Electrode Newbie Questions

[Memmeddu]

Hello everyone, First of all, great friendly forum i have just been looking at tutorials and they are very helpful.

I have started welding with my cheap buzz box and some dodgy damp garage 6013's that I must have got with my Clarke buzzbox as an assortment of different sizes etc. I also have been down to my local blacksmith and got a lot off offcuts and some bits of massive square tubing that I am using to practise laying beads on. I also managed to get my first peeler today.

I have also seen pretty good improvement in my welds, Don't have any pictures to hand and garage is all locked up for the night.

I have just finished my 3.2mm 6013 rods and i am looking to get 5kg for good value but now i am not too sure what rods to get. I have a welding supply near me http://www.fifeweldingandsafetysupplies.co.uk/ that I will ring up and ask about it but also would like to ask you guys.

A budget 6013 for practice and a few small beginners projects nothing that needs any strength. I have started on some shoddy rods so most rods will hopefully be an improvement its just which suits my needs best i am not sure.

Thanks Lewis

With budget rods there's the possibility of making things worst
Because cheap rods are not good so you could have difficulty to use them so you get frustrated cause the results and you could think is a your problem so you end up abandoning this hobby
So buy good quality rods

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Welcome aboard, Lewis.

. I also managed to get my first peeler today.

Always a feeling of satisfaction when you get one of those.

Bit of practice and you'll be able to do this,

Only in my dreams.....

 

[Lewis_RX8]

Welcome aboard, Lewis.

Thanks Slim_Boy_Fat which i assume is your legal name.

UPDATE:
Well the Fife Welding Supplies had very little supplies today , Only Super 6 6013's in stock but i managed to find a BOC Distributor which had in the BOC 6013 Premiums that I have been recommended which where £19.50 on eBay which I thought was a good price untill the local distributor sold me them for £12 including vat for 5kg box. Will be going back there for sure.

I will have to post some weld pic's once this rain clears.

 

[SteScouse]

Bargain mate !!!!

I'm a relative newbie myself so only tried four brands

6013 Machine Mart, Toolpak and BOC, 7018 Kennedy (Cromwell tools supply them)

Out of all of them the BOC ahead by a country mile.

Not had much success with the Kennedy, dont know if its me being newer to 7018 or just the rods

7018 is bigged up a lot online, you tube etc, got them out of curiosity. B

truthfully for my hobby projects, the extra strength just aint needed and decent 6013 just miles easier to run

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Thanks Slim_Boy_Fat which i assume is your legal name.

Well, it wasn't the one I was given at birth if that's what you mean. . Just an online forum one. . Norman Cook had beaten me to my first choice when I was faced with choosing one on signing up online first.

 

[TechnicAl]

When I was at Lincoln we made the BOC EVERYDAY rods...all of them 6013s, 7018s and some others......Just before I left (around 2010) they ditched us and bought Chinese which were a ridiculous price........The rods were awful and the change backfired on them which was very gratifying........It sounds like they have gone back to a quality manufacturer which, again, is good to hear......

 

[SteScouse]

Think (with hindsight) it pays dividends to use decent rods when you start stick welding

If your using a well recommended product you at least got a chance of spotting errors your making as part of learning process

With woeful rods you wont know if its technique or just Jabberwocky quality

When i got the Toolpak after the Machine Mart ones it was like i had another few months welding under my belt

Then when i got BOCs it was like wow, this is how its meant to run ( i still mess up now n then tho, ya never stop learning)

 

[TechnicAl]

Think (with hindsight) it pays dividends to use decent rods when you start stick welding

If your using a well recommended product you at least got a chance of spotting errors your making as part of learning process

With woeful rods you wont know if its technique or just Jabberwocky quality

When i got the Toolpak after the Machine Mart ones it was like i had another few months welding under my belt

Then when i got BOCs it was like wow, this is how its meant to run ( i still mess up now n then tho, ya never stop learning)

and if you use Manufacturers products (rather than rebadged) such as Lincoln, Esab, Bohler, Oerlikon, Murex, you ensure consistency.....some of the re-sellers change suppliers with regular monotony (Super 6 seems to change a lot).......these days the prices arent much different, if at all.

 

[SteScouse]

Cheers Al, good advice. I'll buy one of the above next time i need rods

Had no idea BOC bought in from cheapest bidder with Linde being such a big global company, thought they would produce them

 

[JulieandTony]

Seeing as you're another Fifer I'd highly recommend doing this course if you want to get into TIG - it's at Stenton College, Glenrothes and starts towards the end of January:

https://www.fife.ac.uk/courses/search-all-courses/ncwes/

I did it earlier this year and whilst I have a TIG at home (having sold on my MIG) my welding improved leaps and bounds - also my understanding of the process. I can only hope you'd have the same lecturer we did; I know that the staffing has undergone considerable change. Best £250 I ever spent.

It's somewhat further , but motherwell does the same course for £105, same qualification (it's just Scottish credits -scqf stuff) and same time / duration of training

https://www.nclanarkshire.ac.uk/courses/fabrication-and-welding/practical-welding

There is also one in the Edinburgh collage but that's expensive as well

 

[Lewis_RX8]

and if you use Manufacturers products (rather than rebadged) such as Lincoln, Esab, Bohler, Oerlikon, Murex, you ensure consistency.....some of the re-sellers change suppliers with regular monotony (Super 6 seems to change a lot).......these days the prices arent much different, if at all.

Not managed to try the rods yet will see how they compare to my dodgy Chinese machine mart ones. It does sound like they have changed manufacturer which gives me more hope. Will post results tomorrow hopefully if it stops raining. And thanks for the adivce will probably be looking to get some bohler AWS 6013's next.

Bargain mate !!!!

I'm a relative newbie myself so only tried four brands

6013 Machine Mart, Toolpak and BOC, 7018 Kennedy (Cromwell tools supply them)

Out of all of them the BOC ahead by a country mile.

Not had much success with the Kennedy, dont know if its me being newer to 7018 or just the rods

7018 is bigged up a lot online, you tube etc, got them out of curiosity. B

truthfully for my hobby projects, the extra strength just aint needed and decent 6013 just miles easier to run

View attachment 196713

I have had a look at 7018 but like you say I don't need the strength but if I find a few or get a sample I would not mind trying em. Just gonna get as nice as beads i can and it seems 6013 is way to go untill i am more experienced

I would also agree that with stick welding you have 1 consumable so you should make sure its a good quality rod.

 

[Paul.]

You may be wasting your money buying 7018's they will probably need a higher open circuit than your transfomer welder has and will be impossible to strike.
Professional AC welding sets will have an ocv of 80 volts or more against your welder which will be 50 volts

 

[SteScouse]

The 7018's i have are 3.2mm. dont know OCV of welder off hand but they strike ok and beads look ok

Problem i have is slag,.no where near getting a peeler with these, very hard to remove and tried all sorts of amp settings and polarity reversal, no difference

Not got any recent pictures but will get some when i get chance/ weather

EDIT They have always been kept in airing cupboard

 

[gaz1]

i use these types as its a local place for me

https://engweld.co.uk/product/esab-ok-4630-25mm-6013-5kg-packet

 

[SteScouse]

I'll have to get some ESABS i think, keep hearing good things

 

[gaz1]

I'll have to get some ESABS i think, keep hearing good things

sometimes they peel off loverly and some times they dont

a bit ackward to start but ok after that for restarting ive found

 

[Lewis_RX8]

You may be wasting your money buying 7018's they will probably need a higher open circuit than your transformer welder has and will be impossible to strike.
Professional AC welding sets will have an ocv of 80 volts or more against your welder which will be 50 volts

Yea I think I will just stick to the 6013 rods don't need extra strength anyway.

I use these types as its a local place for me

https://engweld.co.uk/product/esab-ok-4630-25mm-6013-5kg-packet

Will have to check if any local places stock those seem similar price to the BOC's aswell.

 

[Tangledfeet]

Will have to check if any local places stock those seem similar price to the BOC's aswell.

I have the ESAB OK 46.30 in 3.2mm flavour, from HIS in Dundee, and got my first peelers using them! Plan on getting through at least a few of them tomorrow having used the TIG to tack up my largest project yet...

 

[SteScouse]

Know pro guys will be used to peelers, but as a hobbyist ya cant beat it

Weather a big factor but nearly all my projects are stick welded so far

Reckon you learn more about welding with stick, just my opinion like, based on my own experience

 

[Lewis_RX8]

I have the ESAB OK 46.30 in 3.2mm flavour, from HIS in Dundee, and got my first peelers using them! Plan on getting through at least a few of them tomorrow having used the TIG to tack up my largest project yet...

I Need to check out a HIS store they seem to do a lot of stuff i am interested in , Next time i am near one of their locations i will be going for a look but a bit far for me just to get some electrodes, unfortunately.

Also tangedfeet as ur a fifer as well i would be interested to see where you find metal for projects, I have a few off cuts from a blacksmith near me that are good for laying beads on but not much use for projects as rather small.

Know pro guys will be used to peelers, but as a hobbyist ya cant beat it

Weather a big factor but nearly all my projects are stick welded so far

Reckon you learn more about welding with stick, just my opinion like, based on my own experience

Just something about that beautiful peel up