6011 vs 6013, Look of the weld...

[SPYDERLK]

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.

Im with you. The welds may not look or sound as good, but with 6011 on virtually any surface condition you have a good flow to both pieces. When you look under the slag you can often find a slag joint with 6013. Along with its lower penetration and stabile arc the 6013 tends to demand cleaner joints and better technique in order to get good weld puddle flow.
larry

 

[rankrank1]

.... 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....

Well this is totally wrong advice in many cases so you may want to seek advice from a different buddy. The proper answer is that it depends on the welder that you have and how Volts to Amp curves are set-up between the ranges for operator choosing the proper range with the easiest initial arc strikes. There may be some welders that have higher OCV in the high range, but there are also many welders that have higher OCV in low range. The higher the OCV the easier the initial arc strikes will be.

Take a look at these excepts from the Miller Thunderbolt manual for example (Miller Thunderbolt is probably the best selling welder of all time that incorporates range type settings. Lincoln Tombstones outsold the Miller Thunderbolts, but the Lincoln buzzboxes do not use ranges as they used a simple selector switch which inherently picks the best range within transformer automatically for you).

 

[SPYDERLK]

. :thumbsup: .
larry

 

[rankrank1]

For an AC tomstone (or even a DC capable tomstone), these 3 rods have always been my goto rods

6011 for deep penetration or for any metal that is dirty, rusty, or nasty. 6011 is very useful, but the technique to using it is different and a little more difficult than other rods.

6013 is more of a light to not quite a medium penetrator. It can produce welds of good appearance. Contrarily 6013 can be prone to wormholing too in some applications so I watch for that.

7014 is my favorite rod. It is a medium penetrator and burns beautifully on AC. Nearly the strength of 7018 on mild steels without all the storage hassles of 7018. Even better appearnace than 6013 and is even easier to use although it will like a few more amps than a comparable sized 6013 - but your tomstone easily has enough oomph to run 7014. 7014 is so easy to run that many people call it "idiot rod" as it will nearly weld itself.

Note: I do not use 7018 due to the storage hassles of it, but if you think you might be welding on something other than mild steel (e.g. alloy steel) then knowing how to use it would be worthwhile. 7018AC will run easier than comparable 7018 on a small buzzbox class of machine regardless of whether you are using AC or DC.

For selecting rod diameters:
a) Almost always use a rod diameter smaller than thickness of material what you are trying to weld and rarely will you use anything bigger than 1/8" diameter until you become a pretty good welder. For thick metal you may have to make mutliple passes.
b) As your thickness of metal decreases to less than 1/8 thick then 3/32" diameter becomes a common choice.
c) I like 5/64" diameter for thin stuff too, but it is not common to find it and when you do it will be more expensive than readily availble 3/32 plus it is only available in a few rod types like 6013 but 5/64 is still stiff enough to weld with rather easily as the rods are shorter.
d) 1/16" diameter is like trying to weld with a flimsy noodle. I usally cut the rods in half and use them that way as they are stiffer when shorter. I simply clean a small portion of the flux off to clamp in my stinger to use the cut-off piece. Very useful though if you do not have a wire feeder for thin stuff. 1/16 diameter is available is quite a few rod choices too.

Regardless welding metal thinner than 16 gauge with an arc welder is nearly impossible to all but the highly skilled (which I am not). Even 16 gauge takes a lot of skill. Of course if you have Mig/or wire feeder then use that on the thin stuff.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I have a two sheet protectors that I keep in the drawer with my welding rods. One has a rod selection guide chart, and the other has an amperage chart for different rods and different thicknesses of metal. I don't weld often enough to just remember it all, and getting the right rod, thickness, and amperage close to begin a project usually helps me dial it in pretty quickly.

amperage and polarity charts
welding rod selection guide

I personally find that 7014 and 6013 are the best rods for appearances. I use 6011 when there's a project that I think is critical for strength (i.e. my current trailer tongue project). I only use the 6011 because of what I've been told. I've never had a proper weld break that was done with 6013 or 7014, so I can't say in my personal experience how one makes a stronger weld than another. I have no reason to doubt others, though.

 

[cdaigle430]

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!

Just make sure your on the right setting for the rod your using and make sure the clamp is making good contact on the material your welding.

 

[LD1]

I only use the 6011 because of what I've been told. I've never had a proper weld break that was done with 6013 or 7014, so I can't say in my personal experience how one makes a stronger weld than another. I have no reason to doubt others, though.

This has been my experience too, and I think part of the problem is everyone believes 6011 is stronger just because that is what everyone is saying. Kinda like a fad.

It may indeed be stronger, but I have never had any issues with 6013 &7014, so why change what works?

 

[Shield Arc]

The majority of my welding experience has been with engine drives. Can't think of an engine drive I've ever run that this didn't apply. If you want high open circuit voltage which will give you easier arc starts and a wetter / buttery puddle, set the fine control knob, (right hand knob in picture) on the higher settings. If you want lower open circuit voltage for a drier / stiffer puddle set the fine control to a lower setting. Generally for vertical and over head you'll want a drier / stiffer puddle.

Right out of a Lincoln operator's manual.

 

[Big Wave D]

Well Shield Arc, now you've gone and done it. Here I was, dumb and happy with the free Lincoln AC-225 I'd been given for free. Now you have to show me that life gets MUCH better with 2 knobs.

There be no a di-alin' in with ye old tombstone, take it or leave it! :laughing::laughing:

It's accomplished anything I've needed so far, so I'll cut the old, and I mean old, gal some slack.

I did treat her to a new ground clamp, and electrode holder. I was surprised at how good the cables looked as far as their insulation being intact. Either the old girl had been treated to some new ones before I came to call her mine, or the previous owner(s) took very good care of them. The box itself is pretty faded with some surface rust/bubbles, but sound none the less.

The fan squalls a bit when turned on initially, then quiets down pretty good. I figure that is going to be what dies first. How much to replace? If anyone has done so.

 

[Big Wave D]

Oops, forgot to add.

Bought a small, trial size of 7014 for comparison this afternoon. Gonna have to find something to burn some rod on. Kind of interested to see, for me, if I can tell a difference or not, and what things look like when I'm done.

Good thing it's "idiot proof". :laughing::laughing: I'm sure I'll test that statement.