Author	[Modern View]
JDseller 09-16-2012 20:49:30 208.126.196.144 Report to Moderator	What I find interesting is that I can weld better with a stick than I can a wire feed. My sons can weld better with the wire feed than a stick. May be it is just what you learned to weld on. I have tried to push the weld like they show. I actually have a hard time seeing the weld this way. I usually can do better by just dragging it like I always do. I get strong welds but they are not a smooth weld. I can actually get a smoother weld with a 6013 or 7018 than I usually can with a wire feed welder. My wire feed welder is a Miller 252 right now. I have had others but I still had the same issues. I know it is me not the welder. My sons can pick it up and make smooth welds. Also I have had my state certification for many years. So I am not a novice to welding but just not as good with a wire feed as I would like. I also would like to try TIG welding some time. [Reply]   [No Email]
Puddles 09-21-2012 03:25:16 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Dick2, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   I played with some open root pipe with a Mig welder. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 09-21-2012 12:43:47 198.53.25.107 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Puddles, 09-21-2012 03:25:16   Puddles, use a 5/32" gap rod, no land and weld in about the 1:30/2:00 o'clock position while you roll it. If you have some 4" pipe use a 3/16" gap rod. You don't need to be real hot, about 18 volts and 110 amps. The puddle higher up can have gravity act on it too much and too far down can make proper penetration a little harder. 1:30/2:00 downhand lets you control penetration quite easily and you can adjust your speed for how hot you're burning. If your gap gets wider, weave a little wider and if it gets narrow, don't weave as wide. keep the arc on the leading edge of the puddle. A tapered nozzle is real nice because you can rest it on the bevel and just slowly twist your wrist side to side. It will be fairly easy to get an almost perfect slightly convex very smooth root pass. Welders get carpal tunnel from doing MIG root pases. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 09-21-2012 12:54:56 198.53.25.107 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Stick welding, 09-21-2012 12:43:47   I should have mentioned that MIG roots are done down hand in short circuiting mode whch goes against what it is most often taught. You don't normally use S-6 wire for roots because you don't want the silicon pockets. [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 09-20-2012 02:24:19 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to jackinok, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   There is a pipe fitter / weldor on another tractor forum I belong to. He was saying for industrial piping Tig welding is getting to be more popular for open root pipe welding than SMAW. Reason being it is easier to be more consistent, (get the perfect wedding band) with Tig than with SMAW. I know for my self who doesn't do enough pipe welding to shake a stick at, that is very true. As long as I can walk the cup, I can Tig weld an open root pipe in the 6-G position from 6 0' clock to 12 0'clock with my left hand no problem. [Reply]  [No Email]
barnE 09-18-2012 18:00:13 67.172.83.183 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   Auto factories the word was "anybody can weld with MIG." And they proved it. Dave was at GM. [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 09-18-2012 17:24:46 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to STA-BIL ??, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   Out of the hundreds of welding tests I've taken. I have failed two, one was a 1-inch V-butt plate vertical up with 1/16-inch Mig wire. The other, was my very first 6-G open root pipe test. 6010 root, 7018 fill and cap. In my opinion, the worst thing you can do with Mig, is run it too cold! [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 09-18-2012 03:18:20 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire fe in reply to egbinor, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   Out of all the options with the wire feed process, dual shield is my favorite for heavy fabrication. In my opinion you have the best of both worlds, gas and slag coverage. Here is a vertical up I ran with .045 dual shield. By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/von3]von3[/URL] at 2012-09-18 The fastest process I have ever ran is spray arc. By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/von3]von3[/URL] at 2012-09-18 [Reply]  [No Email]
Fixerupper 09-17-2012 18:58:12 100.42.82.164 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   I do a better job stick welding, probably because that's all I had for the first 35 years of my career. I can put a decent stick weld in just about any position, whether it's clean or rusty steel but I struggle with the mig in anything but flat welds or vertical welding into a corner. Now that I'm older these crazy trifocals get in the way of seeing the puddle but for the small amount of welding I do it's not worth messing with fancy lenses. Jim [Reply]  [No Email]
DRL 09-17-2012 14:04:55 24.206.128.108 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   I had trouble seeing also until I got a magnifier for my helmet. The local welding shop had them in different strengths. They fit on the inside of the helmet and are held by the wire that holds the glass in. My helmet has a large glass which helps a lot also. After I found the proper strength of magnifying glass, I was able to see a whole lot better. I suppose if your don't wear glasses, a pair of dime store reading glasses would work just as good. [Reply]  [No Email]
K. Peters 09-17-2012 11:49:09 184.9.106.163 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   My mig welding is much better than my stick welding, but that is because the only time I stick weld is when I'm outdoors or out of wire/gas on the mig welder. Biggest mistake new guys at work make is they weld too cold, gotta turn the heat up and/or the wire down. As with anything the more you do it the better you get. There are certain jobs where I work that a 60lb. roll of .045 wire won't last an entire shift, so you could say I get lots of practice wire welding and I could not imagine how many rods we would go through if we stick welded. [Reply]  [No Email]
Dick L 09-17-2012 10:43:49 184.8.54.44 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   I have been stick welding for sixty years. Started in freshaman shop class at 14. Been trying to get the hang of wire welding for twenty years of so. I most likely give up and go to stick before getting the hang of it though. I do a fair job of stich welding in sheet metal patches with the wire welder. Fab work 1/4" or more thick is stick weld work for me. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bob Bancroft 09-17-2012 09:41:14 97.73.64.160 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   Did some welding for a guy several years ago(sheet metal) where obviously all he had were wire welders. He said he'd get me hooked and I would leave my old stick welder. I never got used to the wire welder. It didn't give off enough light that I felt like I could see. Auto-darkening,adjustable shades and all. I've tried one since. Still don't like it. I get along with my old stick welder just fine. I would like to get one of those large view auto- helmets though. [Reply]  [No Email]
NCWayne 09-17-2012 09:03:12 69.40.232.132 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   I've been stick welding for probably 30 years, and MIG welding for about 20. Learned to stick working with my Dad, and then got a job fabricating truck bodies where I learned to MIG. Thing with the bodies was you either made a pretty, flat weld, or ground it until it was. That said, I used to have a hard time seeing the puddle too when I first started MIG welding. Never had a problem with the stick, but couldn't see a thing with the MIG. I went through different shade lenses, a helmet with the bigger lens, etc but nothing seemed to make it any better. I finally got one of the gold coated lenses and since then have never had a problem. The only reason I can think of that this works is that I am partially color blind and the gold lenses don't make everything look green like a standard lens does. Something about the different colors that get through with the gold plated lens makes the puddle stand out to me so I can see it with no problem. I know they don't make the autodark helmets with a gold lens but if you've got a standard helmet you might want to give it a try. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 09-17-2012 08:43:29 209.86.226.40 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   Almost any body can weld with a wire feed but to stick weld you need to know what your doing. I had did both stick and tig welding then went to an interview for a job to mig weld and they hired me right on the spot but yet I had never done so much as a 1/4 inch of mig welding but my weld held up to there test. A well trained monkey can mig weld but that is not so with stick [Reply]  [No Email]
lumpie 09-17-2012 17:18:23 66.43.196.138 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to old, 09-17-2012 08:43:29   You're exactly right Old, I've been saying the same monkey quote for years. Wire welders belong in the body shop. How come all the old pipeliners and millrights use arc welders? [Reply]  [No Email]
NCWayne 09-17-2012 18:39:59 69.40.232.132 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to lumpie, 09-17-2012 17:18:23   Like stick welding said, MIG has taken over in alot of areas that used to be stick welding territory. A large part of industries like ship building, etc have gone to sumerged arc welding with large diameter wire. Heck for things like buildup work they even make wire kinkers that cause the wire to wave back and forth as it exits the electrode tip so it creates a wider bead than a straight pass would. I watched a show a few years back where they were building a bridge somewhere. The columns that supported the bridge were like 6 feet in diameter and several inches thick. They had a machine set up on it that carried the MIG feeder around and around it to fill the joint. I forget exactly how many passes it took,(I'm thinking it was several hundred), but to keep everything in at the proper temp they had the whole column wrapped in a big 'tent' and the welding machine ran 24/7 from the time the weld was started until it was complete. Granted several skilled welders working continuiously could do this same job stick welding it, but with the machine it took nothing more than a couple of people trained to operate the machine, that didn't have to be 'skilled' welders, to get the same job done in alot less time than it could have been done manually. In other words MIG has come along way from the days of bare wire. As much as people want to bad mouth it, it is an excellent welding process, and is as good or better than any other welding process, when, like anything else, it's done properly. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 09-17-2012 17:50:08 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to lumpie, 09-17-2012 17:18:23   Any welding process that uses electricity is arc welding. Big pipelines are welded with automatic MIG machines. 95% or better of farm equipment is either MIG welded or welded with a wire feed process. Wire feed welding has taken away a lot of work that was formally done with stick. 7024 used to be hugely popular rod but has been overtaken by flux-core wire. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 09-18-2012 08:07:56 209.86.226.30 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Stick welding, 09-17-2012 17:50:08   Yes welding in the past 30 or so years has changed a whole lot. Back when I was in the Navy some 32 years ago you NEVER saw any welds done with a mig unit on any place aboard any navy ship. Now days on the other hand they almost always weld with mig on ships. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 09-17-2012 17:30:31 209.86.226.34 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to lumpie, 09-17-2012 17:18:23   Very simple they want to do it right. LOL. You almost never hear of a mig unit used to do pipe line welding or at least you did not 20 years ago not sure about now [Reply]  [No Email]
Jason the Red 09-17-2012 17:04:41 99.109.189.65 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to old, 09-17-2012 08:43:29   Not true Old. You should see some of the welds the new hires at work put down. The guys I am referring to come from the weld school at Nevada MO. Any monkey can MIG weld on a piece of steel at waist height with no obstruction. You ought to see them try to reach around parts, into small spaces, etc. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 09-17-2012 17:32:35 209.86.226.34 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Jason the Red, 09-17-2012 17:04:41   You need to think about what I have done in life. Being former navy and all the guys on ship had to weld in places and ways that school can only fantasizes about [Reply]  [No Email]
Jason the Red 09-18-2012 17:07:28 99.109.189.65 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to old, 09-17-2012 17:32:35   I wasn't speaking of your personal welding at all. I, quite literally, hear the exact same "any monkey" line out of the new hires. Then, when one of our CWIs fails their welds, it's nothing but excuses. I just found it funny to hear the same line here that I hear so often at work. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 09-18-2012 19:06:29 209.86.226.58 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Jason the Red, 09-18-2012 17:07:28   Ya many places are like that. I got layed off because I was into doing a good weld that would do what it needed to do so yes I was a bit slower then the other guy and was told speed it up or your the one we will lay off. I said hey I am in it for quality and do not want to be the one who does not do a good weld so I got layed off [Reply]  [No Email]
Jason the Red 09-19-2012 17:15:22 99.109.189.65 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to old, 09-18-2012 19:06:29   I hear ya. If you had sped up, one weld fails and guess what, layoff anyway. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 09-19-2012 17:33:44 209.86.226.57 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Jason the Red, 09-19-2012 17:15:22   Yep but then I was board with that job any how After welding mig for 4 or so years that type of job does get boring so I moved on to other things. Guess that is why I have done so many things in the many years I worked. [Reply]  [No Email]
Alvin Tofstig 09-18-2012 05:34:39 66.146.251.171 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to old, 09-17-2012 17:32:35   Believe it or not old, not every post is about what you may or may not have done 40 years ago. [Reply]  [No Email]
Brad Buchanan 09-18-2012 12:19:55 74.71.185.165 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Alvin Tofstig, 09-18-2012 05:34:39   Spoken like someone that has not done much in his life. Brad [Reply]  [No Email]
Stan in Oly, WA 09-18-2012 11:28:25 174.31.193.143 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Alvin Tofstig, 09-18-2012 05:34:39   Just out of curiosity, what motivation could you have for making a statement like that except for malice? Humor? Humor at someone else's expense is pretty close to malice, in my experience. If it's something else, I'd be interested to find out. Stan [Reply]  [No Email]
sheiserman 09-18-2012 19:42:57 74.46.248.73 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 09-18-2012 11:28:25   I can"t speak for anybody else, but perhaps the idea that any monkey can mig weld is what spurred the response you seem to take offense with. I don"t think the response contains any more malice than the idea any monkey can mig weld. I wonder how many stick weldors here would have been able to pulse weld using an oscilliscope before the technology was integrated into machines and the adjustments became automatic. The best stick weldor will be buried by a competent mig weldor. There will be no loss of quality with gmaw either. I used the term competent because weldors are only qualified under specific parameters that cover a wider range of applications. A welding qualification test is not a direct indicator of competence. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stan in Oly, WA 09-19-2012 14:45:56 174.31.193.143 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to sheiserman, 09-18-2012 19:42:57   Hi sheiserman, I'm not sure that I "took offense" as such with Alvin Tofstig's statement. For one thing, it wasn't directed at me. I was interested at what I viewed as a good example of how discussions about relatively unimportant issues on this forum can sometimes turn hostile. What seemed to happen in this case was that old stated an opinion concerning monkeys and MIG welding (which, for what it's worth, I happened to find uninformed, misguided, and mistaken) but wasn't aimed at any specific individual. Alvin Tofstig responded with an ad hominem statement---he attacked old personally instead of addressing the issue. If I were to say, "I think John Wayne was the best actor who ever lived" that wouldn't be an insult directed at any particular individual, even though a lot of people would disagree. If someone responded, "That's because you're an idiot," that would be turning away from the subject in question to make a personal attack on me: an ad hominem statement. Most of us can accept that others hold opinions we don't share, but when the response to a statement of opinion is an attack on the person who stated it, the discussion is likely to turn into an argument---or worse. That's why I mentioned it. Stan [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 09-18-2012 22:31:13 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to sheiserman, 09-18-2012 19:42:57   "A welding qualification test is not a direct indicator of competence." Not always but an X-Ray or ultrasound is. Some welds require a specific procedure qualification and are 99% of time subject to NDT testing. Shops don't usually give the more critical jobs to the less competent welders, in fact most shops want no more than a 10% failure rate of your X-Rays. On critical pressure vessels and other applications MIG isn't a qualified procedure. I disagree that the best stick welder would be buried by a competent MIG welder. The best TIG welder however would put would put them both to shame. The best welders are good with all processes but some specialize in specific area's. Every welding process has applications it is more suited for. [Reply]  [No Email]
sheiserman 09-19-2012 15:59:28 74.46.248.73 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Stick welding, 09-18-2012 22:31:13   I disagree on the x-ray/ultrasound to a degree. No NDT process is a catch-all. Linear lack of fusion will slide right by an x-ray. There's a newer type of ultrasound that I'm not familiar with that does away with the angle problem. Just like welding, the NDT is only as good as the tech, but is generally the only option for an independent 3rd party. I agree the more competent welders get the more critical work. There is no test for competence. That takes time. We could bicker endlessly as far as the tig welder thing goes. They are generally too busy crying or polishing their golden arm to get much done. I don't care for "shoulder to the holder" prima-donna welders. Once orbital or a fusion tig head has been set-up, then yes, that rules. Lastly, how did you arrive at the conclusion mig welding isn't a qulified procedure? The term "mig" is very vague and we may only be disagreeing on details, but dual shield and pulsed solid wire are used in our R/S-stamp shop for ASME work, and I know pulsed mig is good with NACE too. I do think short-circuit (solid wire) is out, but everything else is ok once all the necessary hoops have been jumped through. Miller's RMD is garnering a lot of attention, but I've never used it. Never used sub arc either. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 09-19-2012 22:37:16 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to sheiserman, 09-19-2012 15:59:28   For piping and vessels X-Ray is king except where it won't work, like on nozzles. That's where ultrasound would work. What do you have against TIG welders? The most critical welds on the most exotic materials are done with TIG and a good TIG welder has to be able to weld equally well with both hands, sometimes even with a mirror in tight spaces. You can't compare automatic processes to manual processes. Sub-arc has always been accepted for large critical welds. It can still get messed up but not too often with a good operator. MIG isn't a vague term but is often used to describe any type of wire feed welding. I didn't say MIG isn't a qualified procedure. A lot of shops, inspectors, procedures and/or customers don't allow MIG on vessels except for root passes which are done in short circuit transfer. Really picky jobs call for TIG root passes even if the vessel is 10 ft. or more in diameter. I've welded checker plate on skids that didn't allow 7024 and had to be done with 7018. This is just to hold checker plate on which is stitch welded every 6" on the bottom of the skid. It wouldn't come off in a tornado. I worked in several shops that had ASME S, U, U2 and UM stamps for pressure vessels as well as other qualifications for pressure piping. Flux-core(dual shield) is being allowed more but there are still some customers/procedures that don't allow it. I'm in Alberta which is recognized world wide for it's welding standards. The AWS forum even has a section on Alberta. [Reply]  [No Email]
sheiserman 09-20-2012 18:53:11 74.46.248.73 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Stick welding, 09-19-2012 22:37:16   We aren't too far apart. You posted that on critical vessel or pressure applications MIG isn't an approved procedure. It is with ASME or NACE. If the powers that be dictate MIG at any point in the weld, so shall it be. Stick and TIG are often used for root passes either because it is easier, or the fact more people are qualified for those processes. I'd argue the short circuit being approved for root passes, but we may not agree on the terminology. I don't recall off-hand the amperage cut-offs between short circuit and globular. Pulsed and spray are both good for ASME and NACE. I enjoy giving TIG welders a hard time, and it's mostly tongue in cheek. A cry aby is a cry baby, and it afflicts all processes, trades, races,genders, and so on. I've heard more than one TIG hand claim to be faster and better than an orbital machine, but have yet to see that. I do know one thing for certain. ASME has removed any fun I have ever experienced with welding. I like to weld, but that isn't enough, and I look forward to the day when I can walk away from the money and just do something I enjoy. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 09-20-2012 22:37:55 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to sheiserman, 09-20-2012 18:53:11   Despite what the codes may allow, some customers want more than the minimum ASME requirement. Stick is used for root passes in the field, out of position roots and manual pipeline welding. MIG root passes wouldn't be possible in globular or spray transfer. Usually around 18 volts and about 110 to 125 amps which is for sure short circuiting transfer. I think MIG short circuit transfer is allowed for root passes when it is used in conjunction with another process such as stick, sub-arc or flux-core. MIG root is fairly fast when roll welding and goes in almost as nice as TIG roots. On large diameter, thick vessels, you spend way more time grinding the tacks out and feathering the root than you do putting the root in. I did a root pass for the head of a 2 3/4" vessel that had a zillion tacks to hold everything in position. Some of them were under a lot of force in order to match the shell to the head. They aren't just tacks though. They were pieces of 1/2" round bar in the bevel about 2" long that are welded on each side that have to be ground out. They are done this way so you don't burn the edge of the bevel prior to the root pass. Preheat was also used because of the thickness. There is generally no land for MIG roots but for a test guys will often use about a 1/16" to 3/32" land. 3" and above uses a 3/16" gap rod and smaller uses 5/32" gap rod. Big vessels sometimes use a 1/4" gap rod. On the same vessel, they ordered the wrong size repad for a nozzle. The nozzle was 20" dia. but the repad was cut for a 24" nozzle. Being that the repad was 2 1/2" thick, they didn't want to pay for another one so we had to fill it up with 7018, lots and lots of 1/4" 7018!!! It had to be done with stick. The vessel was 2 1/2" thick beveled for full penetration and the repad was also beveled for pull penetration. That's 5" thick of weld averaging about 3" wide around a 20" diameter. It took 2 welders on 2 shifts over 14 hours to weld it up. Once the shell portion was welded, it had to be ground flat for the repad. After the repad was welded, it had to be ground flat with only a 3/8" fillet weld showing on the nozzle. You sure didn't want to build it too much or you'd have a lot of grinding to do. When it was finished, you couldn't tell the weld went out almost 4" at the top. That was the biggest weld I ever worked on and it was hot sitting up there for hours on end. The vessel weighed 50 to 60 tons. [Reply]  [No Email]
sheiserman 09-21-2012 15:31:04 74.46.248.73 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Stick welding, 09-20-2012 22:37:55   Better you than me on that re-pad deal. We're doing an 8 (sch.40) on 36 (sch. 40) 45 deg. lateral in position, but the re-pad is a perfect fit and the lateral fit nicely too. Child's play. This stuff is neat to look at when it's done. Good point on the fact that customer or contractor can be more restrictive than code minimums. Details like that lead to unecessary arguments. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 09-21-2012 16:52:16 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to sheiserman, 09-21-2012 15:31:04   If you want to see what kind of stuff is built in Alberta, check out these websites. Sorry I can't post a link. Dacro Industries which claims to be the largest shop in N.America. I don't know if that means vessel shop or not but the floor of the main shop is removable so they can build larger diameter vessels and their heat treating building is bigger than most shops? I drive by there quite often and just sitting in the yard are sets of large vessel rolls and a couple 25,000 lb capacity welding positioners. Edmonton Exchanger who has the largest capacity plate rolls in N. America (8" thick cold, 12" thick hot) and most likely the largest head press at 3000 tons (designed and built in house). They also have one of the largest supplies of SA516-70 boiler plate in the world. Cessco which is another large vessel shop that often competes against Dacro and is only about 15 minutes away. There's quite a few other big shops that specialize in huge projects as well. There's mod yards all over the place that build oil and gas equipment on large skids for easier portability and assembly at the job site. Lots of shops that build drilling rigs and specialized stuff for the oilsands. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 09-18-2012 08:04:35 209.86.226.30 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Alvin Tofstig, 09-18-2012 05:34:39   Yes I know hat but the guy made a statement and I made one back to him not you so your the but-in-ski so do not get your knikers in a wad and keep your nose out of things [Reply]  [No Email]
Billy NY 09-17-2012 07:27:46 24.29.79.122 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   Meant to add, here is a photo of one of the welds after I made the change, I thought I did ok for an amateur, self taught, probably more bad habits than not LOL, but this actually was a light structural repair of shop garage door connection to the framing above. I had to make up some hangers, whomever installed, repaired, this door, made some terrible choices, lucky the whole darned thing did not come down on someone. [Reply]  [No Email]
Billy NY 09-17-2012 07:19:59 24.29.79.122 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   I can't really add much to what these experienced hands can tell you, but one thing that made a huge difference is being able to see clearly what you are doing. I knew what to do for the most part with stick, but being overly protective of my eyes, I went with a darker lense, I either changed helmets or a went to a lighter lense, think its a shade 11, I can see the puddle, and the work better, that and a few odds and ends I finally could control the puddle, see it, and when done, finally have decent weld in profile, penetration and no visible porosity, with 7018. Like you I want the capability to weld thin material, and learn more as I go along, I like the welding posts on this forum. [Reply]  [No Email]
rossow (mn) 09-17-2012 06:40:45 69.24.190.240 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   i bought a fairly decent argon-shielded Lincoln mig welder maybe 15 years ago and have never been able to use it effectively. As I've written on this forum before, for some reason I can't see the weld joint -- not because something is in the way but because I simply can't see the joint the way I can with a stick welder. It's a physiological problem, not a technique problem. I've tried lenses from 9 to 12, but nothing helps. I can only see the joint when I aim two 500-watt halogen lamps directly at the joint at close range; then I'm sort of OK (sight-wise), but I still much prefer the stick welder for anything but sheet metal (when I often revert to my oxy-acetylene unit). I need mig practice, but the sight issue makes it hard. I'm sadly disappointed with mig welding. [Reply]  [No Email]
Don-Wi 09-17-2012 03:03:23 66.87.0.144 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire fe in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   TIG gets pretty tricky, especially if you throw a turn table into the mix that is controlled by your foot. I did some tig last week that I had to use that setup and took some pictures, I just need to upload them. Donovan from Wisconsin This post was edited by Don-Wi at 11:51:27 09/17/12. [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 09-17-2012 02:11:35 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire fe in reply to sflem849, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   When wire feeds came into construction around here in the 1970's, and the companies forced us to use them, my stick welding skills really fell off. I would go years with out touching a stick welder. I didn't get my stick welding skill back until retiring, and just used a stick machine for awhile. A Mig / wire feeder is the easiest process of all the welding processes to learn. JDseller I think you need to look into buying some reading glasses. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 09-16-2012 22:02:22 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 20:49:30   Are you letting the nozzle block your view of the puddle? You only need a slight push angle and weave (twist your wrist) side to side slightly or go in circles to get fusion at the edges. Pushing should give a flatter bead than pulling. The chart inside the plastic door has pretty close settings to give a nice weld. This is for solid wire. Flux-core is always pulled but metal-core is also pushed. You didn't say what wire you were using but I'm guessing ER70S-6 solid wire .035? [Reply]  [No Email]
JDseller 09-16-2012 23:01:04 208.126.196.144 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to Stick welding, 09-16-2012 22:02:22   I am using .035 with gas. I am not sure what hardness of wire. I just have a hard time seeing the puddle. I have an adjustable helmet and I have tried dark and lighter. Still no better. I have also tried my old flip helmet not much difference. I have seen the boys pick up the gun without changing anything and weld a good looking bead. My beads usually look just like you stick welded them. [Reply]  [No Email]
GUIDO 09-17-2012 06:46:58 71.168.199.69 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 23:01:04   Hello JDseller, You have answered your own question! Quote" I have hard time seeing the weld" A larger welding hood with the help of glasses, as puddles said, would be most hepfull. Guido. [Reply]  [No Email]
Ken Macfarlane 09-17-2012 06:22:23 142.166.168.2 Report to Moderator	Re: How are you are at welding with a stick verses a wire... in reply to JDseller, 09-16-2012 23:01:04   I've spent a lot of time on a mig welder patching rusty cars back together and still make a bad mig weld quite often. Usually on thin stuff. -If you can't see the puddle and you are welding thin stuff you aren't going to make nice welds. I can weld some stuff without being able to see by listening to the sound but its not pretty. Also, I'm not sure how steady your hands are but mine have always shaken enough that I need to rest on something. -If its dirty at all, the welds are terrible. I find I get lazy after welding stick for a while since dirty steel isn't as much of an issue. [Reply]  [No Email]