Oh baby, where you been all my life?

[Shield Arc]

Always read about people using 7014, I've never even seen it much less use it. So I picked up some yesterday at the local welding supply, gave it a try this morning. OMG this stuff is child's play! Kind of an all position jet rod, (7024).
First two pictures are flat, the 3rd picture is vertical up. The camera doesn't do the vertical up justice, it looks better in person.

 

[Stampeder]

Been using 7014 on the old buzz box for 30 years and it works great.
I do use 6011 for root pass though.
I do a lot of pipe welding on my pipe fences (mostly changing over from wire fence and t-posts to pipe) so 7014 is really the cat's ***** for me, especially when I have to do overhead under the pipe.

Glenn.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I worked in a shop once where they used them all over and while the looked good, they were awful brittle welds. Once I saw my brother in law break off a 3/4 thick lug with 3 blows from a shop hammer. IT was welded with 2 passes of 1/8" rod all the way around and the weld was solid with no slag or porosity. The weld cracked right down the middle. We were working for a company that built wireline (electrical high line) stringing equipment with big wire reels on trailers.
Another thing I didnt like was that they would arc in the middle thru the flux, but this was 30 years ago, they may have changed since then. I will take my old reliable E7018 over them anyday. It may not be as pretty and shiny as the 7014 weld but it will be together when that shiny one is in pieces.

 

[Haywire]

Does this mean you respect my efforts less than you did a couple days ago? :laughing:

Ian

 

[Gizmo2]

Been using 7014 on the old buzz box for 30 years and it works great.
I do use 6011 for root pass though.
I do a lot of pipe welding on my pipe fences (mostly changing over from wire fence and t-posts to pipe) so 7014 is really the cat's ***** for me, especially when I have to do overhead under the pipe.

Glenn.

X2. The 7014 is my rod of choice for the past 35 years.

 

[rankrank1]

Yep, I am a 7014 user too. So easy to use that the flux even maintains the proper arc gap for you so it is a contact rod or "idiot rod" as most people call it. Much less prone to wormholing than 6013 is (wormholing is a nontechnical term for where you have weld on each piece being welded but hollow cavity forms inbetween the welds).

Works equally well on AC power sources or DC power sources. Nearly the strength of 7018 when used on mild steels without the rod oven storage hassles of 7018. If alloy steel then 7018 should be used, but I rarely work on exotic alloy steels.

Only downside to 7014 that I can think of is if you have an itty bitty welder (e.g. 115 volt welder limited to 80 amps or so max). 7014 requires more amps than 6013 will in the same rod size. No problem running 7014 with any 220 volt welder.

As for brittleness of 7014, I am not sure I agree with other posters claims of brittleness: I have an old Murex chart that rates mild steel electrodes from 1 to 10 (10 being best) on multiple different welding properties: I will see if I can figure out a way to scan the chart and post the entire thing, but here are the ductility numbers for some of the most common rods. also I added the Soundness category of weld (again 10 is best):

(Ductility 6010 = 6) (Soundness 6010 = 6)
(Ductility 6011 = 7) (Soundness 6011 = 6)
(Ductility 6012 = 4) (Soundness 6012 = 3)
(Ductility 6013 = 5) (Soundness 6013 = 5)
(Ductility 7014 = 6) (Soundness 7014 = 7)
(Ductility 7018 = 10) (Soundness 7018 = 9)
(Ductility 7024 = 5) (Soundness 7024 = 8)

Granted 7014 is not as ductile as 7018, but I did not expect it to be. It is certainly on par or better than most other common mild steel electrodes though and is even more sound too boot.

 

[Shield Arc]

I worked in a shop once where they used them all over and while the looked good, they were awful brittle welds. Once I saw my brother in law break off a 3/4 thick lug with 3 blows from a shop hammer. IT was welded with 2 passes of 1/8" rod all the way around and the weld was solid with no slag or porosity. The weld cracked right down the middle. We were working for a company that built wireline (electrical high line) stringing equipment with big wire reels on trailers.
Another thing I didnt like was that they would arc in the middle thru the flux, but this was 30 years ago, they may have changed since then. I will take my old reliable E7018 over them anyday. It may not be as pretty and shiny as the 7014 weld but it will be together when that shiny one is in pieces.

Gary it's funny you should bring this subject up. I had my concerns about the yield, so soon as I got home yesterday I looked up the specifications of 7014. Now I only have information on Lincoln products. Lincoln's Fleetweld 47 has a as welded yield point of 60,000. to 73,000. PSI. as where Lincoln's lowest rated 7018 has an as welded yield point of 60,000. to 77,000. PSI. Again the yield strength crossed my mind soon as I knocked the slag off the flat weld pictured. You know how you just get a gut feeling about a weld?
I know what, proof is in the pudding. I think tomorrow I'll cut the bevels on some plate and weld up some coupons, and bend them. I think I only have 1/2 inch plate, not sure my compact bender can bend 1/2 inch plate? May have to hook the tractor to the handle!:laughing:

Does this mean you respect my efforts less than you did a couple days ago? :laughing:

Ian

Well, a little bit. But seeing your welds, and knowing you're just starting out, really got me to thinking about this 7014.

 

[dstig1]

Come to the dark side! Buwahahahahaha! I seem to always come back to 7014 so far (at home). I have the best luck with it overall. But we never even saw it in class. I asked the teacher and said he doesn't see it much.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

7014 is a fab rod from way back before many shops had MIG, at least around here. I was taught on 7014, and all the farms around used it for its strength instead of 6013. It's iron powder flux makes welding a breeze. One day I was discussing why some people preferred to use 6011 for building things around the shop with my instructor. He was old school way back, and he said," If you ever get them to use 7014, they'll throw rocks at a 6011." I know that he has personally taught MOST of the owners of welding and fab shops in the southern part of the state, and about any one serious enough to get a little agricultural education in southern GA. Btw, this man was instrumental in the ntpa founding years by creating a wild Allis Chalmers simply known as "Cracker Jack". I think a number of 7014's were used on it from time to time. Here's a video of it updated and modernized to meet modern standards for competition. It had been allowed to "show off" at local events once it had been brought out of mothballs, but didn't have all the safety standards...now it does. (sorry for the side track but its a piece of history that I relate to) YouTube - ABAC Crackerjack Lives!!


I've used them considerably and never had any brittleness. Again things could be related to rod freshness and technique more than the rod itself.

 

[Shield Arc]

I've used them considerably and never had any brittleness. Again things could be related to rod freshness and technique more than the rod itself.

I bought Pinnacle brand. Like I said above, proof is in the pudding. We'll find out tomorrow. I've passed a few tests in my time. But I assure you if the coupons fail tomorrow, it will be the rods fault!

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