Types of Different Welding Rods
Welding in the field
Welding We lding rods, or electrodes, are used in the stick welding process and will not be found in MIG, flux-core, TIG or any other welding application. They are a long, skinny steel rod with a flux coating. They are placed into the positive !" cla#p of the welding #achine and an d are used to weld with. The negative neg ative -" cla#p gets attached to the #etal being welded. 6010
This rod or electrode provides deep penetration of the #etal, while at the sa#e
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ti#e providing #ini#u# spatter, or debris. This electrode is used #ostly in heavy applications such as structural steel or far# e$uip#ent. The welder #ust be set on %& direct current" to weld with this rod. 6011
The '()) rod works well on dirty, rusty, rusty, or painted surfaces and is a favorite of
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pipe welders in the field. It is also a heavy-duty electrode and can be used in the sa#e fashion as '()( rod. *ike '()(, it has deep penetrating $ualities and low spatter but can run on either e ither +& +& alternating current" or %& #achines. 6013LV
This particular electrode provides #uch less penetration and works great on light
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#aterials such as sheet #etal. It can also be welded using either +& or %& settings and is very co#patible with low-power hobby welders. ot intended for structural or heavy steel. 7014 ©Mesbah Ul Musfq Dreame eamerrs Co Corpor poratio tion Ban Bang glade lades sh
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The () electrode is powder-coated to provide a flatter weld, which can be
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useful on ill-fitting /oints or other /obs that cannot be ground down afterward. The () can provide faster welding speeds and is very easy to strike an arc on. This rod is an +& or %& application. 7018
This electrode is the #ost co##only used rod by welders today. It produces a
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high $uality weld in #ild steel applications and works very well out in the field. This type of rod cannot be welded with when wet and #ust be kept in a rod oven to reduce #oisture when not being used. This %& welding rod is the choice of #any beginners as well. 7018AC o
This rod has all the sa#e weld $ualities that can be found in the ()0 rod but is intended for +& welders. It is easy to use and starts with a nice arc. This rod can be welded in all positions as well.
Welding Rods: Common Tpes and Usages
Note tht the first ! digits on "elding rods indi#te the tensile strength in 12I Ti#es )(((". The next digit expresses the welding positions", 3 the last digit is the type of flux coating. $elo" yo%&ll see 'rio%s #o((on types of "elding rods ) other infor(tion* R+D,T-./,TR/NT2,/,C+/NT,AC25N/ /TT5N*
)" Al%(in%( 4043* co##on alu#inu# rod 4 56,((( 12I 4 for all weldable alu#inu# 4 use a short arc, rod near vertical 4 )407 8(-)( +M12 5" 6011* #ild steel 4 '(,((( 12I 4 for #ild steels 4 all position, deep penetration, plus cutting 4 )407 0(-)9( +M12 9" 6013 " 7018 6" 70!4 '" tinless 308 $elo" re pi#t%res of the o'e stted rod types &olors #ay vary depending on #anufacturer, age, 3 condition. ©Mesbah Ul Musfq Dreamers Corporation Bangladesh
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These are all fairly new rods. -o% need to eep yo%r rods o%t of the "ether ) h%(idity :eep as war# 3 dry as practical for your situation. Then they will last longer 3 perfor# better.
Ao'e re ele#trodes in this order 9top to otto(:* )" 2tainless 9(0;s 5" (5 &arbon
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for the big 7hog7 teeth which chews up large chucks of scrap wood in the saw#ills.
> The cutting edge is built up first, then hard surfaced, 3 then weighed to help with balancing. 4 D5;;/R/NT T-./ +; W/LD5N R+D /<.LA5N/D Welding rods, or welding electrodes, are #etal rods that #elt and beco#e part of the strong bond that holds #etal together. They co#e in a wide variety of si?es and #etals. The #etal is surrounded by 7flux,7 which prevents oxidation of the #etal being welded. &hoosing the right kind for your /ob is very i#portant because the wrong kind can weaken the weld.
The first two digits of the welding rod nu#ber indicate the strength of the weld. Multiply the '( in '()(, for instance, to get '(,((( pounds of pulling force. 6010
This is a very co##on type of welding rod. It is used for far# e$uip#ent, piping, wrought iron, and #any kinds of general #aintenance. The rod #ust be run on welders that use %irect &urrent %&". 7018
This is a very versatile type of welding rod and is a little easier to use than '()(. It;s a lowhydrogen rod and #oisture can;t be allowed to get into the flux. + 7rod oven7 should be used to store ()0 at 56( degrees. 308L AC/DC
This rod is used to weld stainless steel and is resistant to cracks and corrosion. It also works well in all welding positions. 24 AC/DC
This rod is used to /oin two different kinds of #etal and works in all positions. Types of Welding Rods
Welding rods are used during the #elding pro$ess to add material into the #eld %one& 'n some tpes o( ar$ #elding) the #elding rod is also the ele$trode& The #elding rod generall $onsists o( the same material the #or* pie$e is made o() along #ith +u, to assist #ith the #elding pro$ess& Welding rods are generall held b an ele$trode holder that insulates the #elder (rom ©Mesbah Ul Musfq Dreamers Corporation Bangladesh
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the ele$tri$ $urrent& .utomated #elding sstems use a #ire) #hi$h is a thin) $ontinuous #elding rod
Welding /le$trodes •
In #ost types of arc welding, the welding rod also acts as the electrode to guide the electric arc to the weld location. The +#erican Welding 2ociety +W2" uses the 7<7 prefix in welding rod classifications to label welding rods that can be used for arc welding. @or arc welding #ethods that do not use a shielding gas, welding rods with a flux co ating are used. The flux vapori?es at the tip of the welding rod, creating a gas that pushes the air away fro# the weld, resulting in a clean weld.
0teel Welding Rods •
The #ost widely welded #aterial is steel, and welding rods are available in #any different steel alloys to #eet the needs of any particular application. &o ##on types of steel welding rods are #ild steel, low alloy steel and stainless steel. 2teel welding rods are available with or without flux coatings.
.luminum Welding Rods •
+lu#inu# welding rods are used for welding alu#inu# pa rts together, and are particularly suited for welding dissi#ilar alu#inu# alloys together. +lu#inu# welding rods can be used with standard arc welding e$uip#ent, #etal inert gas MIG" e$uip#ent and tungsten inert gas TIG" e$uip#ent.
Bron%e Welding Rods •
Aron?e welding rods are used for bra?ing applications, /oining copper to other #etals, and repairing bron?e and brass parts. Ara?ing using bron?e welding rods offers increased resistance to salt water corrosion.
Composite Welding Rods •
+dvances in welding technology have led to the creation of co#posite welding rods. These rods consist of two or #ore layers of #aterial whose co#bination results in a stronger, higher $uality weld. @lux core welding rods have the flux located in the center of the welding ©Mesbah Ul Musfq Dreamers Corporation Bangladesh
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rod. This allows flux #aterials to be used that #ay wear off if they were deposited on the outside of the rod. Metal-cored welding rods have a #ild-steel outer layer and are filled with a cu sto# #ix of #etal powders to #eet the exact alloy needs for an application.
2o# to 0ele$t Rods (or .r$ Welding
The BoiceC Dey, :evin. What are you looking atE :evin &aronC These are welding rods for an arc welder. I had a $uestion the other day fro# one of #y FouTube video subscribers. De;s a new welder, teaching hi#self how to weld, /ust like #e.
Dis $uestion was, 7Dow do you know which rod to useE Which rod do you use for general purpose welding which rod for a special /obE7 I thought that was a great idea for one of #y how-to videos. *et;s talk about rod a little bit. I have here three different kinds of rod. This one is a '()). The '-( #eans '(,((( pounds worth of tensile strength. 2o, '(,((( pounds before that weld breaks. The ), the first ), #eans it;s good for all positionsC flat, vertical, overhead. If it was a 5, a '(5), that would #ean it;s good for flat or hori?ontal. If it was a 9, that would #ean it was only good for flat welding. The last nu#ber, the second ), stands for what kind of coating it is. I;ll talk about that a little bit later. Dere;s a '()9. What;s the difference between the '()) and '()9E It;s the type of coating that;s the only difference. This is a ()0, so instead of a '(,(((-pound rod, this is a (,(((-pound rod before the weld breaks. The )C It;s still good for flat, verticals, overheads, hori?ontals. This one is #arked +&, so it;s strictly for +& welding rather than +&4%& or %& welding. +s you can see, there are #any variations out there regarding how you can use the rod, which rod to use for which type of welding, and for which type of welding #achine. It gets confusing after awhile E that;s why they have books on it. *et;s fire up the welder. I;ll run the# all on the sa#e setting on this little *incoln bu??box I use here in #y studio, so you can see the difference between the rods and their respective welds. We;ll use the sa#e piece of #etal, sa#e settings - the only difference is the rod itself. Aut first ©Mesbah Ul Musfq Dreamers Corporation Bangladesh
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weEll #ark the #etal. We;ll call this one '()) this one '()9, and this one ()0. Dere;s the little *incoln welder. It;s an +&-556 a#p, and I;ve got it set on )(6 a#ps. I;# not going to change that I;# only going to change the rod. 2o, let;s fire it up. Get your hel#et on, and we;ll #ake so#e sparks. @irst up will be the '()). ow let;s try a little of that '()9. @inally, let;s try so#e of that ()0 and see what we get with that. *et #e chip the slag off real $uick. ow you can see the difference between the welds. This is the '()). ot really pretty. It was actually a little over a#perage, I think. If I could have, I wouldEve turned it down to )(( a#ps, or 86 a#ps. The '()9C That;s a nice-looking weld. It shows lots of penetration ca#e out nice and clean. *et;s go back over to the '()) for a second. &an you see all the burnE otice how dusty and dirty it is. There;s lots of splatter around. Dowever, with the '()9, the weld is nice and clean not a lot of splatter. The ()0 looks even better. The difference between the three rods is the '()) and the '()9 are eighth-inch. The ()0 is the next si?e up, itEs three-thirty-seconds. It;s a little bit bigger rod, so it can handle the higher a#perage. ice, clean-looking weld. Fou can find out all this infor#ation online. Hust Google 7what welding rod do I useE7 Fou can get lots of infor#ation there, so you can better pick the rod you want. Dope that answers your $uestion. 2ee you next ti#e
Tpes o( Welding Rods %epending on what kind of welding operation which you will perfor# is necessary to use electrodes to, which are usually referred to as welding rodsJ. +rc welding electrodes are identified using the +.W.2, +#erican Welding 2ociety" nu#bering syste# and are #ade in si?es fro# )4)' to 64)'. +n exa#ple would be a welding rod id entified as a )40K <'()) electrode. •
6010 "elding rod is #ainly used for all welding positions, works on all types of steel and you can use it in al#ost any conditions with %& current. %eep welding penetration with high spatter while welds are #ade.
•
6011 "elding rod is related to '()(, with sa#e characteristics but this one can be used with both +& and %& current.
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•
6013 "elding rod is a #ediu# penetrating electrode with the sa#e characteristics like '()( and '()) but works with +& or %& current. ItLs #ainly used for general tasks such as vehicles, ship building and repair, sheet #etal.
•
7018 "elding rod can be used with both +& and %& current, low hydrogen, low penetration and in all positions. The low #oisture co#position of this welding rod reduces the introduction of hydrogen into the weld. If electrode is not kept dry and is exposed to hu#id air wonLt work.
•
70!4 "elding rod is #ade for flat and hori?ontal positions it #akes the #olten #etal to solidify slowly. ItLs a great way for beginners to learn welding on +& #achine using this rod. 2o" to .i# the Right Welding Rod
+ welding rod or filler #etal helps to fuse or weld two #etals. Welding rods are available in different types, and they are used for different purposes. &hoosing the right welding rod is the #a/or factor in deter#ining the success of a weld and the strength of the /oint. @our types of rods are covered rods, tubular rods, bare welding electrodes and welding fluxes. &hoosing the wrong rod will produce a weld that is too hard, too soft, brittle or easily torn. The +#erican Welding 2ociety gives each rod a four- or five-digit nu#ber to guide the process of choosing the right rod. tep 1*
%eter#ine the type of welding that will be done. The four #ain types of welding are #etal arc welding, flux-cored arc welding, gas #etal arc welding and sub#erged arc welding.
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Fillers perform as electrodes in arc welding applications
tep !*
&onsider the type of #etal to be welded.
Rods made of multiple materials are called combination or composite rods.
tep 3*
&heck the tensile strength of the rod. The tensile strength is the strength the rod will add to #etal. It is very i#portant to know the strength when choosing the right welding rod. To check a rod3(98s tensile strength, look at its first three digits. The higher the nu#ber is, the stronger the rod.
Welding rods range fro# a tensile strength of ,()0 to ))),((( lb.
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tep 4*
Berify the welding position. The welding position is the position in which the weld will be perfor#ed. &hoose an 7all position7 rod. It can perfor# flat, vertical, hori?ontal and overhead positions. *ook on the packing box for the rod to check the rod3(98s si?e, the te#perature to use and the thickness of the #aterial to ensure it is the right rod to use.
The American Welding Society standard determines welding position for the rod .
tep =*
&hoose the right rod to perfor# speciali?ed welds. 2elect a carbon rod when welding steel or iron. The right rod for welding cast iron is a high-nickel rod. &hoose a Nadnor rod to weld #etals with a crystalline core. The right rod to choose for welding brass is a rod with flux coating. &hoose Inkontel, a rod #ade of iron and nickel, when welding cast iron.
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Flux coatings often cover steel welding rods. (Technical weld image by renton W !ooper f rom
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