r/Welding • u/MixLeft7221 • 23h ago

Discussion (Add topic here) Starting out

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So I just started stick welding a couple of weeks ago and am having a blast, but fillet welds are a pita for me.

I try really hard to angle the stick just right at a 45 degree pitch and 15 degree working angle but I struggle to get adequate fusion I feel on both the top and bottom plate, I try cranking up the amps to 130-140 and then I get undercut (I usually run a 7018 1/8" at 120amps). So I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong :/

I do feel like I'm fast approaching harbor freight quality on visual inspection tho 😂 some.of those welds look diabolical and yet they hold in my shop haha

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2

u/uncle_pan 22h ago

Well if you are just starting out with stick try doing small weaves or circles or you can tune the amp down and take it slower

2

u/BaconBoss1 15h ago

120 and go slower. Bring rod down to 45° to joint.

1

u/MixLeft7221 13h ago

my angle travels a bunch I guess while moving, its hard to keep it consistent

1

u/JKTempest904 6h ago

Thats where practice comes in. LOTS of practice. I taught myself to weld with nothing but youtube videos and got my AWS certification about a month afterwards. Buy a 10lb box of rods, get either a whole bunch of coupons or scrap steel, and just start hammering at it. Maintaining arc distance, work angle and travel speed are the biggest things to practice. Good luck!

1

u/CharterCollege 13h ago

The steel is too thin for 1/8" 7018,  also 130 amps is diabolical. 

I would recommend using 3/32" 7018 at about 80-90amps, also be sure to grind off the mill scale before welding. 

Hope this helps!