electrode chart

[sardine]

The 2.5 6010's I have just give me a rough and skinny weld with loads of smoke and crap obscuring the puddle.

 

[mr migwire]

doesnt sound like fun sardine, i have been using 7013's alot of late and must admit am happy with the results, good clean bead with uniform ripples and no undercut.
we have just received a load of electrodes at tha railway restoration group so i am going to have a sort through them and see what goodies are there.
i did spy a tin of 316 stainless rods. i beleive they are chroma rods...

 

[sardine]

Nothing as satisfying as sorting through a box of mystery electrodes.

I acquired a rusty BOC tin full a couple of weeks ago, only one satinex though, which is one I've always wanted to try.

Isn't 7013 the same as 6013 but a bit stronger core wire ?

 

[Bill Edwards]

Nothing as satisfying as sorting through a box of mystery electrodes.

I acquired a rusty BOC tin full a couple of weeks ago, only one satinex though, which is one I've always wanted to try.

Isn't 7013 the same as 6013 but a bit stronger core wire ?

Looking at my welding chart it looks like it.

 

[sardine]

You always find some with no markings that weld better than anything you've ever seen before, but you only get 3 of em !

 

[mr migwire]

heres some of the donations...













most bog standard but a couple of usefull like the cast rods and stainless rods.

 

[Kent]

6010 and 11 are (fast freeze) used on pipe or other open butt positional work on the first route, you wont get a good finish because of their very design criteria. The 70 and the 60 refer to the strength so yes to the 7013/ 6013 question.
If you want a good rod and one that suit you and your set try brands more than think just numbers Talking 6013 especially (the do all rod) you will find a lot of difference in performance brand to brand they are not all the same.

perhaps we should have a discussion on what people prefer brand wise and why?

 

[mr migwire]

most of the rods ive been using latley have been nexus and i must say they have been a nice rod to run with the invertor i use.
but i do rate the babcock rods we have been given too, not sure who the oem is though.....

 

[Richard.]

6010-11 are cellulosic rods they are fast freeze as Kent says because they are designed to be used in the down hand position on pipe roots. If welded properly they will burn through immediately but then you control the key hole with back and forth trailing motion while running down the pipe root.
As Al said the flux on a cellulosic is very thin in comparison to a rutile or basic so the amount of slag produced will be minimum. Not all power sources are suitable to successfully run these rods either. It not one I keep at home but it's one I use at work a lot.

 

[sardine]

I'm using zodian universals I got cheap off eBay, pretty good. I like em.

 

[Kent]

Well as its started my favourite 6013 is Murex, I have been running ESAB recently as I thought they were the same rod in a different box but they do seem a little less smooth but it could be other things or even the batch, when tacking I will switch to a cheaper rod not for economy just the fact they tend to light up a little quicker (I think its the flux they use).

On 7018 low Hy I am on SIF at present, I don't use a lot of low hy unless required as there is no point messing round looking after them correctly and dragging to light up.

I should need good reason to bother with S/S rods due to clean up times and they are too pricey to keep in stock, so whatever I can get in small quantity quick. Cast rods I was taught never to use but to Gas weld after long preheat (don't even pretend I could do that properly now, its been a long time).

I once used some Copper electrodes on a job once, I was a bit unsure before I lit up but they were smooth as silk and fast, welding Ali with stick is not so easy messy and very slow to work with compared to other cleaner ways, the last time I did it was re-working plate inside a big tipper on site and switched to MIG with a spool gun back at the shop as there was too much on it to mess around. Again anything like this and its what you can get

 

[Brad93]

Was using some very poor super6 6013 which I was really struggling with, switched to some older (although a bit damp) E85? 6013 and much better. Picked up some Lincoln 7018 (bout £30 a box) 2.5 and love them.

All done on a inverter fusion set. Didn't get on with the 7018 in my General Electric transformer.

 

[mr migwire]

i had never heard of stick welding ali till i joined the forum, i assume that it's not a popular method due to it being a messy process as kent says, would love to see it done though.

 

[Brad93]

Horrible stuff to stick weld we gave up in the end trying to so it and stuck with the TIG. Shame because there is some site work where an aluminium walkway can't be moved that needs repairing but you can't TIG outside

 

[mr migwire]

i take it you cant get like a tarpaulin or something around the walkway to sheild you enough for tig? we had some stainless work in a distilery and the main welder prefered tig so adapted a wendyhouse type frame to use on site, it worked really well...

 

[Kent]

Horrible stuff to stick weld we gave up in the end trying to so it and stuck with the TIG. Shame because there is some site work where an aluminium walkway can't be moved that needs repairing but you can't TIG outside

Yeah, I shouldn't mess around with something of critical strength. Just wait for a good day and use some shields and Tig it. Ali is funny stuff if you don't get the metallurgy right anyhow.

 

[Kent]

i had never heard of stick welding ali till i joined the forum, i assume that it's not a popular method due to it being a messy process as kent says, would love to see it done though.

Its amazing the different rods that have been made for stick but even getting 6010 11 is difficult and my local so called specialist welding supplier don't stock anything but super 6 and murex (the latter in small packs) in 6013. The next nearest the manager is a bit of a .........! So I have started internet buying

 

[mr migwire]

i used to get rods from work as and when required, i am now a full time carer for my wife so tend to use internet shopping for any i need.
on my restbite days i volunteer at the local raiway restoration group and have been enjoying getting back into stick welding as its the only process available via a 200a inverter and an old oxford oil filled plant, took a while to get my eye in again but slowly getting back into the swing of it.

 

[Kent]

i used to get rods from work as and when required, i am now a full time carer for my wife so tend to use internet shopping for any i need.
on my restbite days i volunteer at the local raiway restoration group and have been enjoying getting back into stick welding as its the only process available via a 200a inverter and an old oxford oil filled plant, took a while to get my eye in again but slowly getting back into the swing of it.

Its a funny thing take three years away from MIG and your more likely to struggle first day back. MMA seems to "stick" in you head better, although MIG is unquestionably less demanding. I had a long break from any Welding and it surprised me and some of the guys I used to work with.

 

[mr migwire]

yes have to agree stick does seem to stick in the memory pardon the pun, i mig most days and did do it semi skilled for a while but as you say any time away from it and the first bead needs to be on a scrap plate,