Re: help to identify welding rod

Posted by 135 Fan on October 31, 2008 at 17:21:36 from (24.70.95.205):

In Reply to: Re: help to identify welding rod posted by Walt davies on October 31, 2008 at 09:24:57:

I've been a welder for over 25 years and what surprises me is that non welders will try to answer questions without actually knowing the correct answer. Sometimes they do give the right answer and sometimes not. First, as far as rods go;
6010 is for DC+ current 99% of the time. It is good for welding in any position and is designated as an all position rod.
6011 was introduced to provide a similar type of rod to 6010, that would work on an AC machine. It will work on DC as well but most people with DC would just buy 6010. 6010 and 6011 are the best choice for dirty steel because they have a deep penetrating arc that burns through the dirt and rust easier. The flux on the rod makes it harder for the weld to get contaminated from the air. That's why 6010/6011 can be whipped all over the place without getting porsity or impurities. The slag is also light and much easier to burn through.
6013 is easier to burn but has low penetration and is the weakest rod available in terms of strength. Yes it has 60,000 psi tensile strength but it doesn't have any other properties for strength. It is often referred to as farmers rod because it is easy to use. It is OK for sheet metal and very light duty welding.
7014 is a far better choice than 6013 and welds just about as easily. 7014 can be used on AC or DC either polarity.
7018 is the strongest of the mild steel rods. It is designated as a DC+ and AC rod. However, on cheap AC buzz boxes, it is harder to use, so rod manufacturers came up with special AC versions of 7018.
Whether the rod is a 60, 70, 80, or even 120,000 PSI rod makes no difference to a welding machine. Almost all shops will use DC welders and I have never been in a shop that has a chart on the wall that says what amps to burn the rod. It depends on the job. You can't go by the dial on the welding machine. The only time specific amps/volts are listed is in a procedure qualification. This is only done on the most critical work like pressure vessels and piping. Even then it will still give a range as no 2 welders (people) will weld exactly the same. On a procedure qualification, an external meter is hooked to the cables to accurately measure the volts/amps. Some shops will have their welding machines calibrated and rechecked so that the dials are more accurate for doing critical work. A grinder or needle scaler does not make the weld any better. They can prep the material so a better weld can be done but don't make the weld stronger. It used to be common for inspectors to want all welds ground so they look real nice. Now the inspectors prefer a weld with as little grinding as possible. An untouched perfect weld looks better than any ground weld and is an indication of the skill of the welder.
Welding rods(electrodes)come in many classes for a reason. Different jobs have different requirements. The numbers of rods tell all kinds of things about the rod. First 2 or 3 numbers are tensile strength in thousands, second last number is the position the rod is for and the last number and sometimes additional numbers and/or letters, tells all about the rod composition, polarity, mechanical properties etc., etc. The 1 designation as in 60(1)0, 60(1)1, 60(1)3, 70(1)4 and 70(1)8 (6010, 6011, 6013, 7014, 7018) all indicate that the rods are for all position. A 2 would indicate for flat and horizontal only. However, if you were to try and weld vertical or overhead for example with a 1/4" 7018, or any xx1x rod, you would not have very much success. When doing any welding job, you need to think about what the piece your welding will be used for and then choose the approprite rod for the particular job. The most important question is if it's a static or dynamic load on the weld. 6010, 6011 and especially 7018 are for dynamic loads where there is stress put on the weld. An example would be a dragline boom. It is under a lot of twisting and pulling forces. A static load on the other hand isn't under a lot of stress. An example would be foot on the bottom a table leg. It just sits there. These are pretty extreme examples just to give a comparison between dynamic and static loads. A lot of people have never heard these terms used before. They are however used a lot in aircraft. A static display airplane just sits there and doesn't ever fly. A plane that is being built to fly will have the wings and other components subjected to 100%, or more, dynamic loading in order to be certified for flight. The same way that any car to be put on the road and registered has to be crash tested. 959 Porsche's weren't allowed into the US because they were specifically built as a rally car but were never crash tested. I hope this clarifies some misconceptions about welding and welding rods. Welding is probably the most tested trade there is. Dave

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