My dad bought a Miller AC arc stick welder at a sale a year or two ago and we have yet to use it because the wires are all cracked on it. This weekend however I took the wires off and we are going to replace those. Recently I have been interested in building some stuff using the welder. I will be welding steel, but want to practice first. I plan on going to the junk yard and finding some scrap to practice on on. My question is what kind of sticks should I use? Where can I buy these from.
New to welding.
Nov 11, 2003
3 Replies
For mild steel 7014, 6013 and 6011 work well. They have slightly different characteristics. The 6011 is probably the hardest to get a nice looking weld with but is good for dirty/rusty material. If your welder will do at least
125A then 1/8" is a good size to get or you might also buy 3/32. For smaller jobs 3/32 could be preferable. Rods are available from any welding supplier, some auto parts and general hardware stores. They shouldn't be hard to find. A lot of people use 7018 (AC type) which is a general purpose low-hydrogen rod. I wouldn't use these right now since they require a oven to keep them dry after opening. To be honest though, for general, non-critical personal welding they would do even if they weren't kept in an oven.Suggest you look on the rod manufacturer's websites to get an idea of the characteristics of the rods. Be sure you get rods specified to work with AC. The ones above all do since they have material in the flux to keep the arc going when the current passes through zero on the AC cycle. Billh
Another thing I forgot to mention. When getting your practice material from the junkyard, avoid painted, galvanized, chromed or otherwise coated steel. These coatings frequently produce choking and hazardous fumes when heated. Not just a nuisance, they could be very dangerous to your health. Besides, they make getting a good weld even more difficult. Rusted, more than just a bit of surface rust, steel should be cleaned in the welding zone for best results. A hand sanding disk works well. Billh
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