Stick Welding, Does Anyone Stick Weld Anymore?

Does anyone stick weld anymore?

I’ve gotten numerous calls from potential novice customers seeking out the best welding process for their needs. Most of the time they are trying to decide between a MIG or TIG welder. My philosophy is to try to match the customer up with what he needs based off the type work that he or she will be mostly doing. More often than not, the customer is thinking too narrowly and forgetting about the long term cost of cylinder rent, gas cost, tungsten cost and other miscellaneous costs related to the upkeep of the process. I’ll often suggest to the customer that they consider one of the welders from our PowerArc line of stick welders and get a range of comments that goes somewhat like “ I thought that stick welders were kind of a crude way of welding and never thought about it. Isn’t it kind of dirty? Does anybody still stick weld.” Well, my answer is no, it is not crude and that some of the best and longest lasting welds ever made were made by “arc welding” with a stick welder. With the right rod it is relatively fast, especially when compared to TIG. Jet rods actually rival the speed which MIG welders can run and offer better penetration at the same time. There are no special tanks or gases to buy and maintain. And electrodes can be bought almost anywhere when needed. No, it’s not particularly dirty, though you do have some slag and a little smoke to deal with, but it is not intolerable. And no it is still used every day in the industry. It’s practical, very portable and easily stored away when not in use. For most people wanting to dip their toes into welding, it’s a perfect starter machine with capability to weld almost anything.

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