recommend 7018 rods?

Hi everyone

Going to get 7018 / "basic" / Low-hydrogen rods.

Want recommendations.

Please bear in mind I am in the UK. Can get Lincoln rods. Bohler also well-supplied.

Ernie recommended "Lincoln Excalibur" 7018 rods as a good choice - that's right isn't it?

We have DC inverter machines. Wouldn't ever need to use it on AC (well, ability to wouldn't be bad, but dominating interest in good performance on DC).

Bit of context... Hre in UK, all technical colleges here stock nothing but rutiles (6013's). They usually have a tin of 6011's for the pipe-welding unit they teach to heating and ventilation students - but sometimes teach pipe-welding with 6013's anyway.

Want to practice with the rods you would actually use if you were doing commercial stick (SMA/MMA) welding.

Hardly ever run 7018's before. Any advice for someone switching from

6013's to 7018's?

Richard Smith

Reply to
Richard Smith
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students -

That's odd Richard - when I did my welding course at Lewisham Tech last year I had to use 7018's for all the root runs of plate welds - never could get the hang of getting them running - starting the arc on AC was a pain - ok when up and going. Spent hours practising - even got some at home and did it here for homework ! Ah well - our enlightened Government has now forced the cancellation of that course in favour of placements to get 'youffs' off the unemployement register. Probably the same 'youffs' that were flung off my course for being high on pot whilst wielding an oxy-acetylene torch !!!!

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

Yes but they are DCEP only, and you can only buy it in 50 lb cans in the US, not sure what quantity they would sell in the UK.

BTW 6013 and 7014 are the 2 rods used the most for underwater welding.

First rule of 7018, NEVER NEVER NEVER move it quickly, because you will likely cause a slag inclusion.

7018 is incapable of remelting it's own flux, so move slowly, giving the molten flux time to flow out of your path.

Second rule, 7018 needs a short, short, short arc. Did I mention the short arc? Really short, as in obscure the arc with the end of the rod.

Flat is easy. Drag backhand with an angle between 40 and 70 degrees from the table.

An 1/8" electrode of 7018, 14" long should give you 5 - 6 inches of bead in any position. Convert that to metric as needed. If your beads are longer, slow down. If they are shorter, speed up.

Overhead is identical to flat, only upside down.

Vertical up requires an angle of about 80 degrees from the plate on the lower side, so your electrode is pointed a little bit uphill.

Try to set your practice plates so the top edge of the plate is 1 - 2 inches below your eye level. This way you are always looking down on the weld puddle.

When welding overhead, set your plate about 2 inches above your head. Start the pass with your knees bent. Instead of raising your arms as you progress, just slowly stand up. This tires your arms less.

Normally you will run narrow "stringer" beads. No weave, moving slow. This works for flat, and overhead.

Cover passes require a weave, but again weave SLOWLY,

I do vertical up with a slight weave, no wider than 2 electrode thicknesses total, or around 1/2". Weave slow, I SAID SLOW!!!!. When high quality 7018 is running at just the right speed, the flux should be peeling off below you as you go.

If you travel up too fast you will end up with undercutting on both sides of your bead.

A general rule of stick electrode is that the diameter of your electrode sets your amperage range. The conditions of the weld set where you will be in that range.

Start with 1 amp per each 0.001" of electrode diameter.

So a 1/8" electrode would be 0.125" or 125 amps. You can go 20 amps below and 20 amps above that amperage. So 1/8" electrodes have a range of 105 amps to 145 amps. For vertical up and overhead I like 105 - 110 amps, for a flat weld you can run it a lot hotter.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Thanks for that reply Andrew. I have heard of Lewisham College but have never been. Would you grant though that you see a lot of rutiles (6013's) in UK colleges? I am in London, BTW Richard S.

Reply to
Richard Smith

Thanks Ernie - lovely clear easy-to-visualise advice -- Richard S.

Reply to
Richard Smith

Bohler

choice -

welds -

Richard,

oh yes it's the bread and butter of mild steel welding. But I how I got to hate those 7018's for root runs - like the little girl - when they were good they were very very good, and when they were bad they were horrid! Our instructor had to go into hospital for a couple of weeks, and we got a substitute who imediately said 'you can't run

7018's on an Oxford AC set - odd as it was all we had to use !!!

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

My only thought in addition to all this is if you are running in AC mode or on an AC only machine, there is often a 7018AC or AC7018 variant made just for these machines. --Glenn Lyford

Reply to
glyford

The "AC" versions of LoHi are made specifically for the low end buzz box type homeowner machines, that have low open curcuit voltage. Regular LoHi is made to, and does run fine on industrial duty AC welding machines. I know one pipe welder that likes the Lincoln Excallibur, Only one, every one else dislikes the rod including me. None of the Lincoln LoHi rods have ever been favorites in the pipe trades. It will do, but no one really preferes it.

JTMcC.

>
Reply to
JTMcC

Phew... Glad I'm not the only one.

Good to read the advice from people on the 7018. I got a box of them over here, from Bohler.

After running a lot of 6013, I thought I could weld a bit. Then I tried some 7018. I was happy if I simply could get the arc going all the way, never mind how the weld looked.

WIll print Ernie's advice out. Hopefully with his tips, I might eventually get this electrode working. 'Blow torch' would be an understatement of its arc properties, btw.

Peter.

Reply to
peter_dingemans

Correction:

The electrode I had in mind was the 6010, not the 7018.

Peter.

Reply to
peter_dingemans

OK I gotta know... What brands are the most popular in the pipe trade?

...and please don't say Hobart or Murex...Yecch!

I am always happy to try another rod if it is better. I have found excalibur to be the nicest rod I have used and haven't seen many other high end choices.

I know UTP/Bohler makes a high end 7018, but it is really expensive.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Read the advice of the experts around here. However, in general can comment:

6010 is a cellulosic, which is very penetrating. They do make a sound like they should be generating 100 pounds force of jet thrust.

Look up on the group about "6010" "6011" (the slightly gentler (but still fierce) general purpose AC/DC cellulosic) and "cellulosic".

These rods have properties way way different from mineral fluxed rods.

Richard Smith

Reply to
Richard Smith

Got some Bohler EV50's. Let's see where this takes me. -- Richard S.

Reply to
Richard Smith

Atom arc is hands down the weapon of choice amoungst the pipe hands in my circle. All of the major brands are very high quality rod, because the Lincoln marketing dept put a neat medievil type name on a rod doesn't make it "high end". User friendlyness is the only distinction of note amoung the major brands. Lincoln LoHi has always required the welder to work harder than the others. Most flat iron welders won't notice a difference.

JTMcC.

Reply to
JTMcC

Interesting. We have many old 10lb. cans of Atom Arc at South Seattle CC in the store room. I have never seen it sold anywhere in Seattle. The stuff we have is all 9018, 10018, and 11018. It has been there for many years. I started teaching there 8.5 years ago and it was old then.

I will have to see if I can get some locally. How does it compare in price to Lincoln?

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Yeaaaahhhh hhhhaaaaaa!!!!!

I felt in the doldrums going round and round in small circles. Not now. I feel on-the-move again.

The handling characteristics are clearly for serious high-integrity welding.

And the first weld I broke open took some breaking. I was whomping away with the fly-press to snap open my saw-nicked fillet weld sample ("nick-break").

I can see that rutiles would be the one for a lot of non-critical fab. and repair work where you are having to wave the electrode around and the arc gap is variable and often long.

But where you are showing engineering high duty welding - clearly the one for the job.

See ya all

Richard S.

Reply to
Richard Smith

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