matschka
Materials
- Apr 23, 2002
- 53
I was reviewing some of the older posts and came across one which asked the following question:
'uphill or downhill' which is better? The discussion was 'great' but the mechanicals do not lie.
I have tested and trained welders with both techniques.
Somewhere in the discussion one of the responders mentioned the fact that 7018 is an 'uphill' welding rod. That is true, however; it can be used downhill very successfully if one knows the technique. You cannot carry a lot of metal, and you have to turn your amperage up. One of the 'largest' tank, vessel, wind tunnel, and nuclear plant constructors test their plate welders employing 7018 downhill![[ponder]](/data/assets/smilies/ponder.gif "[ponder] [ponder]")
I am sure of this as I took my 1st. weld test for them in 1963.
This was a summer / fall job between semesters at college. The Procedure follows: The 2 plates are tack welded together with the appropriate gap. The test plates, 2 for vertical, 2 for horizotal & 2 for overhead. The test plates for vertical are tacked to a channel which is tacked to the side of the tank.The other plates are tacked up also to a channel and to the side of the tank. !/8, 5/32, and 3/16 7018 electrodes are used to weld out the test. A backing weld is used in the groove, (in the root). This is generally a downhill pass. The groove weld joint is just filled up 'flush' leaving the groove edges as a welding guide. Then the weld is completed using downhill 7018 passes. This downhill welding employs a special technique. We then turn the plates around and back gouge the original downhill pass out making sure we clean out all the slag, etc to clean metal. We then weld up the back gouged groove. In the horizontal weld we used 1/8, 5/32, and 3/16 electrode. For the vertical & overhead we used 1/8, and 5/32. Test was monitored by a company inspector. No grinding was allowed except on the backside where we back gouged a groove.
The other discussion was about 5P and fleetweld 5. Lincold fleetweld 5 was'terrible'to use in making a weld joint. It has a whitish, gray color
'uphill or downhill' which is better? The discussion was 'great' but the mechanicals do not lie.
I have tested and trained welders with both techniques.
Somewhere in the discussion one of the responders mentioned the fact that 7018 is an 'uphill' welding rod. That is true, however; it can be used downhill very successfully if one knows the technique. You cannot carry a lot of metal, and you have to turn your amperage up. One of the 'largest' tank, vessel, wind tunnel, and nuclear plant constructors test their plate welders employing 7018 downhill
I am sure of this as I took my 1st. weld test for them in 1963.This was a summer / fall job between semesters at college. The Procedure follows: The 2 plates are tack welded together with the appropriate gap. The test plates, 2 for vertical, 2 for horizotal & 2 for overhead. The test plates for vertical are tacked to a channel which is tacked to the side of the tank.The other plates are tacked up also to a channel and to the side of the tank. !/8, 5/32, and 3/16 7018 electrodes are used to weld out the test. A backing weld is used in the groove, (in the root). This is generally a downhill pass. The groove weld joint is just filled up 'flush' leaving the groove edges as a welding guide. Then the weld is completed using downhill 7018 passes. This downhill welding employs a special technique. We then turn the plates around and back gouge the original downhill pass out making sure we clean out all the slag, etc to clean metal. We then weld up the back gouged groove. In the horizontal weld we used 1/8, 5/32, and 3/16 electrode. For the vertical & overhead we used 1/8, and 5/32. Test was monitored by a company inspector. No grinding was allowed except on the backside where we back gouged a groove.
The other discussion was about 5P and fleetweld 5. Lincold fleetweld 5 was'terrible'to use in making a weld joint. It has a whitish, gray color