MG 500 rods

Anyone used these rods? MG 500 welding rods A bit pricey, but 1/16" rods are almost 3x the price of bigger ones.

Been looking for some smaller rods.

I have 3/32 7018 and 5/64 6013. Built a holder for rod storage (have 2" PVC pipes for storage.) It was made from 3/4" box tubing with 1/16" wall. I'll post a pic in another thread.

The 3/32 7018 rods lay beautiful beads , but blow holes. Get current low enough and it is hard to maintain an arc in a corner or it sticks. Easy to see difference between weld pool and slag. Slag just pops off in one big piece.

The 5/64 rods are a royal pain. They need even a higher current than the bigger 7018 rods. I fought these all night, laying what looked like good beads, but I can't see the difference between the slag and the weld pool. If current is not high enough, slag inclusion becomes a real problem. Corner welds are near impossible as the weld pool can't get through the slag unless the current is high.

Both have been DC+, maybe A/C on the 7018's would work better as it should have a bit less penetration.

Increased the current to that i use on the 7018's on the 5/64 6013's. Did a nice clean bead then blew a hole.

Could be brands. The 7018's I have are Forney (1/8") and Lincoln Electric (3/32"). Both real nice. Don't remember the brand on the 6013's; something like Weldability.

Did some searches on the MG500's, some positive responses.

Other than the above, anyone have favorite 1/16"-5/64 (1.6-2mm) rods they like for thin metal?

shenion said:

Other than the above, anyone have favorite 1/16"-5/64 (1.6-2mm) rods they like for thin metal?

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Oerlikon Fincord are a nice rod to use, very easy to lay a nice bead and ideal for learners. Very forgiving.
The 2.0mm rods are particularly good for thin sheet.
Strange how you get an alliance to a certain brand of rod. - Much to the dismay of the buyer who has to source endless brands of the same rod. (Esab, Murex and Oerlikon my favourites), and the difference in performance when you are forced to use some cheapo plain-white-box rod!

Oerlicon Fincorrd look to be Air Liquide brand. So not available here.

We'll see how these MG500's do if noone binds on them. May also try some Lincoln Electric 1/16" rods.

Just wish someone made 7018's in smaller rods.

You could try getting 7016's Shen. They're the same as a 7018 but with a thinner coating, and no iron powder, so lay a smaller bead. I've not used them, but some people find them much easier to control.

Got the MG500 rods today. They are 1/16" and look like 6013's

They are a royal pain with slag inclusion. Doing an inside corner is real difficult. The slag gets under the bead on the low side ind in the joint. Increased the current and it blew holes above the weld bead with still slag issues.

Was using E+. Will try some more with E- and AC. I'm thinking I need E- to keep the rod hot.

I can do a flat butt weld with no problem.

Will play some more. I find all 6013's to be a pain for inside corners, especially on thin metal. I can do better with 3/32 7018's than the smaller 6013's. The smaller 6013's need a higher current or the slag gets in the way.

Funny with these MG500 1/16, you lay this big caterpillar bead, hit it with a hammer and it leaves this small weld behind.

Normal rule does not apply

The rule:

"Arc length should be about the rod diameter"

Well, it is different for these rods. Did a bunch of welds with almost no arc length:



Current was a bit low, but notice nothing in the corner.



Better, but notice the gap beneath the weld. I was weaving down/up and was sure to pause and bridge both sides. Still the slag on the bottom gets in the way.



Here's a butt weld done flat. Blew a long hole and never noticed it. It was hidden under the slag.

"Arc length should be about rod diameter"

Ok, well it IS true as long as you measure from the right points.

You can not see the weld pool at all (no problem on my bigger and 7018 rods.) That is because there is 2x as much slag as metal in the weld. So, laying a bead, the slag is at least 1/16" thick.

Also, the coating on the rod burns slower than the core melts.

So, 1/16 from the true end of the rod to the actual weld pool is less than the thickness of the slag over the weld.

So, you have to bury the rod in the pool for proper results.

Did 2 corners with rod buried. Got good results. This is 3/4" square tubing with 1/16" wall. So welds are real short time-wise. I did get a tiny bit of slag inclusion at the start, but once hot it is fine.

The "good" welds are hard to take a picture of.

These MG 500 rods look good. They say 71k yield/80k tensile strength. Coating looks like same on 6013's. So I guess they are a 8013.

Did some more flat beads with buried rod. Laid some beads with just about the same profile above/below weld. Perfect penetration.



Lots of practice. Need to call it something obscure and sell on ebay for thousands to idiots who think they know art

simondrains said:

You could try getting 7016's Shen. They're the same as a 7018 but with a thinner coating, and no iron powder, so lay a smaller bead. I've not used them, but some people find them much easier to control.

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Have not seen any 7016's.

I did find some WeldIt 7014 1/16" rods. What a difference




3/4 square tubing, I think it is 14 or 16 gauge. DCEP

A bit of spatter, still working on getting the right current. It is tricky, if rod sticks you must break it lose quick or the entire rod melts. Rod s flop around as they are so thin. A bit tricky as they work fast and burn like a fuse

Did some beads on AC, works ok and wider bead.

Welds looking 100% improved - the type/quality of rod really can make a big difference to the weld quality - brace your hands together to keep the rod steady to improve the internal fillet welds, but looking good!

I (and il know i shouldnt) steady the rod with my left hand, even the best holders will tend to give you a bit of moment on a 450mm rod, but looking much improved shenion

You can hold the holder real steady. The current will make the rod shake.

I found I lay my hand next to the weld and brace the rod on the edge of my hand helps.

I may try a fillet on AC, will probably have less effect of the current.

These rods are real nice. The slag is difficult to get off the edges of the weld though. Pops right off the weld. Need to work on start and stop. Get a divet on each end. Been leery of pausing at end to fill in fear of burning through. Look like it is not a problem.

BTW, one of those diagonals was done vertical. Real easy.

The picts were taken after using a wire wheel. Only way i could get the last bit of slag off. Could be something about the surface of this steel. It has an oily film. Brushed it off fist, probably need to totally degrease before welding.

I can do heavier stuff with 7018 and 6013 rods no problem. The 6013 and MG500 (look and run just like 6013) need more current to keep the slag hot and don't work on thin stuff.

Now maybe I can weld the cat pipe on my Jeep No way to get the MIG gun on the top of it.

cat pipe, reminds of a couple of welds I had to do in the oil plant with a mirror and the end too inches of the rod bent at 90 degress, now thats a positional

snowcat said:

I (and il know i shouldnt) steady the rod with my left hand, even the best holders will tend to give you a bit of moment on a 450mm rod, but looking much improved shenion

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Yes, i do that by habit - i go through more left gloves than right cos they burn right through and the leather shrinks to the point where you cannae get your hand in anymore! If your running too many amps for the rod size (i know..i know...) the rod glows red and melts through the glove in megga fast time!
Have considered making myself some sort of metal thing that goes over my glove that the rod can sit in.

Yes you end up with heaps of RH gloves and no lefts, think you should be able to buy them individualy Or become mates with a LH welder.......