What industries use stick these days?

[Stingray]

Just as another reference point, I believe EEMUA158 places GMAW among those processes which are prohibited by default unless specific steps are taken to substantiate and qualify its use. By contrast, MMA is an accepted process by default. I’m aware of at least one North Sea operator whose standards exclude the use of GMAW.

In fairness, a discussion of penetration is incomplete in the absence of consideration of joint design and fit up.

Michael

GMAW has its place in a manufacturing environment or for less critical structural fabrication environment so tends to never be seen in the oil and gas sector, yes it’s used in the pipeline industry but this is only possible with narrow gap automatic welding with j-prep bevel configuration and produces excellent results which are only possible due to bevel dimensions/configuration within close tolerances and Welding parameters that take 100’s of hours to develop!
Some young Welding Engineer had the idea of using manual PGMAW (downhill) for doing 6G tie-ins on a reel lay barge I worked on, We only used it for one job and went back to GSFCAW as it was quicker and more offshore friendly!
Bring back the good old days when You went to the stores for a few boxes of 1/4” iron powder rods for a bit of 2F!

 

[TechnicAl]

It was 86-87 that the switch occurred in my case I remember the boc guy Comming in (the firm where also agents for boc) the gaffer asked me to put it on my machine to test it.. By the end of the day everyone had a do and loved it argoshield 5 I think.. We switched straight over on every machine

and it was around then that thyristor controlled sets had become affordable and dependable.....before that they were switched.....so the operastion improved

 

[zeppelin builder]

It was 86-87 that the switch occurred in my case I remember the boc guy Comming in (the firm where also agents for boc) the gaffer asked me to put it on my machine to test it.. By the end of the day everyone had a do and loved it argoshield 5 I think.. We switched straight over on every machine

i liked the co2 better on the old rowan arc welders .didnt Rubery owen make axles for military vehicles

 

[TechnicAl]

i liked the co2 better on the old rowan arc welders .didnt Rubery owen make axles for military vehicles

Rubery Owen used to make welding rods....the firm I worked for bought them out and moved the production to Sheffield. It was one of my first projects...their rods usually ended in WAY....there was DOVWAY...downhand, overhead and vertical.....EASYWAY was another....cant remember more.....the equipment they used was quite ingenious and has ended up at a Lincoln plant in Mongolia.....I actually could have gone to oversee the start up but I refused (another story)

 

[swedge]

My work, industrial heating engineers building batteries heat exchangers etc is 90% stick then big and tig and even a bit of braizing thrown in lol

Old school engineers

 

[Kent]

i liked the co2 better on the old rowan arc welders .didnt Rubery owen make axles for military vehicles

Depends what work you do doesn't it really I have pretty much always worked in various with the exception of the stainless catering boom time

 

[Gareth0123]

Oh i know mig’s only inside

Really? …. …. …. I am making some security gates outside using my R-Tech 250-1 mig welder in about 30 minutes.

 

[TechnicAl]

Really? …. …. …. I am making some security gates outside using my R-Tech 250-1 mig welder in about 30 minutes.

make sure the gas shield isnt affected by the wind...or you will get porous welds......actually you can get embrittlement from Nitrogen ingress long before you get enough contamination to give porosity....but that wont really matter for gates.

 

[D.wilson94]

Really? …. …. …. I am making some security gates outside using my R-Tech 250-1 mig welder in about 30 minutes.

Flux cored mig?

 

[Turbo]

20 years ago they were adding new refrigeration pipework at the factory I worked & they got a team of pipe fitters & welders in to do the work. They were using heavy wall seamless gas pipe from 1" to 8" diameter. All the cutting & bevelling was done by grinder, all the weld roots were tigged followed by stick mma cap runs.

This all took place in a roof space during a hot summer, I really felt sorry for them! The coke machine in the canteen had to be filled daily - the welders kept emptying it!

I got the job of tidying up after them, not an easy task but I ended up with enough half boxes of quality rods & half used grinding discs to last a few years. I still have some stainless & special metals rods left!

 

[Gareth0123]

Flux cored mig?

15/85 gas mig, 0.8 A18 wire

 

[kptim]

Can someone tell me is the 6011 root 6013 cap being used much learning it at the moment

 

[zeppelin builder]

Can someone tell me is the 6011 root 6013 cap being used much learning it at the moment

used to be a standard Hvac test but not very popular now

a lot of guys use tig because less fire risk as literaly no sparks flying about

 

[Richard.]

Year on year with all industries in the UK as a collective, the sales of MMA consumables does decrease with the sales of mag wire showing similar increases.
That’s not to say mag is ‘better’ or stronger but it’s just down to general fab companies taking advantage and investing in the tech and speed associated with mag. Sticks will always be around though for the examples said above. Mag might be a faster welding process but it’s a dam sight slower if you’ve got to drag heavy sets and bottles 500 yards across a muddy site for a few hours welding.

 

[zeppelin builder]

helped out with a spud harvester last night the track idler had fallen off and thrown the track it was a mass off cracks which were v d out and welded from both sides, with 7018 ,this is when stick comes into its own and the trusty arc gen ,finished about midnight

 

[premmington]

I use stick welding - I am a motor mechanic!


We are geared up for...

0.6mm A18 wire in CO2 - MAG

DC TIG - in argon - mostly 309L

DC TIG brazing in Argon (we do allot of this)

Lots and lots of MMA 312... (plus some 6013)


But to be honest - all my fabricator mates are using pulse MIG in their workshops - some TIG - and only use MMA on site.


The only place locally to us that are stick welding all day - is "dredging and construction" - who repair the sea buoys - their yard is always awash with a blue arc light.


Unless you are on site - or dealing with a dirty digger bucket or a rusty sea buoys. Most people will be MIG-MAG welding nowadays (as it is easier in position). Even the container "shapers" near us - who cut and shut container made of corten steel are MIG welding them.

The only reason really I do so much MMA is - I have several MMA sets - I like it - I can do it - mostly it is repair stuff I do - not big fabricating jobs. If we made a few more big things things - I would gear myself up with more MIG-MAG sets.

Today's welding job for me was to build a shaft up with 6013 3.2's - to be turned down on a lathe.

I reckon I do more TIG brazing than anything... It is just the nature of the repair work we do...

 

[MichaelV]

helped out with a spud harvester last night the track idler had fallen off and thrown the track it was a mass off cracks which were v d out and welded from both sides, with 7018 ,this is when stick comes into its own and the trusty arc gen ,finished about midnight


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Hilux towing a welder... now that’s the path to enlightenment

 

[pressbrake1]

Really? …. …. …. I am making some security gates outside using my R-Tech 250-1 mig welder in about 30 minutes.

I only have to think about mig welding outside and a tornado develops!

 

[zeppelin builder]

latest bit of stick 7018

 

[balmerchris]

latest bit of stick 7018

What are we looking at?