Stick welding

[Bigj66]

I’m going to give stick welding a go for the first time today and, in preparation, I’ve been reading up on the topic and looking at various YT videos.

With respect to the amperage required for different thicknesses of rod, I read about a rule of thumb that for every 1mm of rod diameter you should use about 30amps current. Any stick welders that can confirm that or give me some similar guidance?

I bought two packs of E6013 rods 1.6mm and 2.5mm. My understanding is that the smaller rods can be use for things like chassis welding where the plate thickness is 2-3 mm and the thicker rods for things like engine mounts at 4-5 mm thick plate? I just want to check that this is correct before I have a practice.

[Stellaghost]

You can use that as a starting point however a part of it also comes down to how it works for you ( two stick welders may use different amperage for the same job ) also settings you would use on flat bench top stuff will need reducing for vertical and overhead welding  you can also buy multi positional rods that are excellent can even weld downhand with them regards Stephen 

[Bigj66]

9 minutes ago, Stellaghost said:

You can use that as a starting point however a part of it also comes down to how it works for you ( two stick welders may use different amperage for the same job ) also settings you would use on flat bench top stuff will need reducing for vertical and overhead welding  you can also buy multi positional rods that are excellent can even weld downhand with them regards Stephen 

Cheers Stephen

These E6013 rods are supposed to be for both horizontal and  vertical welding but I wasn’t aware of the need to reduce amperage so thanks for that tip. I’m going to have a play with my welder on my old crossmember and some scrap so 🤞Joe

[Stellaghost]

Apologies have not come across clearly enough yes the rods you have will do vertical and overhead but that's not what I meant by multi positional  the rods you have will not weld vertically downwards where as multi positional rods will they are slightly more expensive but easier to use for a novice no harm intended by that statement years ago when the company I work for went down a cross trading route we were all sent on basic welding courses stick only the instructor asked who was the worst welder the guy who stepped forward was given a rod and told to drag the rod downwards on the vertical instead of the traditionally upwards method the rest of us stood in amazement as the weld produced was as good as running a bead on the flat and all the slag peeled off in one go gobsmacked instructor explained that the rods were multi positional  that memory never left me regards Stephen 

[Bigj66]

2 minutes ago, Stellaghost said:

Apologies have not come across clearly enough yes the rods you have will do vertical and overhead but that's not what I meant by multi positional  the rods you have will not weld vertically downwards where as multi positional rods will they are slightly more expensive but easier to use for a novice no harm intended by that statement years ago when the company I work for went down a cross trading route we were all sent on basic welding courses stick only the instructor asked who was the worst welder the guy who stepped forward was given a rod and told to drag the rod downwards on the vertical instead of the traditionally upwards method the rest of us stood in amazement as the weld produced was as good as running a bead on the flat and all the slag peeled off in one go gobsmacked instructor explained that the rods were multi positional  that memory never left me regards Stephen 

Ah okay, I understand now. With these rods I should be able to weld upwards vertically but not downwards? I think I’ll order a pack of the multi directional ones as I think I’ll be needing them for some of the jobs I have to do. I’ll look around for a suitable rod number and post it up here before buying.

[Bigj66]

Hmmm...my first ever run. E6013 1.6mm rod @ 60 amps.

Unless I’m being asked to replicate bird s**t then I have some work to do🤦‍♂️

 I think my speed was too fast and electrode distance too far.

[Bigj66]

2.5mm E6013@ 140 amp. I think this is pretty self explanatory.

 

So I knocked the current down to 60 amp again and this looks a lot more promising.

 

The battery tray I’m practicing on is 2.5mm

[Bowie69]

Nice run #3.

Will need more heat when joining two bits, as there is more metal to get hot.

I used to use arc welding years ago, then migged for 20 years, went back to arc for a couple of things recently, couldn't believe how easy it was, at least on slightly thicker stuff like you are practicing on.

Keep going, you may need more rods ;)

[Bigj66]

2.5mm Rod @ 45 amps. The bead is higher but it’s getting harder to strike the arc at the lower current. I need to improve my finishing technique too as I think I’m hanging about for too long at the end of the run.

 

[Bigj66]

I see what Gazzar was saying about heat distortion 😳

[Bigj66]

2.5mm Rod @ 50amp.

Getting closer.

[Gazzar]

Yes, distortion is a real problem. Bracing is key, when starting off.

[Gazzar]

I never got on with stick, much prefer mig.

[Bigj66]

2 hours ago, Gazzar said:

I never got on with stick, much prefer mig.

I might borrow a mig and give that a go just to compare.

[Bigj66]

I watched a Weld.com video last night on YT and the chap was actually resting the stick on the metal as he welded. Apparently this is okay to do but I was struggling when I tried my first welding as I was trying to maintain a gap and move the stick all whilst the stick was getting shorter. If it’s okay to rest it on the metal then I might give it another go to see if that improves things as it would be handy to be able to at least do some decent tacks right now.

[Stellaghost]

Yes ok to rest stick on metal except when doing vertical or overhead regards Stephen