6011 vs 6013, Look of the weld...

[Big Wave D]

I'm not an accomplished welder. Things hold but don't look very pretty.

On that note, I was working on a small project I've been meaning to get at for quite a while, a 2" reese unit for my 3pt hitch on my tractors. I've seen a lot of neat units on here and thought I'd finally craft my own.

Here's my questions:

1) I know that 6011 is touted for penetration, but where does 6013 stand? Is it almost as good, equal, or not even close?

2) When I use 6011, it fights me the whole time. I try and adjust the amperage on my tombstone but it seems to go from to cold/hard to start to spitting fire and to hot. When I am able to strike an arc and work on a bead, it's lumpy and plain ugly. It doesn't have a nice scallop to it at all. What's the 'secret' to getting a nice bead? Yes, I know practice, practice, practice, but I'd like to practicing something that is moving in a positive direction and not ingraining bad habits.

3) For general fabrication work on standard thickness of materials, do you tend to use 3/32" or 1/8" rod?


I had some 6013 rod and decided to give it a try. It was a night and day difference. Bead was beautiful, for me; arc was easy to strike and control. I was able to build up where I wanted to lay down multiple passes and everything looks nice and well mixed. 6011 always makes my multi passes look like individual passes lying next to each other.

I was just wondering if other people were experiencing the same thing.

Thanks to all who are willing to pass along some of their learned knowledge.

 

[RPW]

I use 6013 and 7018 for the majority of my stick welding. One thing I recently learned from an old welder buddy of mine. On your welder if you have multiple ranges select the highest range (highest voltage) then adjust your amperage to the desired level. This makes stricking the arc easier. But to your question on welding your application. For the receiver hitch on your tractor 6013 will work fine. If you were do this for your truck I'd go with the 7018.

Good luck.

 

[cdaigle430]

The 6013 is more expensive than the 6011, it will give you a better looking finish. It produces medium penetration and can be used with both AC and DC. Both rods have the same tensile strength 60,000 psi and both rods are for any position. I like to use the 6013 for over head and horizontal welds when I don't have a 7018 rod-70,000 psi...I consider the 7018 rod the "monkey rod" because it's very easy to get a great looking bead from it. The 7018 is more expensive and the metal must be clean and the electrode must be kept dry. All of these electrodes are considered for medium penetration which is perfect for what you need it for.

 

[k0ua]

Well I am a long way from an expert welder, but I will answer your post.
6013 is a low penetrator, all position rod, That strikes easy, runs pretty smooth and restrikes easy. The low penetration can be a big advantage when welding thin materials. 6011 is a deep penetrator. Yes the 6013 for most people runs easier. I only use it for sheet metal. I only use 6011 for root passes on thick material. the rod size choice determines the amp ranges you will use. Example on 6011 the ranges for 3/32 would be from 40 to 85 amps. obviously use the lower range for thinner material and the higher end of the range for thicker materiel, also each welder machine runs differently. 1/8 inch 6011 would be in the range of 75 to 125 amps.
I use 6013 in the 1/16 size for sheet metal, the listed range is 20 to 45 amps. I use about 28 amps for most of the thin stuff.. much less and striking an arc becomes difficult. As for thickness of metals I use both 3/32 and 1/8 depending on how thick the material is and the heat range I need to use. Again the amp range and the rod are tied together.. Now to my favorite rod, it is 7018. Yes it has some drawbacks, but is sure makes pretty welds. Does not strike the first arc as easy as 6013, and restrike is dowright hard unless you bust the "corn" off of the tip of the rod. use a rough file, (just rub it across the file once) or you can peck it off by striking a brick, or I just "pinch" it off sometimes. Hold a tight arc and dont move too fast, and you will have good results. Others like 7014 as a good easy rod to run, you can actually "drag" it on the base metal without sticking after the arc is struck. Restrikes are a little easier than 7018 also. I dont think the bead looks as good, but that may just be me. Again take all this with a grain of salt as I would not make a pimple on a good welders..

Anyway, there are welding professionals on here, and if nothing else my reply will give your post a bump up and perhaps some of them will see and respond to you. Happy welding.

James K0UA

 

[Big Wave D]

I know a lot of people sing the praises of 7018, but it's major drawback to me is the whole 'keeping dry' issue. I don't have a professional oven and judging from other posts I've read, using an old toaster oven doesn't count either. :laughing:

Does 7014 have the same issue of attracting moisture into the flux jacket and then not being usable like 7018? For that matter, does a bit of moisture even matter for farm welding? I realize it wouldn't pass inspection on the Alaskan Pipeline, but I'm not going for x-ray quality welds either.

I have a small, unopened 1lb package of 7018. I'm kind of interested in trying it out on something now.

Thanks one and all for your tips and advice. The folder on my computer for tips and tricks keeps growing "fatter" in size with all the valuable advice on this website.

 

[LD1]

I have never had much lick running 7018 on an AC machine. Even the 7018AC rod doesnt work well for me.

The 6013 you have should be just fine for 99% of home-hobbiest projects. I have welded MANY things with 6013 and never had any failures related to rod choice.

That said, give the 7014 rod a try. I think you'll like it. Honestly, I cant tell much difference in the way 6013 and 7014 run. If you just handed me either rod and didnt tell em which it was, I could probabally not tell the difference. But I perfer the 7014 rod becasue it does penetrate a tad better than the 6013 and since it is a 70-series rod, it has a 10000psi more tensil strength. But that is mostly irrelevant since most of the mild steel that most of us mess with is only 36000psi steel or less.

And I perfer 1/8" rod for most work. If I am working with steel under 1/8" thick, then I grab some 3/32. And for material over 3/8, I perfer the 5/32. But 1/8" rod is mainly what I use.

 

[Big Wave D]

LD1,

I think I am going get some 7014 and give it a shot. I was just stunned how radically different my welds looked between 6011 and 6013 were.

I have some more projects to get after. So I think I'll do a little comparing and then buy a larger container of whichever I can do better with. I can always keep some smaller container sizes of some of the other electrodes around for special situations.

Thanks for the feed back.

 

[Shield Arc]

I try and adjust the amperage on my tombstone but it seems to go from to cold/hard to start to spitting fire and to hot.

You got some really good advice so far, but you need to get to the bottom of this! Something is wrong, either with your machine, leads, ground clamp, or electrode holder. You'll never be able to make satisfactory welds with this happening!

 

[cowski]

you need to learn to run 6011 1/8 rods. these are the most useful.i buy these in 50 pound boxes.save 6013 3/32 for sheet metal.buy 7018 1/8 in 2 or 5 pound boxes as needed,put the left overs in a plastic rod box.that will keep them a while.i also use nickle rods some time,usually 1/8. get a rod amperage chart and tape it to the welder.this gives you a good starting point.if i had only one rod for the farm it would be 6011.

 

[Big Wave D]

Like anything, there are premium rods on down to junk rods.

So if Hobart or Lincoln is the good stuff, and I'm sure that can get an argument as to which is better or some other premium brand, what are some cellar dwellers to stay away from?

I'd like to buy better rods but not go to the poor house, so to speak. Does Tractor Supply Company or any other type ag stores carry brands that are of good quality?

I know that spool welders seem pretty particular about using quality wire. I just wondered if stick welders are as greatly affected by lower quality rods? I'm sure that low dollar rods could affect the strength of the actual weld, but does it also affect the ease of use and aesthetics of the weld?