downhill welds with 6013?

Is it possible to make sound welds with 6013 used in the downhill mode? I haven't used 6013 on anything since I started using MIG,(30 years) but I need to make some welds outdoor on thin(16 gauge) steel, so thought a sheet metal rod would be the best bet, but I don't have any to try it out, and don't really want a 5# box of rods that would last longer than I will

I know I could use shielded arc outdoors, but I am quite sure you can't use this stuff downhill, barely works at all on flat!

Dale Nelson

Dale,
You have a DC welder? The sheetmetal guys use 6011 straight polarity (that's electrode negative). I've ran 7014 uphill on some real thin stuff by setting up for 3/32 rod and running 1/8 wiht a real short arc. It's a little difficult to get the arc started.

If you want to run down, the recommended procedure is to UP the amps and haul ass. I'd try it with 6011. If I was blowing through, I'd bust the flux off another rod and use it as a filler then break out the angle grinder.

When you say shielded arc, do you mean flux-core wire? You can get downhill wires, try looking for E71T-8

6011 is about the only downhill rod I know of. Welding with any other rod downhill will just give you slag and flux inclusions which will yield a low quality weld. Learn to weld uphill! The welds are higher qaulity and stronger.

Jim
www.pivotlok.com

thanks for the input. I do know how to weld uphill, but I would like to see anyone who can buttweld 16 ga.uphill. We are talking .050" or slightly less in thickness. I had a hard time welding flat with 6013(yes, I went against my better judgement and bought some) 3/32 diam, at about 80 amps. Unless I drag welded it at an ungodly fast clip it would burn through. After a little practice, I could make effective welds about as wide as the rods are thick, but that was moving about 1" per second, and absolutely no slowing or stopping til the weld was done. I did make some downhill welds with this rod, none AWS certifiable, but mostly useable welds. I would not recommend downhill welding with 6013, most of the time on the first pass, the weld bead would only stick to each side of the steel, not connecting the two pieces together. After chipping the slag out, the next pass fused the first pass together, worked good enough on a test piece to bend the 16 gauge most of the way around before the weld broke, more than good enough to hold the steel door frame to the building purlins.

Dale Nelson

Last time I looked at an electrode chart, 6013 was the only one made to weld downhill and downhill only.

Chris

i have used 7014 downhill on sheetmetal.

Actually, yeah. I've used 6013 downhill (electrode pointing up- that is, my hand below the weld and the arc above. Feed downwards.)

I also recall it isn't so easy. Maybe I should've been going up instead.

Luckypabst was onto something. If in doubt, read the instructions.

Read the instructions on the box yesterday. They said to go uphill.

I was hoping someone would read the instructions, because the results I got welding downhill with 6013 were anything but acceptable! With enough messing around, I made welds that stuck together, but the welds were ugly enough that I ground them flat to not be reminded how bad welding can look Especialy since I run a welding/machine shop, and would not want such ugly welds to undyly influence someones opinion of my welding ability

Dale Nelson

This quote from "Welding Principles & Practices" - one of my welding textbooks, from about 8 years back (can't find any electrode charts at home):

"Originally, this electrode was designed specifically for light-guage sheet metal work and for vertical welding from the top down."

I've burned in some beautiful downhill welds with 6013 but it's difficult to get the technique right. If I remember right it took a very tight angle, down around 10-15 degrees inclination.

Keep in mind the 6013 is one of the least penetrating electrodes but can lay a most attractive bead considering the process.

Chris