The Welders Lens Stick Rod Series: Uphill/Downhill

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By: michael treadway

Hi again. This is another publication on The Stick Rod Series. At this point we will look at fast freeze electrodes again for the technique of welding either uphill or downhill.

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

Our focus will be 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 give attention to a bit harder area. Depending on what you will be welding and in what procedure (if any), you will be accountable too, the two most common applications will either be uphill or downhill. Some like to refer to downhill as down-hand.

In general industry standards, there is very little acceptable downhill welding outside of the pipeline code 1101.
Most applications nation and worldwide 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 most likely be with a low-hydrogen rod like 7018 or something similar.

Uphill welding is very different from downhill welding. When welding, there is a natural effect of heat that is resistant 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 change your weld when necessary due to radiant heat principles.
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 the weld portion.
This thought gives clarity to the fact that uphill welding leaves more new metal into the existing metal.

It is more feasible to conquer a bigger gap welding uphill; especially with fast freeze rods because while moving up and away from the place where the metal is being deposited the weld has actually solidified by the time you come back down to deposit more metal. You are not fighting the tendency of weld to overcome your rod as when welding downhill. Uphill welding is not as fast as downhill procedures and this is why you rarely see uphill action on a pipeline. Those cats don't have time to make pretty welds going uphill. They are just concerned with knocking the job out.

Sometimes it is necessary to stop and let the weld cool. It is better to do this than to keep welding and run the chance of putting too much metal through the root pass. Now if you are welding plate to plate with no gap between the metal, then this is not usually a problem. Sometimes the use of a backing strip is place where the gap would be.

Uphill calls for less amperage than the downhill process. 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 I have discussed in the past. Due to the character of gravity and slag.
Slag is the trash and cover film that appears on the top of the weld when it has cooled.
This same slag that shields the puddle from atmospheric conditions can also be a bother when welding downhill. The way to overcome this is by greater heat. The heat increase could be as much as 10 or 15 amps. One hint while welding downhill is to slightly move the rod from side to side while traveling to allow the build up slag and metal to pass around the weld.

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

Rod angle and heat joined with travel speed will either make or break your welding experience.
Once you learn the characteristics between these 3 critical elements with either uphill or down-hill you will see a difference in your ability to weld and appreciate the appearance of your weld more.

While welding down-hill it is best to keep the rod in the center of the weld piece except for the allowance as I said earlier for the slag to pass around your weld.
This is not some big movement. Try not to leave the weld-path when making this adjustment. Keep in mind that you are also moving closer to the weld piece as the rod is getting shorter while it is beingconsumed. Learning to sequence these movements while keeping the correct rod angle is the trick of making killer looking proper welds. Welding is a fluid smooth motion. I rarely weld with one hand because I find myself not as steady and therefore my weld appearance suffers.

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

Information about the Author:

Hey thanks for your interest in my articles. I love to write these things hoping it can help someone. I wish I had these ideas and tools when I started welding but I didn't. You are at a huge advantage. Some of these ideas only come from the over quarter century I have been welding and fabricating. There are some awesome videos coming. If you would like my free ebook, go to www.thewelderslens.com and leave your info. You can also check out my blog at www.thewelderslens.wordpress.com Thanks again until next time!

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