Best Practice Rod

[rutwad]

I don't know exactly what machine we have, but it is AC/DC. Not much help I know. I need to practice, practice, practice. What rod would you recommend? Welding a bead on flat metal for starters or start welding pieces together? Size rod? Size steel? Amperage? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Also, what will give a stronger weld, mig or arc?

So far I have learned one trick. If I'm lucky enough to get a weld to hold that looks horrible, run a bead of caulk down it with your finger, let dry, and paint.

 

[mikehaugen]

Also, what will give a stronger weld, mig or arc?

Well isn't that a loaded question :laughing:

The easiest rod to make a "pretty" bead is something like 6013 or 7024, but not necessarily the best to learn with. 6010 is a difficult rod to make a nice bead and you would actually learn more from practicing with it imho.

As far as diameter, I was once told to use a rod about half the thicness of the metal you are welding, but I am finding more and more that is not real accurate.

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

I don't know exactly what machine we have, but it is AC/DC. Not much help I know. I need to practice, practice, practice. What rod would you recommend? Welding a bead on flat metal for starters or start welding pieces together? Size rod? Size steel? Amperage? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Also, what will give a stronger weld, mig or arc?

So far I have learned one trick. If I'm lucky enough to get a weld to hold that looks horrible, run a bead of caulk down it with your finger, let dry, and paint.

7014 is a good rod, it's common and not expensive.
1/8" 7014 at 125-140 amps depending on how it runs on your machine (no two machines have a readout exactly the same).
It is generally run touching the plate so you don't have to worry about arc length.

Weld beads half overlapping on about a 1/4" piece of metal about 12" long or more.
That way you use up the rod and have to work on tie-ins when you restart to finish the bead.
This is the cheapest way to build muscle memory.

Your "trick" sucks honestly - you won't learn anything that way.
Grind it out and weld it again.
The reason no one ever sees me make a bad weld, is if I ever have a problem I stop, grind, and do it again.

One rule of thumb that works, never try to weld metal thinner than your rod.

 

[PILOON]

"One rule of thumb that works, never try to weld metal thinner than your rod."
That's a for sure!
But then I do it often but I do what I call a 'spot weld', i.e. zap-zap (or tap-tap) but that's never pretty but holds.

I vote for 6013, 3/32 or 1/8 and practice, practice 'til you get a nice bead. Respect the amperage range suggested by the manufacture. Bevel your edges .
Clean metal is a great help but 6013 does forgive if the surface is not perfect.
Sure other rods have higher PSI, harder and tougher but then are U pipeline welding? or making boilers? or simply repairing some piece of gear.
If you are hardfacing an excavator bucket that's another story.

 

[Arc weld]

Use 1/8" to learn. Get some 7014, 6010 and 7018. Make some soapstone lines to follow and try to make nice even width, straight beads, then learn to make a pad of weld on 6" wide plates but cool them off after a couple passes. 1/8" rods burn about 6" and take about a minute to burn. Practice welds are the ONLY time you want to put water on a hot weld. Start with 7014. Once you can run it decent, try 6010/6011 but use a slight back and forth motion while welding to dig a trench and then back up to let it fill. Finally try 7018. If you can get good with 7018, that's the go to rod when you want the most strength.

 

[LD1]

I second the 7014 rod. Good for about 99% of anything and average joe will ever need to weld. 7018 is difficult to learn and can discourage a beginner. And a good 7014 is better than a bad 7018.

As to what process is stronger...there is no answer as other variables ultimatally determine weld strength. There are many different types of rod an wire. Many different types of joints and techniques. For a skilled welder, if stick will hold it, so will mig and vice versa.

 

[gwdixon]

When I practice, whatever is lying around, out of boxes, in the "ends" bucket, or the last of a batch is used. But I'm a cheap SOB.

That way the different way the rods are run, the different amps, and different techniques can be noted.

A professional weldor friend of mine once told me that his instructor at school made the students arc weld with unshielded coat hanger wire. He said, "If you learn how to weld with that you'll be able to weld with anything." My friend can do it, me...not so much.

I've heard that welding flat plate (coupon) and getting a good looking weld is one of the hardest for the beginner. When starting out, welding a couple of flat bars in a "V" shape to make angle iron is the easiest. The puddle sits in the bottom of the V and the weld just moves along with ease. If 6011 is used, then getting a flat weld rather that a series of mounds is the first measure of progress.

 

[flusher]

7014 rod (1/8", DC+, 100-130 amps) is an easy rod to lay down a decent bead. It's a drag rod meaning that you angle the rod about 30 degrees off vertical and drag the edge of the rod toward you (don't try to push the rod away from you because you'll just mix the flux in with the puddle and get a poor weld).

7014 is a medium penetration rod that I use to cap weld beads made by deep penetrating rods like 6011. It's easy to strike an arc with 7014; a little harder with 6011, but practice, practice, practice until it becomes almost automatic.

Run some beads on flat stock. And then try butt welds. Bevel the edges with your 4-1/2 angle grinder (a welder's most useful tool other than the welder itself) prior to running the bead.

Get a good auto darkening helmet (mine is a $60 unit from Northern Tool). I also recommend an pneumatic needle scaler (mine is from Harbor Freight) for cleaning flux off the weld bead. I assume you have an air compressor in your shop. If not, get one.

Good luck.

 

[newbury]

Go to youtube. PLENTY of videos there for free with good pointers. Start with thick material. I ground the rust off a bunch of 1/2" thick angle iron I had for learning my first few beads a little over a month ago, w/ 1/8 6013 & 6011.

Write down your rod and amps and take pictures of your test welds.

My first patch job, a bush hog deck, I had to weld 10 gauge and used 1/16th 6013 at about 33 amps. Much more and I burned holes. And the ONLY 1/16 rod I could find in Tupelo at the time was Harbor Freight! The LWS, Airgas, was out of all 1/16.

I think my PA300 was a little overkill

 

[mikehaugen]

My first patch job, a bush hog deck, I had to weld 10 gauge and used 1/16th 6013 at about 33 amps. Much more and I burned holes. And the ONLY 1/16 rod I could find in Tupelo at the time was Harbor Freight! The LWS, Airgas, was out of all 1/16.

I think my PA300 was a little overkill

Sounds like a job for a 120v mig! :laughing: