Stick Welding Rods

It all has to do with what rod you are talking about and what you are trying to weld with it.

6013 and 7014 are both incredibly easy rods to run, and they give beautiful beads, but... ...they are both low penetration rods that really liike clean metal.

I think 6011 is the best general purpose electrode, but to get pretty welds takes a lot of practice.

7018 is the most used rod in the US, and in flat position it is a breeze to run. It is when you get to overhead and vertical up that things get tricky.

The metal used in 60 and 70 series rods is identical. The flux is slightly changed to increase the UTS of the weld metal. It is just a coincidence that E 7014 is one of the easiest. If there was or is a 6014 it also would be the easiest..... for me anyway. Randy

As Bill Clinton would way, "define easy."

Welding is a combination of base metal, filler rod, and electricity. When you have the right combination, it SHOULD become "easy", right?

No?

There is so much more to welding than just laying a bead. Most guys can run a decent bead on a flat piece of steel with a 7018 rod with about 15 minutes of instruction. Now do that on a vertical one inch thick plate open root, travel up.

I think 7018 is an "easy" rod to weld with. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I have burned several 50# boxes of them in my life.

EASY is a Clintonian term, and relative. Every rod has its own characteristics, and degree of "easy".

Steve

I have little experience with stick welding , I preffer MIG /flux where ever it is possible. but here is what I have learned so far.

6010, 6011 = deep penetrating rods , used for root passes, or where nice apperance is not an issue, or where deep penetrating needed. it can handle rusty dirty metal due to its hars arc force, minimal flux , it has minimal flux left over because of the cellulose flux burns up with the arc. if you got flux left over it is hard to clean, advantages to low flux== you can see molten metal, and you can use stiching method when using it out of position weld bead nicely visiable, but leaves ugly weld bead. 6013 low penetrating rod, better apperance, more flux. 7014 medium penetrating rod , easy to run , nice looking bead. tall flux build up , harder to see molten metal. 7018 low penetrating , nice looking bead, easy to run lots of flux build up, flux hard as glass, low hydrogen rod, must be kept dry. (rod oven preffered. ) heavy flux acts as a blanket ... allows metal to cool slower (good)

one thing I learned.... before I took classes I use to run long arc(1/4inch) arc length on 1/8, 3/32, 1/16 diam. rods should be around 1/16 inch ,

I am sure there is much more to stick welding.......

I have little experience with stick welding , I preffer MIG /flux where ever it is possible. but here is what I have learned so far.

6010, 6011 = deep penetrating rods , used for root passes, or where nice apperance is not an issue, or where deep penetrating needed. it can handle rusty dirty metal due to its hars arc force, minimal flux , it has minimal flux left over because of the cellulose flux burns up with the arc. if you got flux left over it is hard to clean, advantages to low flux== you can see molten metal, and you can use stiching method when using it out of position weld bead nicely visiable, but leaves ugly weld bead. 6013 low penetrating rod, better apperance, more flux.

7014 medium penetrating rod , easy to run , nice looking bead. tall flux build up , harder to see molten metal.

7018 low penetrating , nice looking bead, easy to run lots of flux build up, flux hard as glass, low hydrogen rod, must be kept dry. (rod oven preffered. ) heavy flux acts as a blanket ... allows metal to cool slower (good) it requires for an extra 10 amp for 1/8" 7018 rod to run. compare to a 60xx rod. one thing I learned.... before I took classes, I use to run long arc(1/4inch). arc length on 1/8, 3/32, 1/16 diam. rods should be around 1/16 inch ,

I am sure there is much more to stick welding.......

Some people can make ugly welds with any process or rod. But to say 6010 makes ugly welds is like saying water colors make ugly paintings. I may not know how to make art with watercolors, and I may not know anyone else that can, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of people in the world that producing artwork everyday with watercolors. Same with 6010/7010/8010.

JTMcC.

JTMcC,

as I stated in my reply, this was my experience,

I produce uglier looking weld with a 6010 than with a a 7014 and 7018 or for that matter with 6013. I belive that is because there is no or very little flux (6010) to smooth out /cover /blanket the top of the weld bead. and because of the hars arcforce of the 6010.

again... I am not in the field of stick welding, but so far anybody that I have seen (including instructiors) made better looking weld bead with 6013/7014/7018 than with 6010 and 6011.

if you can do same looking weld bead with 6010 and 7014/or 7018 than you are gifted !

JTMcC,

I am not here to argue, as I stated in my reply, this was my experience with those rods and that is what I have seen as far as difference between them.

I produce uglier looking weld with a 6010 than with a a 7014 and 7018 or for that matter with 6013. I belive that is because there is no or very little flux (6010) to smooth out /cover /blanket the top of the weld bead. and because of the hars arcforce of the 6010.

again... I am not in the field of stick welding, but so far anybody that I have seen (including instructiors) made better looking weld bead with 6013/7014/7018 than with 6010 and 6011.

if you can do same GOOD looking weld bead with 6010 and 7014/or 7018 than you are gifted !

There are fields where these rods are run all day every day and in those fields you can find slick welders by the hundreds. Your average welder, however will use them rarely or not at all. And, your average welder will say that 6010 welds are ugly. They just haven't seen it done.

JTMcC.

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"hars arcforce"?

What is the "hars arcforce"?

Thanks, John

It's travel speed, heat (amps), rod angle , movement pattern, bead placement You can make nice welds with all the rods listed. Repeat use of a rod type is a key making sound & slick (nice looking) welds. Pick the rod that best fits your needs and pratice.

all right I give in ,

you guys are twisting my words. in welding, looks are secondary to proper fusion and strength, also minimal HAZ. (heat affected zone )

my point was.... yes you can become very sufficient with any rod, but the appearance of the bead (to me ) 70xx rod, shinny , smooth, almost chromed like or mirror finish.

6010 or 6011, I have never seen it like that.

I know .....now some >It's travel speed, heat (amps), rod angle , movement pattern, bead placement

As a "building-up" student of welding, I will agree with you, at this skill level. The top-bead of a cellulosic looks rough compared to the smooth top-bead of the slow-cooling rutile welds and the like. I have even heard people here (East Anglia, UK) "you could use cellulosics, they will work well, but your welds will look like s*&t". Cellulosics are little used here in the UK and some would do welding have never used them. Not like over in the US where they are commonly used for general purpose stuff, so I gather.

When someone of my/our skill level runs a cellulosic with a "drawn arc" (not the dragging/pushing contact of a V-prep root run, which is the only use of cellulosics ever here), you get a surface which is like the pressure ridges of a frozen lake or sea, but down at around

2mm to 3mm (80thou to 1/8th of inch) scale.

Happy welding

Richard Smith