Welding Tips and Tricks

I just have got a brand new AC DC stick welder and I am new to stick welding.

I have decided that I'm going to keep on hand 6010 and 7018 in 3/32 and 1/8 maybe some 5/32 but I know that the 7018 is the one that I need to keep out of the moisture.

If you are not doing code work it doesn't matter. Try to keep your lo-hydrogen rods in a sealed container, but if you go out and do something you deem critical, safety concern potential, or is a coded weld, get new rods.

Of course there is also rebaking and rod ovens, but that is expensive if you aren't welding with 7018 daily.

Edit: Yes keep all the rods dry and out of moisture as much as possible. Get some sealed rod guards if you are really worried, otherwise just keeping them in ziploc is good to go.

Spend a couple of bucks and get a few of these: https://weldingsupply.com/cgi-bin/einst ... :RG-100-24
You can get different colors for varying rod types and use a Sharpie and notate the top with the diameter. Makes it easy to grab and go, keeps them dry and protected from the flux being knocked off, and keeps you well organized.

If you have a harbor freight near you, thise rod canisters are $4 ea.

i'm a little crude, i just store them in the hot water cupboard. that keeps them dry enough.
you also can get those little packets that soak up moisture and put them in the tube.

old refrigerator with a 60 watt light bulb works good too, just make sure the light is always on

Olecoot wrote:old refrigerator with a 60 watt light bulb works good too, just make sure the light is always on

Dang, that's gotta be heavy to tote to the field or a job site...

cj737 wrote:

Olecoot wrote:old refrigerator with a 60 watt light bulb works good too, just make sure the light is always on

Dang, that's gotta be heavy to tote to the field or a job site...

Builds muscle and endurance

Olecoot wrote:

cj737 wrote: Dang, that's gotta be heavy to tote to the field or a job site...

Builds muscle and endurance

Reminds of my reply to folks when they ask: why do you carry a firearm? Because a cop is too heavy!

Oscar wrote:If you have a harbor freight near you, thise rod canisters are $4 ea.

You got a link to them? I can't find em on the site.

If you're not doing code work, and if you may not be doing professional-level work where 7018 is required, recommend you give some thought to running something like 6013 or 7014. They are arguably easier to run, and don't have the stringent storage requirements. Not trying to assume your needs, though.

However, I have noticed a lot of beginners thinking they have a need to run 7018 because that's what they see the pros running. If you don't actually need the added hassle of 7018, why force it on yourself?

9rpcrowe wrote:I just have got a brand new AC DC stick welder and I am new to stick welding.

I have decided that I'm going to keep on hand 6010 and 7018 in 3/32 and 1/8 maybe some 5/32 but I know that the 7018 is the one that I need to keep out of the moisture.

My shop is has heat and A/C, so fairly well climate controlled, but far from a rod oven. I have two partial 50lb tins of 7018 that have been opened for at least two years....one is ESAB Atom Arc and the other Lincoln Excalibur. They weld just like when I opened the cans. The only thing you might notice is fresh rods right out of an oven tend to be easier to start...sorta preheat for the rod. For code work you'd want fresh rod, rod ovens, and rod canisters to hold the rod when removed from the oven, but most of us aren't doing anything along those lines.

While other rods might make more sense for some folks, 7018 is easy to find, cheap and is a known quantity so it's often simpler for folks to just stick with it...no real downside for anything but code work.

Honestly even at the nuke plant they buy in bulk but vacuum pack smaller amounts of rod in plastic bags. No need for a rod oven.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/pi ... ame=sp_atf

Spartan wrote:If you're not doing code work, and if you may not be doing professional-level work where 7018 is required, recommend you give some thought to running something like 6013 or 7014. They are arguably easier to run, and don't have the stringent storage requirements. Not trying to assume your needs, though.

However, I have noticed a lot of beginners thinking they have a need to run 7018 because that's what they see the pros running. If you don't actually need the added hassle of 7018, why force it on yourself?

I don't totally agree here. I feel that 7018 is a good general purpose rod and being able to run in all position is a plus. I much prefer it to 7014 and 6013 that is for sure. I have nothing against 6013, but I feel those rods are much more slaggy and if I'm going to weld with stick instead of tig I usually just reach for 7018. It what most of us learned in school and did the majority of our practice with. In my opinion there are no storage requirements for 7018 if you are not welding to code. Just keep them dry and in a somewhat sealed container.

All welders should remember use their most valuable tool (their brain) to determine when a job is over their head. Think of the consequences of what you are doing. If it's life support and you aren't at that level don't weld it.

BugHunter wrote:

Oscar wrote:If you have a harbor freight near you, thise rod canisters are $4 ea.

You got a link to them? I can't find em on the site.

I'll be damned, they don't have them anymore! Shame.

Weldingsupply.com has them and their shipping is reasonable if you were to buy at least 6 of the canisters. $5.77/ea. If you order say 10 of them, shipping is only $12. If you buy 1 shipping is $10.

Oscar wrote:

BugHunter wrote:

Oscar wrote:If you have a harbor freight near you, thise rod canisters are $4 ea.

You got a link to them? I can't find em on the site.

I'll be damned, they don't have them anymore! Shame.

Weldingsupply.com has them and their shipping is reasonable if you were to buy at least 6 of the canisters. $5.77/ea. If you order say 10 of them, shipping is only $12. If you buy 1 shipping is $10.

Ok, I thought maybe it's an in-store item only, and I've not had time to get to the store.

I'll stick em on the wishlist at WS. Thanks all the same!