7018 - E7018 - 7018AC

Apr 18, 2019 1 Replies

Do you or have you used 7018 on an AC source?



Have you ever had anybody tell you should only run it on DC?



I've had a couple people tell me you have to run 7018 on DC (ep). I have a box of E7018 that clearly says it can run on AC or DC, and I have seen rod labeled as 7018AC with similar labeling. I've gotten decent welds on my simple AC cracker box using E7018, so I know it works. I just figured E7018 or 7018AC was a slightly different 7018 rod, but in this video welding instructor Bob Moffit of Weld.com clearly says you can run 7018 on AC or DCEP. In fact he says its one of those rods you can "weld the world on AC." He makes no mention of E7018 or 7018AC rod. I don't do a lot of stick welding, but it was a friend who claimed to have taken a welding class or two who I first recall made the DC only claim. At the time I believed him and wound up welding up an entire flat bed trailer frame ** 1-2 inches at a time with my only alternative. A POS 120V Harbor Freight Century MIG welder running flux core. I didn't have the cash to buy more supplies and do what I needed the trailer completed for.

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** After adding an external cooling fan I could weld about 2 inches if I left it to cool for 10 full minutes before picking it up again.

No I haven't, I must admit. I've never had a "straight" 7018, a big transformer AC welding machine and thick steel at the same site, otherwise I would have given it a try.

You can make rods more AC-friendly by using potassium silicate as a binder, rather than sodium silicate. That is the fundamental difference between 6011 and 6010.

Regards, Rich Smith

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