Downhill Pipe Root 6010 5/32"

For Pipeline welding and other API 1104 pipe welding, A downhill Pipe Root with 6010 rod is often the procedure specified...and for speed, a 5/32" 6010 rod is often used.

Procedure for Downhill pipe

My friend Andrew Cardin works for a gas company called NEUCO and he is required to use the API 1104 code for downhill pipe welding.

...and so we used his companies welding procedure for this 12 inch schedule 40 pipe weld.

And that procedure called for using 5/32" 6010 rod for the root with 30 degree bevels,  3/32" root opening, and 3/32" land.

Acceptance criteria is based on the API 1104 code and although I do not have the latest revision, an older revision stated this...

"The inside-diameter weld reinforcement shall not be raised above the parent material by more than 1/16 in. (2 mm)."

So basically, the root penetration reinforcement can be anywhere from flush to 1/16" and be acceptable...but for a welding test where bend straps are cut and bent, it is best to have the full 1/16" of reinforcement so that there are no low places...

for field welds, there are actually some provisions for the root to be slightly concave when X rayed provided the density meets minimum requirements as compared to other areas of the weld.

So the goal is a root that is 100% penetrated with no lack of penetration areas even at tie ins.

Why 5/32" electrodes?

Why 5/32" and not 1/8" 6010 electrodes?

5/32" is way faster and on 12" pipe , will allow for welding from tack weld to tack weld without a restart.

I was surprised at how well the 5/32" worked because all the 6010 pipe I ever welded was on paper mills and it was all uphill with 6010 1/8" rods.

Body Positioning

body positioning is second nature for seasoned pipe welders.

Some old hands dont even have to think about it...

But for new pipe welders just learning, body positioning is worth thinking about. 

By actually thinking about moving your body before the hood drops, a welder can learn faster. When the hood drops, and the arc strikes, you forget about little things like ...

is my whip going to get hung up?

Its a bit like a golf swing.

Sure you can just walk up to the tee and whack it. But practicing and thinking about the swing is the way to really improve.

What is a pancake hood?

there are always comments about Andrews hood so let me just clear things up.

Its called a pancake hood and pancake hoods are widely used in the pipeliner world because they completely block out the sunlight and let the welder see better.

Andrew is using a shade 11 arc one single in his pancake hood and while we were filming this video, I ordered a #10 shade arc one single for myself to put in my modified pipeliner hood...and it is a great lens.

the singles cost around 100 dollars and are 2"x 4" so they fit in any standard helmet that uses the small passive lenses.

I dont really benefit from a large viewing area anyway due to me using a cheater lens