Welding Rods Explained

[Stock]

Robbed from elsewhere.............

6010: Deep penetration with a smooth arc and low spatter. Ideal for use on farm and road equipment, tanks, piping, wrought iron, building structures, jigs, fixtures and general maintenance. DC electrode positive unit must be run on DC welder.

6011: Popular electrode for utility type welders. Works well on rusty, dirty steel. Deep penetration allows for use on bridges, pressure vessels, farm and road equipment, building structures, tanks and pipe. Similar to 6010, but can be used on AC or DC current. Ideal for use on AC welders.

6013LV : Easy operation with a soft arc make it ideal for sheet metal use. Especially poor fitting applications and general repair on light thickness fabrication. AC/DC electrode works well on low cost hobby type welders.

7014: Iron powder coating allows for higher welding speeds and use of a drag technique. Easier to use than most electrodes. AC/DC electrode works well on poor fitting joints and welds requiring a very flat bead.

7018: High quality weld for mild steel makes this the first choice for field construction applications where weld quality is critical. Ideal for carbon steel where cracking is a concern. Keep in a sealed container or an electrode oven when not in use. DC electrode positive.

7018 AC: Designed to operate on AC welders. Easier to operate than most other low hydrogen electrodes. Preferred for its high purity, crack resistant welds on mild and carbon steels.

80LV Red: AC/DC straight or reverse polarity, all position electrode can be used with low voltage machines for short, intermittent or tack welds on thin, medium and heavy sections of mild steel.

252: Welds 310 and 314 stainless subjected to corrosion at elevated temperatures as well as dissimilar steels and stainless of unknown analysis.

275: Produces high tensile and yield strengths on tool, high alloy, string, stainless, aircraft, nickel clad and dissimilar steels.

HY-10: Special high strength electrode is machinable and ideal for joining or build up of low alloy and sulphur steels.

8: Provides a high nickel machinable deposit for welding parts, filling holes and defects and salvaging imperfect castings on thin sections of cast iron. Meets AWS A5.15 Class ENiCl-A.

8-60: Nickel electrode provides machinable deposits with high strength and good ductility for heavy sections of cast iron and ductile iron. Meets AWS A5.15, Class ENiFeCl-A.

6: Provides high strength, dense, sound welds on cast iron where machinability is not needed. Excellent for dirty or grease soaked castings.

4-60: Straight or reverse polarity electrodes provide strong machinable, crack resistant and spatter free deposits without porosity. Fort heavy sections of cast iron, ductile iron, and dissimilar metals. Will not overheat at rated amperage.

24 AC/DC: AC/DC all position electrode produces sound, porosity-free deposits on bronze, brass, copper, cast iron and steel. Joins dissimilar metals or overlay on cast iron or steel.

34 DC: Premium DC reverse, all position, aluminum electrode for joining, build up, cladding and reinforcing of aluminum sheets, plates and castings of 1/8″ or thicker. Has extruded coating, and leaves dense smooth deposits that provide good color match to base metal.

308L AC/DC: Excellent wetting action and bead appearance makes this all position electrode ideal for welding most types of 18-8 stainless steel (304,302). Deposit is highly resistive to corrosion.

309L AC/DC: Higher corrosion resistance and strength than type 308 make this all position electrode ideal for 304 to 309 and 308 to carbon steels. Excellent weld appearance.


316L AC/DC: Provides a stable smooth arc and fine spray metal transfer with a uniform bead that is flat or slightly concave with straight edges. Penetration is complete and the weld metal is free from porosity. Also has good out-of-position characteristics. For 316L and 318 type steels in the chemical industry. Maximum of .03% carbon deposit.

308L-17: Used in paper and chemical industries, food processing equipment, dairies, breweries, distilleries, kitchens and hospitals for welding Cr/Ni steels such as 304L, 308L, 301, 303, 304 and 309.

309L-17: AC/DC reverse, all position electrode for welding carbon steels to stainless at service temperatures below 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

316L-17: AC/DC reverse, all position electrode, low-carbon electrode for join 316 and 316L stainless subject to corrosive media.

HS-2C: Hard facing electrode for severe abrasion and moderate impact with hardness 58-62 Rockwell C.


HS-65W: Hard facing electrode for superior wear resistance involving extreme abrasion with hardness 63-67 Rockwell C.

Ni-Matrix: All position hard facing electrode for constant heavy impact and abrasion with hardness 48 Rockwell C.


Super Join-M: Hard facing electrode resistant to corrosion from water and mild corrosives with severe impact protection on manganese steel and unknown iron base metals.

Chamfer Rod: AC/DC straight all position gouging electrode for ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Stud Plus: AC/DC reverse polarity gouging electrode for removing broken studs and bolts

[jackpreacher]

Excellent info as usual Stock, thanks.

I'm in the market for a new welder and was wondering whether to go to stick welding or just a basic TIG machine. All I seem to do is weld up my old, old vehicles and make steel frameworks for this and that. What would you suggest?

[Stock]

Difficult to say Jack, for panel work then a MIG would be the way to go but unless you are doing a lot the wire can rust and the gas is expensive unless you have a licence free supplier. For MIG you need to spend at least a grand on a hobby unit and make sure it has a double wheel drive. What is the electricity supply like? if it is poor then the units over heat reducing the working cycle.

http://www.sipuk.co.uk/tools/info_SIP04793.html

Probable the best method is an inverter with TIG capability something like this. http://www.sipuk.co.uk/tools/info_SIP05269.html
This set up will a;;ow you to do domestic heavy welding of .5" plate with a rod or the lighter with TIG. Most of these run on a 13 amp circuit happily enough.

WARNING:-
Buying welders from the generic sales sites like flea bay and gum tree and such will result in misery. If you purchase a unit and cannot get the consumables like shields, tips, guides you are at nothing. I always look for a reputable brand from someone in the locality where the consumables for the welder are industry standard. I may pay a little more for the welder but I can get the bits when I need them.

A very close associate of mine ignored this advice and bought a plasma from the net ....a great deal he reckoned until all the consumables were gone and could not be replaces, grand says he off to the welder supplier to buy a new lance to industry standard none of the 4 fitted the adaptor on his unit and he was unable to adapt any to fit. The unit now resides under the work bench gathering dust and the unit he replaced it with was more efficient and easier to use.

Stock

[jackpreacher]

Thanks Stock - I have a £250 MIG at the moment but seem to spend more time rethreading the spools than actually doing anything productive. It's around 5 years old now but is good when it works. In your opinion, would a more pro MIG have similar issues or is it just a curse of cheapo welders?

Electric Supply is single phase.

PS: I like pigeons.....if you get my drift...

[Stock]

The biggest issue with the cheaper units is the wire drive then when the wire rusts it sticks in the guide tube or in the tip. The semi pro and professional ones have a double drive wheel which over comes this issue as well as that they have a greater duty cycle, more robust electronics and are available to run on a 16 amp single phase supply, you may not weld 1/2 plate but it would do most domestic applications.

I take it by you ornithological comment you need practice. All welding is is practice and more practice and experience. You need to play around with the settings adjust the wire speed and the amps and once you have the unit running to what you want it only one small adjustment each time after that. MIG loves everything to be clean as does TIG they are no where as for giving as the rod.

I once welded a gutter bolt nut to a piece of cladding to prove a point and yes you could still thread a bolt in it afterwards............

[jackpreacher]

....yeah, decent welds take a lot of prep and LOADS of practice, and for my MIG blasting holes through 2mm plate is a breeze even if not intended.....

[Stock]

One knows one can weld when you can fill the holes you make..................

[jackpreacher]

One knows one can weld when you can fill the holes you make..................

........sounds like an Oriental proverb!.........Grasshopper

[Stock]

........sounds like an Oriental proverb!.........Grasshopper

[Muz]

One knows one can weld when you can fill the holes you make..................

Yes thats a good way of putting it ... particularly if you can do that with a stick on 2mm

[ianoz]

Stock . I bet your right into Root Runs ,And deep penetration ..

[Stock]

Of course I am .............and in my welding also.........