A New Year deserves a New Post with a New Plan

A big thanks to all of you out there who have been very kind and encouraging with your great comments and support.

A business owner is dust in the wind without supporters that believe in his business.

A leader is nothing more than a soldier that has said, “Okay, I will go first!”

Will you follow me if I go?

I have learned a great deal this last year about first of all Jesus my God, myself, and others.

It means so much to be appreciated and loved. It is what humanity is missing.

When you kick God out of your life, you say goodbye to love. Even discipline is a form of love.

This year has some great promises and new horizons I can see already.

I am striving to make The Welder Lens the best it can be and very available to all.

I just launched my first product although I know it was not the best time.

I got it out as soon as I could.

A big thanks to those of you who have caught the vision of this site and its products, you know who you are.

Welding instructions through welding videos is a fantastic idea and method by which to train yourself to become a great welder.

The whole plan of greatness is watch and implement, watch and implement.

Here are some plans I have already in mind for this year:

1. Carbon Plate series: All positions (Stick and Mig)

2. Someone asked me to make a jack stand

3. Exotic metals such as stainless and chrome % carbons

4. Aluminum with Tig on square wave

5. Mig Flux core,etc.

So I hope that you will hang with me in my plight to bring a format that I don’t believe has ever been truly exposed so far in the welding course.

There surely hasn’t been the welding home study course aspect of this industry.

I will be doing some promotion spots of other peoples products as soon as I find some that I can put my stamp on.

One thing you probably will not see from my site is drawings and theory.

You can buy a book and read on that. I am more interested in the actual view behind the lens. I have a few candidates in mind for special interviews and some outside training from other experts in this field.

Along with that I will be doing some giveaways and gratus bonuses.

I am really thinking about doing a monthly membership package as well.

Lots of plans and ideas in my little brain.

So I just thought I would share some of these things with you here at the beginning of this year as a mind map for us all.

The Bible says that without a Vision The People Perish.

Thanks again and take care.

Michael Treadway of The Welders Lens

Response to Emails!

Just a big thank you to all that have responded to the emails.

I really, really appreciate it.

Got some videos coming at you that you haven’t seen yet. 

Tig is going very well and I am almost finished. 

The videos being sent out at this time are the last of the crud trap series we did a couple of months ago.

After the tig will be some mig on pipe.

If you can weld pipe than plate is a breeze.

The plan after that is some more stick to finish out this portion of the course and then we will do 

some exotic metals like stainless.

Posted comments about one on one training

This is the post related to the email that you should have gotten about the up and coming TIG

videos I will be doing this week but getting a late start. 

If you got the message and thought of anything you would like to see or hear and also the response to the One on One training possibilities then here is the place to drop a line for the welding home study course from The Welders Lens.

We just finished the crud trap stick welding series and I have a few videos left to publish on the downhill

application with the fast freeze rod 6010 5 p+

Hope you are benefitting from this welding course.

With what you can learn you can weld for fun or weld for money.

I have made a good living welding.

Thanks again Michael.

P.S. If you are a negative person and don’t care for what I am doing, please don’t leave some nasty comment or degrading comment like a few people have done. Just don’t say anything. Thank You!

May the Lord Jesus Christ give you your just recompense of reward who ever you are for what you have or haven’t done.

Thanks for the comments everyone

 

Hello From Michael@ The Welders Lens.

Okay, I got more than one comment on the lighting when I break the arc. I really wasn’t thinking that was big deal because I was more interested in the actual weld for you. You wont see the weld until I buff it. So I think what I will do is this. I will place more lighting around the weld like a huge quartz light or two and when I finish each pass I will take the lens off the camera to expose the weld. Taking the lens off will be like you flipping your hood up. I just want you to know as well that you are not going to get all the footage that is behind the scenes that is recorded on the videos you are getting. 

The good thing is I am going to produce a total package at the end of the course with all uncut footage in DVD pack from the beginning of the course to the end of the course so anyone who wants to purchase the entire set will be able to. I already have some requests for that, so I think I will do that. The set will be broken down into each weld category like: stick, mig, tig, aluminum, stainless, etc. 

I am also thinking about opening up a membership site for free with the possibility to upgrade for cheap with ongoing training after that. Just a thought. The site will be its own web area with forums so you can all talk to each other within our community. That way you can get in touch with guys and gals that have stuff to share and things they want to learn from others.  

I am also going to Joint Venture with some other good products I find out there to let you in on some other killer products that I think you could benefit from. That will be included in the emails. I may interview some guys I know and do some specials on welding or fabrication from their perspective. 

I have a lot of thoughts I am kicking around, as you can tell.

Video Blog For Comments

Hey everyone, 

I hope you are enjoying the videos that are slowly but surely coming out.

I opened this post up for you to leave your comments so I can fit in what you would like

to see as well as help me improve the quality of the website,

Thank you to everyone that has given me kind comments and encouragement for what we are involved in

Until next time drop a comment here:

Comments on Intro Video

Hey everyone, I just wanted to get some feedback on the video. Personally I am not super happy with it. The google viewer is not that clear. It looked alot better when I shot it and edited it on my computer. I don’t know what the deal is with the viewer. 

I had to use that particular viewer because my present web server doesn’t handle lengthy videos and neither do most of the video sites out there. 

It will work for now. 

Any way Thomas asked how to submit to the blog platform.  
All you have to do is highlight on the title of this post and over to the right of this article you will see a link that says Go To Comments. Click that.

That will bring you immediately to the comment box. Leave your comment there. Thanks again!!

The Stick Rod Series: fast freeze rods_uphill/downhill

Hello again.  This is another publication on the Stick Rod Series. Today we will look at Fast Freeze Rods/Uphill/Downhill.

As we discussed last time, the fast freeze rod is a common stick rod that has been a stable rod and around the welding trade from the beginning since flux coated rods have existed.

Our focus today will be the uphill and downhill positions of the fast freeze rod.

The best place to start with any rod is of course the flat position, but I want to focus on a little harder area today.
Depending on what you will be welding and in what code (if any) you will be accountable too, the two most common applications will either be uphill welding or downhill welding. Some like to refer to the downhill as downhand. I don’t but some do.
 
In general industry standards, there is very little acceptable downhill welding outside of the pipeline welding code 1101.
Most procedures nation and world wide will focus on the uphill root pass, hot pass, and cover pass. From experience where there is a fast freeze rod root pass and or hot pass, the cover pass will usually be with a low-hydrogen rod like 7018 or something similar.

Uphill welding is very different from the downhill welding. When welding there is a natural effect of heat that is fighting against the welder. Heat rises. You say, hey, that guy is smart. Thanks. Just kidding. Keep this basic principle in mind at all times when you are welding and it will help you redirect your weld when necessary because of what happens with radiant heat transfer.
Uphill welding has more penetration because the rod is burning the surface metal out of the way before the puddle comes behind to fill in giving more weld deposit deeper into the parent metal. It is easier to overcome a gap welding uphill; especially with fast freeze rod because while moving up and away from the area where the metal is being deposited, the weld has frozen or solidified by the time you come back down to deposit more metal. You are not fighting the tendancy of the metal to outrun you like downhill can do at high heat since gravity is pulling on the metal. Uphill welding is not as fast as downhill welding therefore you rarely see uphill welding on a pipeline weld. The pipeline weld is almost always all downhill from start to finish.

Sometimes it is necessary to stop and let the metal cool if the gap is too big. It is better to do this than to keep welding and run the risk of pushing to much metal through on the root pass. Now if you are welding plate to plate with no gap between the metal, then this is not usually a problem.

Uphill welding requires less amperage heat to weld than the downhill procedure. Not something drastic, but slightly different.
The reason for this is that downhill welding is more a dragging the rod than whipping or stepping the rod like the row of dimes we discussed from our last article and because gravity is working against you, the slag, or impurities that are cooking out of the weld while the process is going on, are following and often trying to overtake the downhill weld. Due to the nature of the gravity and slag feature on downhill the heat setting is usually higher than uphill welding. This extra heat is needed to keep the rod burning while fighting the slag trying to consume the rod arc. It could be upto as much as 10 amps higher.

One thing to be aware of when welding a gap uphill like on a pipe or but weld plate is this: it is easy to put too much metal into the weld joint because of higher deposition rate. If you hang to much metal inside the gap, it could disqualify your weld. While welding you are not necessarily pushing the rod hard into the gap but just touching the surface making sure not to leave undercut. Most of the time the metal on the inside will take care of itself. Moving to fast can leave not enough metal at times too. Practice will help you overcome these obstacles. It is just part of welding.

Rod angle and heat coupled with travel speed will either make or break your welding experience.
Once you learn the characteristics between these 3 critical components coupled with either uphill or downhill you will see a difference in your ability to weld, and the appearance of your weld.

While welding downhill it is best to keep the rod in the center of the weld piece. There is really not a need to move the rod from side to side. This is what I refer to as the dragging affect mentioned earlier. At some times there will be a need to move from side to side to allow the slag metal to pass around the good weld puddle. In this case gravity is helping remove that unwanted metal build up. While going uphill, the tendancy will be to move the rod either side to side or in a U pattern. Sweeping from side to side going up and back down into the puddle as it freezes. Now I am not talking about some super exaggerated movement here.

One more thing before I go is this: Welding is a multi-tasking process. While the hand is moving in a direction accross the weld piece it is also moving closer into the weld piece because the burning rod keeps getting shorter the entire time you are welding. To learn to sequence these movements while keeping the proper angle is the trick of making killer looking and proper welds.
Welding is a smooth fluent motion. It is best to make yourself as comfortable as you can while welding.  I very rarely weld with one hand because I find myself not as steady.

Experiment with these techniques and you will have success. Until next time, keep your eyes behind the welders lens

Thanks from the author!

The Stick Rod Series

Hello again from The Welders Lens, 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 dominos

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 layed 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 depostied 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 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 trick 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.

Heat, travel speed, and rod angle are the 3 most important factors when welding with stick rod.
I said heat, travel speed, and rod

One thing that does not usually hurt the stick rod category is wind. It has to really be blowing inorder to hurt the fast freeze series of welding rods.
Some of the rods I mentioned earlier are AC rods and some of them are DC rods. Keep that in mind when choosing your rod.
I have another article coming on that.

Well that’s all the time on this article.

Thanks from the author.

What is Welding Anyway?

This is the first article of many that will be submitted in an attempt to bring the most comprehensive tutorial guide for welding.

I will be covering everything you will need to know about welding. From stick rod to tig and all that could be squeezed in between.

I hope what I have learned over the past 100 years can be a blessing and help to you in some way. No Iam not really a hundred!!

Welding has made up the greater part of my life. I absolutely know how to weld. If I tell you something in these lessons and articles, it will be to your benefit to pay attention to it.

If you are a novice or beginner welder I have just what you are looking for. If you have been around the block a few times, I have something for you too. I can feed you what you need. Wait till you see the welding videos.Wow!!

The first thing I would like to go over with you is basic terms of welding you will here in our lessons. Please understand that I am giving you a definition of welding that will make sense to you. They might not be the dictionary definition. Dictionary is not always practical for our purposes. You will understand later.

What is welding anyway?  Well simply put, it is the art of fusing metals together. A carptenter uses nails and glue. A banker uses your money and his drawer. A welder uses different rods or filler metals and intense electric current known as heat to melt metal together.

Arc: the actual contact and electricity produced when welding. It is the light that will burn your unprotected eyeballs. Don’t watch the arc unless you are behind the welders lens. Get it? the welders lens.

Many would never know this, but the arc is about 7400 degrees Fahrenheit where the metal is at liquid form.

Stinger: also known as the electrode holder. The handle that holds stick rods or electrodes. Sometimes you may find the stinger in the bee or in your body if it’s too late.

Sleeves: leather coverings like the sleeves off a shirt that protect against the sparks and spatter of welding. I like a full leather jacket. It can be hot but it is the most effective. There are green sleeves that have elastic in both ends that can be bought at the weld supply store. One for each arm from the shoulder to the wrist.

Hand Shoes:  also known as gloves. Don’t be an idiot and weld without protecting every part of your body. You would be suprised at what I have seen over the years. Lots of brain damage out there.  Once I watched an old tanky welder weld without even a long sleve shirt. I mean that guys arms were taking the sparks off that fast freeze rod. I know it had to burn. He has the same flesh I have. Tanky welders are a breed of themselves. That is another story. Anyway, I said man, why don’t you put a shirt on and protect your arms. This was his response: Oh no, the sweat on my arms is keeping me from feeling the sparks. Wow! The sad thing is that he actually believed it.

Amps: the current output used to measure how hot or cold your arc is (not to be confused with volts).

Electrodes: Flux coated rods that are used in the stick rod process.

Leads: The rubber coated wiring(copper) that carries the current from your machine to your puddle.

The Puddle: Where you used to play as a child, but now where you make a living with welding. The puddle is the liquefied medal at the end of your arc.

Enough terms for now. Welding actually has an extensive history dating back to the late 1800s. Of course welding principles today are the same but the methods are much different as well as the various types of procedures. Old time welding was brazing metals under the heat from an oxygen/acetylene torch. I personally like tig welding. It is the cleanest form of welding. No fire coming at you (sparks, that is). It is the elite apex of the welding field.  Our next article will focus on Stick Rod welding, probably the most common type of welding there is. Until next time, keep your safety glasses on and watch your eyes.

Thanks from the author.  Find out more and get free information at http://www.thewelderslens.com