Padding beads with 7018 welding rods in flat and horizontal positions is something most welding students will do before moving on to other joints and positions. See a more detailed article about 7018 padding here http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/7018-pads.html
visit the store here http://weldmongerstore.com/
This is a way to get lots of seat time with very little material and very little prep time.
Do yourself and favor and don't shortcut this exercise.
