Rods to have on hand... which ones?

[redbeard]

7018/6011 1/8th or 3/32 whichever you prefer. get off of the lo hi degradation from moisture rant. it's not about to make any difference to anyone here. i've used stuff, as recently as this week that was several years old without issue and no, it was not AC rod.

pick up five pounds and keep it in the mfg's container. that's what i keep on the truck. my lincoln rods come in rectangular plastic containers.

Not sure what it is about my post that you consider a rant , since people have expressed concerns over moisture, I was just stating the rod that I had good luck with and the conditions I stored it under. I kept mine in the mfg's container too, it was a cardboard box. I could pick up a half stick that I left hanging in the stinger for a month, flip the switch and go with no issues. Wish I could say the same for the Hobart 7018 I have now; half a stick left out overnight and the flux practically falls off when you touch it, so my own personal experience suggests that there is a difference. Not all 7018s are created equal.

[everlastsupport]

I get people that will have, for example, a MIG welding glove stuffed full of rods they will hand me after a welding project. They bought them, could not weld (returned the lincoln hahaha and stuck with the gloves and rods). They figured pass them to us. Stick is not a major thing here unless we are teaching.

We use them as is for the kids to learn. If you are a good stick welder, you will fine open box rod generally will work just fine. Have a friend with an open pole barn in humid Florida and cases of 6013. They look like 50 years old. We use them.

I keep mine in the orange containers myself. There is a difference, but nothing that major if you do a lot of stick welding.

Also, was at HF today. They had them, the MMA ER holders on sale for $4.99 each. Same price I paid at atlweldingsupply.

[fdcmiami]

Not sure what it is about my post that you consider a rant , since people have expressed concerns over moisture, I was just stating the rod that I had good luck with and the conditions I stored it under. I kept mine in the mfg's container too, it was a cardboard box. I could pick up a half stick that I left hanging in the stinger for a month, flip the switch and go with no issues. Wish I could say the same for the Hobart 7018 I have now; half a stick left out overnight and the flux practically falls off when you touch it, so my own personal experience suggests that there is a difference. Not all 7018s are created equal.

your post was the one that i agreed with. no need for over the top precautions with 7018, it holds up fine out of the box. sorry you misunderstood.

[undercut]

I figure I'll store my 7018s in the original tin but either near the furnace during the winter or near the pilot light of the water heater during the summer. I'll bake them before use. Not doing anything critical but it's a good habit thing for me and I won't know how long it will be before I use the whole lot up.

I was thinking about getting a toaster oven that could double as a powder coat oven. Not sure if I want to go that way as most stuff I'd want to powder coat would probably be a lot bigger!

[redbeard]

your post was the one that i agreed with. no need for over the top precautions with 7018, it holds up fine out of the box. sorry you misunderstood.

Simple misunderstanding, no worries.

I figure I'll store my 7018s in the original tin but either near the furnace during the winter or near the pilot light of the water heater during the summer. I'll bake them before use. Not doing anything critical but it's a good habit thing for me and I won't know how long it will be before I use the whole lot up.

I was thinking about getting a toaster oven that could double as a powder coat oven. Not sure if I want to go that way as most stuff I'd want to powder coat would probably be a lot bigger!

Either that or make it kiln that the wife can do stuff with too. Extra brownie points galore!

[EchoSixMike]

FWIW, the Lincoln 7018 that Home Depot sells held up really well for several years and I didn't take care of it at all. It is probably the AC variety (don't have the box anymore) and I do live in dry country, so YMMV.

A couple pounds of hardfacing rod is quite handy to have on hand too, just in case you need to slap a wear surface on something.

Good call on the hardfacing. Higher end (316) SS rods can sometimes do an acceptable job, with their high chrome and nickel content. S/F....Ken M

[Trip59]

Either that or make it kiln that the wife can do stuff with too. Extra brownie points galore!

She's got a kiln... nice large one, 18x24 octagon with a kiln-sitter. Costs too much to use as a rod oven

Might think about a small one for glass annealing though, been wanting one for a few years.

[Scotty1]

Pick up an Old Fridge and put in a 60 Watt light bulb
Keeps the humidity out
I use the same setup to dry Cupels before Conditioning Firing (Takes 3-4 weeks from wet to dry) otherwise they explode @ 600'C

[cbmkr]

For the stick, Some 6011 is good to have for general welding, 7018 is great for high strength steels,( you can move up in strength 8018 9018 10018 ect) might keep some Nickle rod for cast repair. 3/32" rod size for 12 ga steel or less, 1/8" for 10 ga and sizes larger.

If you plan on doing any hard surfacing there are a variety of products out there also.

For mig 030 and 035 ER70S2 will do just about anything you need, 023 is good if you plan on doing thin auto body sheet metal also

For Tig i now keep 1/16", 3/32" ,309L ,316L Stainless, 4043 1/16", 3/32" and 5356 3/32" for Aluminum , 3/32 bare silicon bronze, ER70S2 1/16" 3/32" for steel

For Storage you can keep it in containers if you are in a high humidity climate , you could store it in and old fridge or cabinet with a small light bulb. If not try to keep it on a bench off the floor that will help it last also.

You can send me a PM i think we have some extra 10 pound boxes of 308L 309L 316L 3/32 stainless tig rod, might also have some stick available.

[Trip59]

The Hobart MIG I have will run 023, it's what I normally have loaded, I also have some 030 on hand, but it's only a 125 so the 035 hasn't really found a place.

I have 1/16 and 3/32 ER70S2 (or was it 6... it's early) for the TIG, plan on picking up the same in 308L, 309L and 316L for sure, as well as 4043 and 5356.

Picked up a 10lb of 6013 or 6014 last week for a job, I'd rather the 7018 but no oven yet.