Craftsman 113.201372 Owner's Manual page 14

Figure 3 Figure 4
To lay a weld bead only two
movements are used, dowfi-
ward and in the direction the
weld is to he laid.
Watch the weld puddle to
keep the slag from flowing
in front of it, causing inclu-
sions and gas pockets
Figure 5
Fill the crater, when starting
a new rod, by striking the
arc at A then moving to 8
and back to C position
Figure 6
To widen the head, work the
red from side to side slight
ty, with a slow, zigzaggmg
crescent-shaped motion
If difficulty is experienced after repeated attempts to
maintain an arc, check the ground connection for proper
contact with the work If this does not help, increase the
welding current Also check the rod size, as larger rods
require higher current settings.
Practice striking and maintaining an arc for a few seconds,
then snap it out by rapidly pulling the rod away from the
work_ Repeat this operation until the arc can be started
and the gap maintained as uniformly as possible. In a
short time you will find the arc length can be controlled by
the crackling or "frying" sound which may be recognized
by gradually shortening the arc until it sputters irregularly
as though it were going to "choke out'* and stick--then
slowly lengthening the arc by pulling the rod away from
the work until it snaps out_ Somewhere between these two
extremes the steady crackllng sound of a proper arc length
will be heard_
To lay a weld bead, only two movements are used, a
steady downward feeding of the rod to maintain the correct
arc length and a slow travel in the direction in which the
weld is to be lald (fig. 3)_ Watch the weld puddle and
arc length, and move the rod steadily in a straight llne as
the back end of the crater fills up (fig 4). The slight angle
of the rod will keep the flux or slag flowing over the
deposited weld metal to form a protective coating. If the
rod is moved too slowly the slag will flow in front of the
puddle and be trapped in the weld, producing inclusions
and gas pockets.
Lay a bead approximately four inches long. After allowing
it to cool slightly, remove the slag coating, which covers the
top of the weld, by scraping along each edge of the weld
with a cold-chlsel foJowed by wire brushing until it is bright
and clean_ Inspect the surface of the weld carefully before
starting another_ The surface of a good weld is rippled
unlformly, which results from a steady rate of travel and
uniform arc length_
If the scrap plate used is small, it will become very hot after
laying a few beads. This will alter welding conditions
which could be very confusing to a beginner Have several
scrap pieces handy so each may be allowed to cool before
laying a second bead,
When starting with a new rod, chip slag from the crater
and strike the arc at the forward end as shown at "A" in
figure 5, Then move the rod to "B" and back to "Ci" at
about twice the normal rate of travel to give the rod and
base metal time to heat up for proper fusion
After laying a number of beads, try "working" the rod
from side to side slightly (fig. 6) This movement should
be slow and not wider than the diameter of the rod being
used. Experiment with different current settings, rod sizes
and rates of travel.. Compare results with welds shown in
the diagrams (fig, 9).
Too low a current setting tends to deposit the bead on top
of the plate with very little penetration. The arc sound will
be an intermittent crackle with irregular sputtering Too
high a current setting (for the size of the rod being used)
wiII provide sufficient penetration but the bead will be thin
and undercut in places. The arc makes a hissing sound and
the rod becomes red hot before it is half used.
If travel is too slow it will pile up a wide, heavy bead with
good penetration but with overlap of the weld metal on
sides without fusion_ A large area surrounding the weld is
heated to a high temperature which produces distortion,
even on a simple weld If the rod is moved too fast the
small bead will result w_th little more than melted base
metal. An extremely long arc causes the rod to melt off in
globules, with little or no penetration, and a very irregular
weld surface The arc produces a hissing sound.
A good weld laid with correct current setting, speed and arc
length will produce a surface that is rippled uniformly, with
the same width throughout its length, and well formed
crater. The cross-sectional view shows it to have good pene-
tration and no undercut or overlap.
I I
Figure 7
Lay the weld beads about
one inch apart, ffemove the
slag and examine each weld
before starting the next
Figure 8
A pad of weld metal is built
up by running a series of
beads in layers at right
angles to each other,
1.6