10 week student here

[Big65mopar]

Ok so I started a one year program at ATI in Virginia Beach in the structural and maritime welding program that covers stick mig and tig and encompasses all forms of certification up to 6G. I've done well with the book work during the first five week mod and did well with some of the basic welding of flat using E6011 on various plates as well as 7018 rod ( god I love 70 series rods ). The second five weeks have been rough with learning how to weld vertical using 6011 and get a good bead down and so far I'm bombing on this but acing flat and horizontal and doing ok with overhead.

I've done a few weeks of mig in the past as a temp worker for Kubota ( avoid buying any of their tractors because the temps are not trained at all ) but outside of that my experience is nill.

[HTCSW]

Hang with it, in industry it will be very seldom that you will use a E6011 electrode for anything-certainly not for coded work. When you do weld on open roots you will use a fast-freeze electrode, probably an E-6010 for your root bead and hot pass.The fills and covers will be a low hydrogen E-7018. Don't feel bad about how your E6011 welds look, the fact of the matter is that it is not a pretty bead under the best conditions, and you will probably not use it much when you get out of school.

[smawgmaw]

Welcome to the forum Big65Mopar! I agree, keep at it. With more time under the hood practicing will come better welds. Dont get discouraged.

[specter]

Hi Ya Big65mopar and Welcome to the Welding Web Family. I Think 6011 was the hardest rod for me to master when my father taught me vertical welds. I still use alot of 6011 for farm equipment and heavy machinery. Keep up with practice you get it.

[El_Lloydeo]

yeah keep at it. imo the 6011 is easier to weld with than the 6010? maybe its just me?

[specter]

Well I do welds on heavy equip most of the time my 1st deep pass is 6011 followed by 6013. I usually cover it all with 7018 to give those super clean smooth welds the customers like.

[HTCSW]

I start all of my students out on E6011, it is harder to get a quality weld, harder to control the puddle, more smoke, fire and particulates. We quickly move on to E6010, they need to know the welding characteristics of all of the common electrodes and they need to know how to run it. There is a time and a place for E6011, but not in code welds requiring x-ray. There are much better options out there. I do not know your class schedule, but dosen't 5 weeks on E-6011 in a one year program seem alittle extreme?

[specter]

Not sure why they would spend five weeks on 6011. Its a deep penatrating rod and yes it certainly not a forgiving rod that takes alot of cleanup. Which is why I never use a 6011 for a complete weld on heavy equipment.

[datsun280zman]

Hey Big65, welcome to weldingweb!

[nfl]

Hey Big65,

I'm also in the Virginia Beach area. Glad to see that we have a very good program here!

[quiclisput]

welcome to weldingweb! I am also in Virginia Beach area...

[BurningMetal]

when I took a class in stick welding, they had us use 6013 rods the entire semester......and we were welding on 16 steel. It was harder to learn, but once you got used to those rods on fairly light gauge material, it made you welds so much better when you stepped up to 7000 series rods on thicker material.