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What is best for you and your situation?  A 6010 rod?  A 6011 rod?  We’ve been dealing with a running list of pros and cons for both rod types.  Cellulose based flux, fast freezing rods are definitely not going anywhere anytime soon. The decision is difficult if you are the type of person who weighs out such a decision with intense scrutiny and thought.

The 6011 rod definitely has heart and soul.  It’s affectionately called by those who use it, a rust rod.  A rust rod it is.  Although generally not advised as a sound structural welding technique, the 6011 rod is quite suitable for most general purpose “rusty” welds found in farm shops all over the country or anyplace equipment has to be repaired in the field with little or no access to power.

Honestly, the 6011 rod is often maligned by the true professional.  But that is probably because they never have used one.  Many industry professionals are typically die-hard types that have little room to try or experiment with anything new or different in their lives.

As we discussed, the 6010 rod isn’t that user friendly.  On top of that there are several categories within the 6010 that make selecting the best rod (ie. 5P and 5P+ and even 5P++) for the job sometimes subjective and difficult.  However any 6010 rod will take practice.

If you know anything about stick welding (SMAW), then you know that there are as many welding rod types (also known as welding electrodes) as there are colors in the rainbow.  There are major categories, categories within categories, and even subcategories of welding rods at times.  And each manufacturer has their own spin and even designation for them. It is quite difficult for even an average professional to make the right choice of welding rods at times.  Sometimes there are two or more equally suited rods available.

One of the things that will cross your mind sooner or later is where to put your welder and where to connect it to a power source. One of the best solutions for a mount is a welding cart.

The welding cart provides mobility but gives the welder a semi-permanent home.  It affords the convenience of having a portable workspace by allowing the welder to be wheeled close to the work and cuts down on the necessary amount of leads and cables running from the welding machine to the work.

When your new “baby” arrives, fresh in its light green skin, there are a few things you need to know and have ready before you settle down with it. The first thing you should know above all is that the welder manual, which is found online.

If you are left “scratching” your head about the differences in the different start methods of TIG, you are not alone.  Many experienced users get the facts wrong when it comes to the 3 basic ways you can start a TIG arc.

If you have taken a look at the new units coming out from all companies in the last few years, then you know that the term “multi-process” seems to be the new buzz word in the welding industry.  Though multi process units have been around for literally decades, the practicalities of them were limited because of their large size and weight. They were really only an option for the large professional shop.  They’d sit in the corner on large casters until they were needed in which case someone would roll the giant welders out to where they were needed.

The largest change in welding technology in years was the introduction of the inverter as an accepted power source for welding in the 1980’s.  The technology blossomed as new applications in the welding industry for the inverters became common place. Once they became widely available and mainstream companies began to take them into the product line up, the welding technology and reliability rapidly improved.