Grant Erwin wrote:
Christopher Tidy wrote:

Hi all,

I've been using a stick welder for occasional hobby projects for about
9 years now (the welder is a Cytringan Bantam 180 amp oil-cooled
unit). I've mastered butt welds and can achieve an even bead with neat
restarts, but I can't quite get fillets right. I've tried varying the
current, moving the electrode slowly up and down, following the
instructions regarding angle in my welding book etc., but my fillets
still contain small slag inclusions. I'm using E 6013 electrodes and
3-5 mm thick 43A mild steel plate (these might both be British-only
standards). Now I find that I'm designing my projects so as to avoid
fillet welds. Can anyone suggest how to improve my fillet welds, or do
I just need more practice?


Isn't 6013 a drag rod?

I don't think 6013 is intended as a drag rod. It doesn't say so on the
packet, and the flux is thinner than that on a 7018 rod. I was given
some 7018 rods when I first started welding, but found them very hard to
use, so I talked to the guy at the welding store and bought 6013.
Apparently 7018 is best with a DC machine. I have about 10 kg of 6013 so
I'd like to learn to use them for fillets.

Try no weave at all, just a straight motion right
down the axis. Watch the puddle, not the arc. Remember, a fillet weld
requires a bit more current than a flat weld because the current has to
flow two ways.

Ah! A guy told me the opposite, because "you want to weld more slowly to
give you time to spread the metal around", or some such argument. Maybe
he didn't know what he was talking about? I'll try turning up the
current a notch.

Make sure your puddle flows evenly on both sides of the
fillet.

If one plate is horizontal and the other vertical, how do you stop the
weld pool from forming predominantly on the horizontal plate due to the
action of gravity? Roughly what horizontal and vertical electrode angles
should I be using?

Many thanks for your advice.

Chris