</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have experience with MIG which is fairly straight forward.)</font>
If you're a pusher, you push your puddle and work it instead of pulling it or dragging it I have another option.
Lincoln makes a rod called 5P+. Their regular pipeline E6010 is a red colored flux rod called 5P. The 5P+ is a grey flux rod. It's also an E6010 rod but it's not the same. They act a lot different.
For me the red rod cuts hard like a regular any brand E6011. I find they cut more than they fill. And working the puddle isn't as easy as I find with the 5P+. 7018 and 6013 are what I call runny rods. You're getting more material into the weld than you're cutting. So it's less about working the puddle and more about directing it.
A case in point. Vertical welds I like to up. I can do them down but I'm more comfortable with the joint's strength and construction. Sometimes I've used 6013 because it leaves such a pretty bead when it's done properly. I don't have the skill to do 6013 up. Barely have the skill to do 7018 up and have it look good.
An old weldor told me how to do 6013 down. He said to crank up the machine fifteen amps more than I thought appropriate. Start the arc, turn my head, and drop my hand. It works. You can do 6013 down and if you're hot enough and move fast enough the flux won't have time to get into the bead.
With 5P+ I find that I'm cutting just right and also getting in just the right amount of filler to have a comfortable puddle to work with. I think if you have mig experience you can relate to what I'm saying. There's this point where the heat and the wire speed are just right. For me the 5P+ has the wire speed adjusted just right if I have my heat right on.
The other thing that's nice about 5P+ is it cleans up easy. I use knot brushes on small angle grinders. I usually have three angle grinders at any welding situation, shop or truck etc. One with the knot brush, another with a grinding disc, and the last one with a Tiger disc or generic replacement.
My father taught me to weld using 6011 on sixteen gauge galvanized fence tubing making gates. If you're seeing a puddle you're a milisecond late and you already have a hole, big hole. But I learned to work the puddle.
We'd bought a small gas drive (portable welder) and I was doing some work on a ranch in trade for feed for a calf. One day one ton showed up with a flat bed all framed out but not decked.
Naturally I walked over and inspected the welds. They were like rows of dimes. I was totally blown away. I didn't know how anyone could have that kind of control. I knew what I wanted to learn how to do.
Some time later I decided to take a gravy course while using up my VA education benefits. I first took a gas welding class. I loved it. In fact if it's possible I believe everyone should first learn gas welding. That way no matter what kind of welding you do you know what's basically happening.
Then I took the arc welding class. First night the instructor gathers us around. He lays down two prepared coupons (pieces to practice with) and explains what he's going to do with the 6013 rod. We flip down our hoods and he does it. Then he taps the coupon with the hammer and the flux falls off. It's like a row of dimes.
"That cheatin' SOB" came out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
BTW I have two migs and and two stick machines, one is a gas drive. It stick two inches of weld for every quarter inch of mig.
