Welding Rods....

[eric_271]

I have for years held and currently hold G3 and g4 certification and worked bridge welding and many other types of welding including track welding for the railroad. Most all of my welding now is vertical and overhead on unlimited thickness. I keep no 60 anything in my own shop. Learn to use 7018. It will penetrate into the nastiest steel and give far better strength. It also runs a nice looking bead, not as nice as 7024 but a lot stronger. Right now I am welding brackets for tie backs, 300 pair on the job I am on now. Each pair were tested to 170,000 lb,s of pressure with no failure's. I burned through rust, cement, mud you name it. Don't let anyone tell you 7018 is not good for dirty steel.

 

[farmer]

Eric,

You have been welding so long it is easy for you. Most people who weld occaisonaly will never master 7018. I can weld 7018 but I only use it when i have to, such as an axle that is too hard to weld with 6011. 90% of what I weld is with 6011 and stuff I weld doesn't break. 7018 getting damp is the problem for me and most people.

 

[wireedm]

If you want the best rods money can buy, get Certanium.

Even your 10 year old son could lay a perfect looking bead with them.

Also, think about buying stainless. You can always weld stainless rods to mild steel, but you can't weld mild steel rods to stainless steel. Be aware that stainless seems to retain more stress though.

 

[user 19670]

Folks: Need to re-stock welding rod selection. Looking for good all purpose rod with minimal splatter and decent penetration. Thinking about #7018 x 3/16"....Unless someone thinks theres a better all around rod out there????

Re-stock as in you had what you need and what you use and what you are familiar with already didn't you?

I guess there is no real answer is there? There seems to be as many answers as there are people on this Forum.
Try this Newsgroup:
sci.engr.joining.welding (for those who use a NG reader)
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.engr.joining.welding/topics (works with a Web browser)
There are some pros who moderate that NG and they may be able to answer this question but -- I doubt it.:jawdrop:

 

[Freakingstang]

I can do a lot with a mig, but have little experience with a stick. I recently got a fairly new Lincoln ac/dc stick machine. I have used 6011 and 7018 on it. I also used some nickel rod for repairing cast iron a couple years ago.

My question may seem stupid to you guys, but what is the difference between AC and DC? Where would each benifit? and - or +?

 

[cabinman]

dia

Folks: Need to re-stock welding rod selection. Looking for good all purpose rod with minimal splatter and decent penetration. Thinking about #7018 x 3/16"....Unless someone thinks theres a better all around rod out there????

No matter what you use I think 1/8 in would be all around best choice, Eric

 

[farmer]

I agree 1/8 is the most usable diameter. 3/16 is for thicker stuff. You can make multiple passes with 1/8 for thicker stuff but you can't weld thinner stuff with 3/16.

Freakingstang,

To much info for a post on ac-dc. Do a search and you will get plenty. Stick welding isn't that hard. Mostly practice after you read the reccomendations.

 

[Patrick62]

AC-DC (for those about to weld....) wait a sec....

I can do a lot with a mig, but have little experience with a stick. I recently got a fairly new Lincoln ac/dc stick machine. I have used 6011 and 7018 on it. I also used some nickel rod for repairing cast iron a couple years ago.

My question may seem stupid to you guys, but what is the difference between AC and DC? Where would each benifit? and - or +?

This was cut out of a bit of info I found on the web awhile ago:

SMAW is performed using either AC or DCcurrent. Since DC current flows in one direction, DC current can be DC straight, (electrode negative) or DC reversed (electrode positive). With DC reversed,(DC+ OR DCRP) the weld penetration will be deep. DC straight (DC- OR DCSP) the weld will have a faster melt off and deposit rate. The weld will have medium penetration.
Ac current changes it's polarity 120 times a second by it's self and can not be changed as can DC current.

The cool part is that I had always had it backwards. That if I had the stick on positive I considered it straight polarity!
It would actually seem that they consider the actual flow of electrons, which flow from negative to positive.

Pat

 

[ShoerFast]

This was cut out of a bit of info I found on the web awhile ago:

SMAW is performed using either AC or DCcurrent. Since DC current flows in one direction, DC current can be DC straight, (electrode negative) or DC reversed (electrode positive). With DC reversed,(DC+ OR DCRP) the weld penetration will be deep. DC straight (DC- OR DCSP) the weld will have a faster melt off and deposit rate. The weld will have medium penetration.
Ac current changes it's polarity 120 times a second by it's self and can not be changed as can DC current.

The cool part is that I had always had it backwards. That if I had the stick on positive I considered it straight polarity!
It would actually seem that they consider the actual flow of electrons, which flow from negative to positive.

Pat

What electric really is is a space for a free electron to flow or move into. The free spaces go one way, and the electrons go the other.

The electron is really happy right were it is, just spinning around, but if a space opens up next atom, it jumps to it.

Sort of easy to remember as the metal jumps (more) with the empty space, and the heat goes (more) with the electron.

 

[chainsawaddict]

6011 is a great all purpose rod. I weld windmill towers and usually use wire feed, but when im building a tower with the arc welder i use 6011.

 

[uglydukwling]

I knew an old sheet metal guy once who used 6011 for everything. He said he wasn't a very good welder, so no matter what rod he used, he was going to have burn-throughs. The advantage of 6011 was that it was a low-slag, deep-pentration rod so he could go back and fix them without stopping to chip slag.


welders do it with full penetration
welders do it in all positions

 

[gink595]

Have worked with Welders for 34 years in my trade.

6010/6011 are essentially the same rod, 6010 for DC and 6011 for AC. They were the rod of choice for first pass where deep penetration was required or for a poor fit-up. Contrary to what has been already posted these rods are excellent for thin sheet metal and are what I use all the time for that purpose. You don't have to believe me - try it and see for yourself. You whip this rod for best effect (in to melt and puddle and out to let freeze and back in again in line with the joint and all time maintaining the arc). Am repairing a Dump Truck tailgate as we speak with 6011 and some of it has rusted pretty thin.
These rods will splatter a lot and you don't have to worry about keeping them dry.

6013 is a nice, shallow penetrating rod that is very forgiving. It is harder to stick 6013 than some of the other rods so it is a good one to learn on. This is a low splatter rod that is plagued by slag inclusions. Contrary to what you will read, 6013 is not a good rod to use for thin sheet metal because it will burn through before you get a good puddle. You don't have to believe me - try it and see for yourself. You don't have to worry about keeping this rod dry like you do with the low hydrogen rods. It is a drag rod and is often called a "farmer" rod.

7018 is a low-hydrogen rod for structural steel welding. It is commonly used for pipeline welding. Good fit-up and cleanliness is important and you won't likely get slag inclusions as long as you don't run over a weld that hasn't been chipped. 7018 is a low splatter drag rod. With practice you can actually rest the flux on your work and let it melt out from under the rod while you weld. Most people will not be happy with the weld if they expect no undercut so if you want to grind the weld and leave a surface so smooth you can't see where it was welded you shouldn't choose 7018. Rods should be kept dry for work with high quality steel but not so necessary for run of the mill mild steel such as angle iron or flat bar since hydrogen embrittlement isn't a problem with such metal.

My references to "deep" and "shallow" penetration should be taken with a grain of salt. It is not as dramatic as what you might expect. Cut across a weld with a grinder and view it from the end and the weld is elliptical with the bead being wider than it is tall. What you see above the surface is the same size as what exists under the surface - SIMPLE and that ain't much.

All the rods I commented on are for welding mild steel in all four positions.

I have NO EXPERIENCE with 7014 but plan to try it one day. Have been told that it is a good "farmer" rod for all around joining of mild steel so I am curious.

A couple of weeks in a welding course will pay dividends. It allows you to try different rods while you learn. The best thing you will learn is safety.

Just my $0.02

I think you pretty much nailed it, 6011/6010 is a great all around rod except lots of splatter, I personally hate 6013 pretty weld but low penetration, a sheet metal rod.