welding rods

[gerard]

I'm taking a boces welding class and just bought a Lincoln ac235 stickwelder for "farm" welding. Does anyone have any advice on good rod types to have on hand for this type mild steel welding maybe up to 3/8 inch max, usually less? I've run different types rod's in class and was thinking some 6013 for penetration and either 7014 or 7018 as a finish weld. Also I assume I have to get different thickness's depending on what I'm welding. Any generic advice/real life experience appreciated to a novice welder! (Yes, I wanted a mig but just couldn't justify the cost!!)

[bgott]

E6013 is a medium penetration rod. It's good for sheet metal and other light metals. The best all around rod to have is E6011. You can do just about anything with it and you don't have to worry about the flux absorbing moisture like E7018.

[wichiwichi]

The 6013 is not a deep penatration rod. For that you would need to go to a 6011. The 7014 is a good all purpose rod, not quite the penatration of the 6011 but much easier to weld with.Also higher tensile strength on the 7014.

[TonyC]

As a novice welder myself I also recommend the 6011 rod. It is a good all purpose rod and is much easier than the 6013 or the 70XX rods, especially when you're just learning. Be careful, be safe!

[RJohnson]

gerard

I always liked the E6013 electrodes as it gave a much prettier bead appearance than E6011. But the other fellows are right it is a much better rod of penetrant of groove welds. If you are just welding fillet welds and don't need the penetration E6013 would be fine. It would not hurt to have some of each on hanc as you will probably find a use for all of them at one time or another.
One thing I would be careful of though and that is making sure that what you are welding is mild steel. A lot of farm implements are low allow steels and may require more than just a good general purpose type of electrode and if you run into cast iron, go get help[img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img]. They are extremely hard to weld. Good luck with your new welder and hope you have many happy hours of rod burning.

Randy

[wichiwichi]

The 6011 is a good all purpose and probably the cheapest, but for ease of welding and fewer stick problems, especially for beginers you can't beat the 6013 or 7014.

[gerard]

Thanx for the input - gives me a better idea on what to put on my shpping list when stocking my "inventory"!!

[Redfisher]

I use the 7014 almost 90% of the time(maybe because my welder's lowest setting is 90 amps,makes for tricky welding on anything under 1/4 1nch.[img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img]