The boom truck weld test that went from impossible to routine in 18 months

I remember my first boom truck weld test back in spring of 2023 down at the Local 374 hall. I must have ground out half my beads after the inspector pointed out porosity and undercut on every pass. Fast forward to last month, I took the same test again (same inspector, same machine) and passed first try with no repairs. The big difference was switching to a 1/8 7018 rod and slowing my travel speed way down. I also started preheating the plate to about 200 degrees (which nobody told me about the first time). Has anyone else seen big improvements just from changing rod size or preheat temps?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron_palmer9d ago

That 1/8 7018 rod made all the difference for me too. I started out on 3/16 on a 2G plate test and the puddle control was a nightmare. Did you notice any change in your arc length or manipulation when you dropped down a rod size, or was it mostly just the heat and travel speed?

angela_kelly8d ago

Yeah the arc length was definitely a big part of it for me. When I dropped down to the 1/8, I had to tighten up my arc quite a bit to keep the puddle from getting all snaky and out of control. With the 3/16, I was fighting to keep any kind of consistent length, always either too long and spattery or too tight and causing undercut. The smaller rod just let me settle into a more natural rhythm where I could actually focus on the weave pattern instead of constantly trying to fight the arc. Also I noticed the manipulation changed too, like I had to slow down my side to side movement slightly to let the puddle fill in properly without trailing off. It's weird how just changing one variable like rod size can make everything else click into place.