Why Pipeline Welders Only Burn Half a Welding Rod

In this video, I share with you why pipeline welders appear to waste a lot of welding rods or have a habit of only burning half a rod and then throwing the rest in their rod bucket. I will also be welding out this 12" overhead ranch entrance with 5/32 8010. I will be welding with my Lincoln SAE 300 welding machine. I will be welding downhill which is a common practice for a lot of new construction pipeline work.

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[carlalm]

For everyone wondering then he will start giving the answer to the question posed in the title, just to @15:02
Before that, there's just video of him welding some pipes.

[beowulf]

I have been welding for 35 years, have welded everything from heavy equipment, structural steel, pipe, pipe for natural gas and propane. Welded any position that was there, uphill downhill and sideways and have had great success doing it. The only rod I use 99% of the time is 1/8 7018 and you burn the whole rod. Have had welds tested and always passed.

[BigCarmine]

That bucket of half burned rods always came in handy for fitting/tacking or situations where I was using short skip stitch welds. Rod never went to waste.

[MBN_FB]

The noises you make bending over and moving around are probably the most relatable sounds I’ve ever heard

[happycamper]

He starts talking about it at 13:27 and talks about it only until about 14:33 but also has about a minute of related followup at 15:01. You're welcome.

[gw]

Mate, I'm an Australian welder who's worked in China, Thailand and all over Aus on Defence. Written and qualified 124 welding procedures as well. We always burn the whole rod taking into account access and heat input of course, and then there's economising for ourselves and the client. But as tested welders know, especially on critical LNG and fuel/oil know implicitly, more stops/starts mean more opportunities for weld imperfections and NDT failures.

[eladnudd]

Im an old fart too. Started as a pipewelder helper, in the early 70'. drove truck 60 ft, jumped out cleaned the last pass, jumped back in the truck after a moment drove up another 60ft and repeat, did this, for the root, hot pass and cap welders, had many jobs, took a wildcat grinder wt 9in wheel no guard and grind the root to request, leave wagon tracks or not or somewhere in between did this all day long, my trigger finger still gets locked, then i spaced with a grinded down car spring leaf, for a good while, carrying all sizes of clamps, knocking out the highs and lows making sure the seams are at 10 and 2 o'clock then putting the right space in, while the side boom operator is watching my finger signals, in less 30 seconds, or before the root welder, /welders gets there. the 12in and larger put the arms on me, filing was my favorite, i shined both ends up and correct the landings, stayed far ahead for peace and quiet. On straight the ways, we would do up to 200 welds, 160 -80 was average. We made our own 90's&45's and transitions at the end making the trees. Without realizing i picked up so much, like the setting, polarity, tricks of the trade, so when i started welding, so much came natural to me. I would relieve all the welder, giving them breaks, definitely a No-No, had no coupon. Passed my first test, bought an old Lincoln 200, started welding for the same company. It was done different back then, 6010 down hill root, with muscle memory and almost no blinding arc this could be done with no shield, , 7018 1/8 uphill hot pass, 7018 5/32 uphill cap, on 6inch pipe schedule 40 and over. Yes 5/32 uphill cap. People find this hard to believe, the most difficult to master. It isn't whip or weave or horseshoe, the heat was slightly higher then for 1/8, it was more of an up and down smear without sticking while quickly traveling up. Now ever weld pass is downhill with ××10+ rods, , where's the fun in that. I also became a pipe fitter without even knowing it. Years later i was doing more then pipe. Doing everything oilfield related. Tig and mig isn't hard, people just think it is, like they think overhead is, just a rumor, till you know better. Heavy equipment, hard facing, build up, aluminum, stainless steel, acetylene welding, and being a torch master. The world of welding is a great and satisfying way to go through this life, except the part of living out of motels especially for the married man, that would drown their sorrow hearts in liquor and Hank Williams (your cheating heart) But those days are gone, and for the most part so am i.. so i reminisce by watching these YouTube videos, and reading comments on how someone would tell the uploader how they would do it, or should do it. This is some mighty fine enough downhill welding.. though its not how i would do it, but this can be approached several ways and would have to be if there was too much gust or a high windy day....that also some mighty fine fitting, perfect for 8010, can't go wrong with penetrating to the depth of the width thickness and into the sidewall.
No cap over either, just a solid weld.. I bet it's close to 100% depth penetration. I could still do it, but ill have to have a helper, to help me get down. But most importantly, , to pick me back up.. being to old to weld sucks. At least i can talk about it.

[stepheneddison]

As a 75 year old retired Boilermaker./Welder..I was taught that uphill is always stronger..down hill for light pretty welds.

[eddyperry]

For any beginners in welding, one of the best welders I ever worked with taught me to make yourself do the more difficult procedures, especially on projects that are not going to be tested. Practice welding uphill, practice welding out of position. Also when you weld uphill, you will always use more rod. You will put more steel into the weld, and the HAZ (heat affected zone) is bigger. (more spread out) . This creates a more uniform molecular structure across the weld and into the base metal. If you are only going to have an x-ray test you can get by with welding downhill, but if you have to pass a bend test, you better learn how to weld uphill, and on grade. In fact most of the inspectors I've been around wouldn't even waste their time doing a bend test if you tried to downhill it.
On big bore pipe never start a weld that you can't finish without stopping. Once you start a weld, you need to finish it. And if you are in a cold climate, especially if it is below freezing, you should pre-heat both sides of the weld.

[thelast]

I love reading the comments on ANY welding video. The “one upping” of skill level and kindergartner emotions is way better than any school yard banter! 😂

[fredjacobs]

So the reason to start with a new rod: quality. This is the best reason to do anything a particular way, in every aspect of life. Great video sir, keep up the great work!

[chrisshaw]

I was a certified welder for 25 years I have held bridge certs, many aluminum certs, and structural steel. I have welded with FCAW all positions UP any thickness. also weld pipe all positions UP E71T-1 3/16 and over without backing never ran down hand always ran from 6 to 3 then 6 to 9 with a grind of all stops and starts. then from 3 to 12 and 9 to 12. But never ran down even when I ran stick.

[andrewthomason]

I've never wanted to become a welder, especially now that I physically can't due to my broken "Military Spine, " but I've always wanted to know how it's done! So thank you for this amazing channel!!!

[hadleytorres]

I always tend to use as much as is necessary. Stops and starts in the most convenient place possible dictates the amount of rod I use, more so than how much I just decide. I'm not a pipeliner I'm a building trades pipefitter who used to be a pipe welder, but still welds a lot of pipe.

[soteriamediaproductions]

I learned to weld and spent my first 15yrs at a shipyard building aircraft carriers and submarines. We were discouraged from starting a weld with a used rod also. Reason being, rods were a cheap commodity compared to repairing a failed X-ray, ultrasound or prod test. That’s all I knew and thought that was normal, industry wide till I hired in welding at a Ford plant. I’ve caught a lot of gruff at Ford for “wasting” weld rods and bending them before starting. After seeing this video, I feel vindicated!
Also, as a game, I always play the “how many rods will it take to do this job”. Surprisingly, 60% of the time, I’m burning my last rod as I’m finishing up, then also going to my spent rod bucket for touchups if needed.
Glad to have come across your video, thanks!

[Backyardmech]

I’m just a novice with low experience with welding and I enjoy learning about how this trade works. Getting the idea of how the bead puddle works together with amperage is really helpful.

[SmallBaller]

Most of the time you can get away with doing whatever works for you, but if there's a specified welding procedure it's best to follow it. Getting caught not following it is a good way to get kicked off a job site.

[Whipple]

Yup! The first thing that came to mind was porosity at the start of the new weld when you restart with a used rod. When I was welding back in the 1970s, we were told to never restart with used rods on the mill jobs I worked around Pittsburgh. Really never gave it much thought until this video.  
There. I guess I learned something today...!
Cheers!
Whipple

[ralphgreenjr.]

I was apprenticed in the early 70s and we used 1/8, 6010 welding rod -DC, for the root bead, never ran a down bead, cleaned each pass. If the root bead is right, it will look like it was welded from the inside. The root bead was always put in "cold", minimum setting to properly run weld. They used destructive testing to grade the welds. !'m 73 now, so that was a long time ago. I still weld on the farm, all position.

[erniemathews]

I've seen good welders, but your precision on large pieces and technique is a treat to watch.