7018 Vertical Tee with 5/32"

In this video, you will see stick welding a 7018 vertical tee joint using 5/32" electrodes.  both stringer beads and weaves

Amperage was set to 140 amps using a Esab Rebel 285 multi process welder.

arc control is set to 50% which is a bit higher than suggested for a 7018 but since we have amperage set pretty low, arc force of 50% helps for not sticking the rod because arc force tells the machine to bump amps up a bit when your arc gets really tight.

Welding a vertical tee with 1/8" 7018 is much easier and the amperage range is wider.

With a 1/8" 7018, amperage range for this joint would be somewhere around 100-135 amps.

The reason for this video is that I have received quite  a few requests from folks who are being required to certify using 5/32" 7018 as well as make production welds with 5/32 electrodes.

Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) for 7018 vertical

WPS stands for welding procedure specification.

a WPS specifies essential variables for welding like polarity, amperage range, electrode type and size, joint configuration, etc.

Sometimes a WPS specifies stringer beads.

And if a WPS specifies stringer beads as opposed to a weave, then you need to use stringer beads.

Personally, I prefer a weave in most cases, but I have been on jobs where stringer beads were required.

In fact stringer beads are being required in codes and welding procedures more and more.

There are some benefits to stringer beads vs weaves as far as heat input, residual stresses, and grain growth...so for certain situations, it is mandated.

Skill builder exercise for 7018 vertical

If you are not comfortable with 7018 vertical welding, it makes no sense to weld a tee joint.

Just get a piece of metal at least 3/8" thick and practice stacking one bead halfway on top of the previous bead.

This padding beads skill building exercise is some of the most efficient  practice there is.

No prep work, no tack welding, just bead after bead.

Once you are welding consistent beads one after another and it feels easy, then move on to a vertical uphill tee joint using 1/8" 7018 rods.

7018 vertical 2 foot long tee joint

there is a reason for using a 2 ft long tee.

Restarts.

lots of restarts.

the ability to make a good restarts is fundamental.

Using short pieces where one rod will weld the whole length wont give enough practice making restarts.

But a 2ft long tee joint will provide plenty of opportunity for practicing restarts.

Once you are confident with a 2 ft tee joint using 1/8" 7018, try some 5/32"