The Welders Lens
Welding Training Course Videos

Training Instruction Using Video

Hello, my name is Michael D. Treadway I am a welding instructor and former welder. I want to encourage you to lend me the next 60 seconds and I know that you will be glad you did. You know, most people really have no idea about what goes on behind a welding helmet. Most don’t know what it is like to handle 7400 degree molten metal. Let me tell you what it is like.

Welding is like being able to harness lightening in your hands and create something that didn’t exist before You, the welder, comes along.Wow!

Imagine this: have you wondered how long it normally takes to really understand and master something? Ever wonder what really goes into earning a master’s degree? You have stumbled upon something so powerful in what I am about to reveal to you that if the average curious welder where to find out what I am doing, it may very well put some instructors out of a job. This is for real.


You may not know it but you’re running out of time.

The reason I tell you this is because it took me over 20 years to learn all the welding tips and tricks I am revealing to you right now. All of the personal mistakes and hard knocks along the way. That is the normal course of learning, but what I am going to show you is not the norm. Don’t worry I have a few testimonies that lend proof to my claims.

You might think that going to a local tech school would be a solution, and it very well could be. I can’t help but tell you of the nightmares I keep hearing about from people I know personally that are doing just that. Going to a school or welding training course of some sort and getting jammed into a little booth along with others wanting to learn to weld  that decided to do the same thing, only to find a welding instructor or two that doesn’t have the time or concern to spend with you as the welder!

This is partly why I put this welding course that uses video to give people who want to learn to weld and advantage. Of course eventually you will have to practice hands on the welding you learn in theory but learning to weld using welding videos gives any welder a huge advantage.

I produced a welding home study course based upon the most common types of welding: TIG, MIG, Uphill, and Downhill. Most of the welding instructions are on pipe and there are a few on plate as well. Please feel free to look around and view my welding products and individual descriptions.  If there is something else that is unanswered feel free to either call me or use the “Contact Me” page.

I also have videos on my YouTube channel so you can see what I am selling before you purchase. As a matter of fact I recommend you view the videos because I don’t give out refunds on purchase for that reason.

Thanks for your time and visit.

Michael

 

 

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Posted by mdtread - December 14, 2012 at 1:02 pm

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Best Welding Practices


What To Do When The Weld Turns Bad

Someone asked me how I know what to do when the weld takes a turn for the worst? Really after years of experience and teaching you learn to train your eyes and mind of what problem areas of a weld look like.

That is the benefit of this course. I can relay to you the benefits you can receive from my years of painful mistakes and errors I have learned not only from my own mistakes but the mistakes of those around me.

One of the videos recently published from the crud trap series showed my weld gap opening up and the metal running the risk of falling in on the bevel creating what is technically called excess penetration.

Excess penetration is caused from pushing too much metal to the interior surfaces on the inside of the pipe. This is usually caused from staying too long in one spot while welding. The combination of too large a gap and high heat can also attribute to excess penetration.


It is almost a guarantee that young welders at some point will face this common problem.

The way around this is to try your best to evenly match the pipe bevels and the interior surfaces of the pipe.

An even gap all the way around the pipe makes life a lot easier.

The problem I faced in the video you saw on the crud trap series was a hand beveled pipe surface.

The hand beveling is almost always inferior to the factory or machine bevel. When two factory bevels are matched the gap is consistently matched and makes the weld path more uniform.

Because of this the heat range won’t need to be adjusted as with an uneven hand bevel.

What happened to me on the crud trap is that the gap was inconsistent leading to my keyhole opening up to much and the high heat became my enemy. The keyhole opened up and the edge of the pipe was burning up before I could deposit metal.

When this happens if you don’t stop immediately and make some type of adjustment more than likely you will do a few of these things if not possibly all of them.

1. Burn the pipe bevel up and open up the gap

2. Leave excess metal in the weld path because you stay in the big gap too long trying to fill the crater

3. Lose the keyhole you had to the canyon that is created.

4. Draw back the rod while still welding because the heat is too much to handle now and by doing that you    may not penetrate the weld and leave undercut on the interior of the pipe surfaces.

Either way it goes the thing to do is stop welding. You can change the heat slightly bringing the amps down usually 5 to 10 amps depending upon your skill and the problem. Maybe more, maybe less.

Stop welding and let the pipe cool off. Don’t push the rod into the bevel as much and begin to butter it around skipping over the bevel more causing less penetration.

The only way to be certain about what you do on the inside of the pipe is to make slight adjustments, weld a little, then look inside the pipe with a flashlight to see what you are doing. Hopefully if the pipe is not completely closed you may be able to look through the bevel to see the interior weld. You may also be able to see the interior weld with a mirror and light from the outside if the pipe piece is not to long or closed up.

When the gap opens up grind as little as possible. The last thing you want to do is take away more of the bevel now. If the pipe is glowing red where you can see it after pulling out of the keyhole and the keyhole appears to grow then let it cool and turn down the heat.

I hope this all makes sense. If it doesn’t you know I will try to clarify it or come at it from a different angle.

From the Author
Michael D. Treadway

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Posted by mdtread - January 17, 2013 at 5:53 pm

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The World Of Flux Coated Welding Rods

 


The World of Flux Coated Rods

Hello again from The Welders Lens. Thank you for joining me. Today in the Stick Rod Series we will look at different Flux Coated Rods ( electrodes

Welding is a process that normally fuses like metals together. I say normally. There is the occasion where dissimilar (or unlike) metals are welded together. One such instance would be when welding stainless to carbon steel (iron). Each welding rod or electrode is made up of the filler metal and the flux coating. The filler metal is the metal that will be fused into the material you are welding on. The flux is the outer coating around the metal rod. Without the flux coating, this type of welding is virtually impossible.

The flux is what allows the metal to burn continuously and consistently. The flux is what shields the burning filler metal and parent metal from impurities in the atmosphere when welding. It also keeps the rod from sticking to the surface you are welding on. Hello again from The Welders Lens. Thank you for joining me. Today in the Stick Rod Series we will look at different Flux Coated Rods (electrodes)

Welding is a process that normally fuses like metals together. I say normally. There is the occasion where dissimilar (or unlike) metals are welded together. One such instance would be when welding stainless to carbon steel (iron). Each welding rod or electrode is made up of the filler metal and the flux coating. The filler metal is the metal that will be fused into the material you are welding on. The flux is the outer coating around the metal rod. Without the flux coating, this type of welding is virtually impossible.

The flux is what allows the metal to burn continuously and consistently. The flux is what shields the burning filler metal and parent metal from impurities in the atmosphere when welding. It also keeps the rod from sticking to the surface you are welding on. In general it is important to understand that with almost all welding procedures oxygen enriched atmosphere will contaminate your weld.

At times while welding there will be little air bubbles (also called porosity) that appear in the weld. This is not good. You don’t want this and neither do inspectors or your weld. Porosity makes a weld inferior and leads to weld failure at times if the pressures against the weld are great. The flux coating purges the atmosphere while the weld is in process.

Welding rods are stamped most of the time. On occasion I have seen rods with no indicators on them. Boy that really leaves you guessing. The stamp gives a number of things in it that help the welder. It will give you tensile strength. Tensile strength is the amount of weight the rod will hold up usually measured in pounds.
7018 is what is known as a low-hydrogen electrode. The first two numbers are 70 or seventy.

This indicates that this particular rod can hold up to 70,000 pounds per square inch of force. These rods are rated true. I have taken many welding test through the years. If you were to take a pipeline code weld test (P1101), your test specimen; in this case a 6″ piece of pipe, would be cut up into 8 one inch strips from different parts of your pipe coupon or test piece the length of the pipe coupon.

These pieces are then stretched and pulled to test there breakability and imperfections from your weld, if there are any.

If you had used the 6010 Sp+ rod which is standard for that test, then you will see that when the pressure dials begin to approach the 60,000 to 61,000 pound reading on the gauge the metal pulls apart and severs at some point in the test piece. The next sets of numbers stand for position and composition.

7018 is a 70,000lb. all position rod composed of a class 8 composition. The number 1 means that this rod can be welded in all positions. Flat, vertical (uphill/downhill), horizontal, and overhead. This rod can be used on a 6g test which is the all around position test. This test is considered to cover all the welding positions while in progress at one time.

It is the hardest test besides a fixed jig. Both hands must be used to weld efficiently. 7024 is also a low-hydrogen rod but notice the back end numbers change. This is not an all position rod and the flux composition is a little different as well. It will still hold up to 70,OOOlb. per square inch.

These are just some basics for now. We will cover more on rod type in the another article. Until next time stay behind The Welders Lens.

From the Author
Michael D. Treadway

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Posted by mdtread - January 4, 2013 at 6:30 pm

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Fast Freeze Rods


Stick Rods/Fast Freeze Rods?

Hello again  I hope this article finds you without burnt eyes or some other welding trauma. Today we are going to start our  discussion about the anatomy of stick rod or arc welding with flux coated rods (electrodes). Of course, there are many types of stick rods but the best place to start is with a fast freeze rod.

Fast freeze rods are in a category that has been the foundation for stick rod welding. They are still an industry standard in many places. I have worked for companies that don’t use these rods in their process as a root metal, but most do. When we talk about root metals we are talking about those metals that are always the first metals to be applied to a weld joint, whether it be  pipe welding, plate welding , tube welding, structural welding, etc.
When we speak of this type of rod we are almost always talking about basic carbon steel (also known as black iron or mild steel). Fast freeze rods have the ability to cool rapidly even while the weld process is in motion.
Imagine stacking dimes on top of one another with slight overlap from one dime to the next. Like a row of fallen dominoes.
Now this of course would be a flat continuous weld. Each time in welding with a fast freeze rod the rod is moved slightly forward and then back into the original puddle. As soon as you move forward with the stick rod the metal that has been deposited behind the rod is already becoming solid thus applying the term fast freeze. There is some ability to drag the rod without a great deal of movement, but because of the nature of the rod and its design, it wants to solidify rapidly so to prevent a great deal of build up when depositing the metal, you will naturally move the puddle more than some other rods.
The tighter the laying of one dime upon the next signifies good weld continuity. One thing that must be observed with this application is the tendency to undercut the areas of existing weld joint with the new metal that is being laid on top of it. When you step the rod out of the puddle, the area you move ahead to is being dug into by the action of this rod. That is why you step the rod back into the last dime of weld filling in the areas that have been dug out by the rod as it was moved ahead.
This type of rod has a great digging effort with it.
One tip of advice about this type of process is this: “Don’t be afraid to leave enough metal in the existing weld path before moving ahead. Beginners especially have the tendency to move ahead to fast before depositing enough metal to prevent undercutting the parent metal (existing metal).
Undercutting is a term that simply means the weld metal that has been deposited was not enough to flush out the weld with the surrounding surface. Normally, the weld deposited from the rod is enough to make the new weld higher or fatter than the original material. When the metal deposited during the welding process is shy or not enough, the newly deposited metal leaves a jagged edge next to the new metal instead of a nice rounded effect.
6010 electrodes, 7010 electrodes, 8010 electrodes, shield arc 85, 6011, 6013 are all fast freeze rods, just as some examples.
These rods are designed to dig into the parent metal and give good penetration. It is good on rusty metals and metal that is not very clean. Old material that has corroded over time, etc.
One welding trick you can apply with this type of rod is this: The polarity can be switched when welding this rod allowing for less penetration or digging as it is being welded.
Sometimes on thin metal or metal that cannot hold up to a great deal of scouring effort by the norm of these rods can be overcome by this little trick.
Make the ground positive and the hot lead negative (reverse polarity).You will find that the sound is a bit different while welding than it normally would be. You will also find that the welding rod does not have the tendancy to dig or penetrate as much. This is a welding tip that comes in handy, especially when working on thin metals.
I have found for myself that these rods run smoother on a slightly higher heat than you might feel comfortable with. Running a hot puddle is better and becomes easier to handle the more you practice with it.
These rods can be run either uphill from bottom to top on a vertical plane or top to bottom on a verticle plane. There is more movement usually on the uphill and more dragging or leading on the downhill. They are actually all positions rods. Flat, overhead,vertical,horizontal,arkansas bell or 6g which incorporates all of the positions within the weld path.
Normally any pipe test you will ever take will be in the 6g position. There are some exceptions. One of the tests that I never liked taking was a fixed jig test.
This test simulates an actual field weld that will have to be made on the job. They can be a nightmare.
The 3 most important things to keep in mind when welding are as follows:

  • Heat
  • Travel speed
  • Rod angle

These three areas of your weld have everything to do with control. When you loose control of your weld you will begin to struggle with the weld procedure. Manipulating the weld encompasses these three things more than anything else. You must be able to control the weld at all times.
Bear in mind some of the electrodes mentioned above are AC electrodes and some are DC electrodes. This will need to be considered when choosing the correct rod for the application for the task at hand.
From the Author
Michael D. Treadway

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Posted by mdtread - December 20, 2012 at 8:24 pm

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Why You Want To Walk The Cup


Walking The Cup In TIG Welding

Upon my recent video submissions concerning the TIG welding, there have surfaced some statements by some in the welding circles with both a negative and a positive reaction to this subject.
I will say that there has been a more positive reaction than a negative response to the teaching on this subject.
I wanted to produce this article to clear up some misconceptions about walking the cup with the TIG welding process I and many others teach as well as demonstrate. You are probably familiar with TIG welding, and maybe you are not.

TIG welding is made up of the electrode, electricity, filler rod, and the electrode holder such as any other welding process. The design of the holder for TIG is very unique. The electrode consists of some type of Tungsten. Tungsten is the means by which the electric current is carried to the metals that will be fused together.
There is also the gas lens and cup that is really what I want to focus on in this article. We can really look at this with the MIG process as well and may do so in another article in the future. So we have the electricity and the gas that is applied simultaneously in this process.

All this action is delivered to the weld area by the Cup. The cup imparts a critical role in the way it is designed. I know what your thinking, what does this have to do with walking the cup? We are almost there. First the cup is made of ceramic.
Ceramic construction allows the cup to sustain critical temperatures without failing in such conditions. The cup is also round for one reason and one reason only. Welders that shun walking the cup do so because they either don’t understand this or they do not use this technique.

Regardless this is a great technique that should be taken into consideration by every TIG welder.
Let me convey this truth to you as the reader of this article. The Cup is round for a reason. It is not square. It is not elliptical. It is not rectangular or triangular.

It is circular and this by design is why we can and should walk the cup when possible. Now there are some times when you will not want to or be able to walk the cup. Absolutely this is true. Then there are times when you will want to walk the cup.
If you can retain what I am about to tell you and practice it you will benefit greatly in you skill and circles of influence. Let’s look at some points. Foremost the pipe can get extremely hot, as I am sure you are aware, and if you as the welder are not careful you can burn your torch hand fingers. This is the hand you use to operate the welding rig.

Secondly there will be times when you as the welder can cover more ground by walking the cup than by manipulating the weld puddle by hand alone. These two factors are probably the most prevalent reasons walking the cup can be a huge advantage. I personally have worked for companies that shy away from the stick welding process and rely solely on TIG.
These companies use TIG from start to finish in their process. Yes even on the cap of the weld. When you cap a weld with TIG, the material is usually screaming hot by that point and it virtually impossible to touch the metal with your fingers or hand.

Sometimes you can use what is known as the hobo or whino finger. This is using a cup to cover your finger that rests on the pipe but it is not the easiest method but does come in handy. Walking the cup takes care of all the burns and inconvenient problems a TIG welder can face once he or she learns this method. This is the reason the cup is circular and engineered like it is.

Friend if you don’t agree with me on this that is fine but that doesn’t take away from this truth. If you don’t ever use this application that is fine too, but don’t brow beat a welder that can step into this arena and turn out some killer welds produced by this method.

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Posted by mdtread - December 19, 2012 at 10:17 pm

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