B]

Ed, Do what Torker said about holding the rod in between two fingers on the lefthand until about 1/3 gone, we use 3/32" 5-P (6010) for the root & hotpass when welding 2" pipelines & fittings, the rods are not as ridgid as you think they would be. If you stick a rod 3 or 4 times toss it & get a fresh one, the flux is normally cracked up the rod some & it will just fustrate you more. If we get caught in the rain, what rods that were in the bucket go in the dumpster when we get to the warehouse, they pinhole bad & we don't chance them on X-ray, but that wouldn't effect what your doing. The 6010 rods in my experience seem to get bad quick in open containers, I have for the past 20 some years kept all unopend boxes in an old refidgerator with a 20 watt lightbulb on, with years of pipeline & fixture welding sucess. But don't give up on using the 6011 rods, there harder to get the hang of, but when you master them the other rods will be a breeze.

[oddball racing]

Like has been said, "scatch" the rod like a kitchen match, As far as beginner welding goes,A BASE LINE start for your heat.... Convert your rod diameter to decimal and set your heat a little lower and start from there. Make a few beads and adjust heat and arc gap accordinlgy. One more piece of advise; welding arcs should sound like bacon and eggs. More of a sizzling than ripping raspy roar.....Unless your using 6010;) that and practice practice, practice.