Hello all,
I discovered these 4043 stick rods at the local hardware store and decided to give them a try. It is beyond a doubt the weirdest stick rod ive ever ran but it seems to do a decent job and produces a sound looking weld. Setting the heat proved rather difficult because on an 1/8 inch plate it would start way too cold, then by the end of the bead (about 4 or 5 inches) it would be melting through with reckless abandon at 70 amps which is what the package recomended.
The other big question I have is are they all position or flat olny? Me and my buddy were able to run it up hill and produce welds that had decent parts, but we ran into the too cold to over heat problem even more so going up. I think that they are flat olny because the rod produces minimal smoke and a very fluid heavy slag covering, which almost completely covers the weld pool making it very hard to see whats going on.
The flux on the rod is white and when burned it produces a redish orange arc and that phosphorus/sulfur smell of matches burning and a thick off white glassy slag. Dad was saying that it might be calcium phosphate based on the color of the arc.
Anyone know about these rods and what they can/cant do?
Thanks and Merry Christmas to all
- Clif
Clif, There have been 2 other threads on these rods in the past year. Find them & read. Pretty much every one of us that has used them regards tham as a last resort.
They contain a flouride compound NOT like the Sn/Fl in your toothpaste, but more related to RAT POISON. If you've ever considered using a point of source smoke/fume extraction system, this (no yesterday when you tried it out) is the time to. If your stranded on a desert isle and need to repair the hull, OK. I have welded GTAW DC straight on aluminum with better results. But since it seems to "do a decent job and produces a sound looking weld" and you have a supply of rods on hand, my advice would be to take the broken sewerline/turdherder approach .... Don't breathe in and don't bite your fingernails!!!!!!!
Turdherder approach...., ROTFL I work once and a will at our local sewer plant or I quess you could say the turd ranch those boys are going to love that one. But more to point as dave has said those rods work but why bother with all the other choices it isn't worth it.
Ok, so I should break out the Adflow if I want to weld with them... good to know.
clif , you might use then with oxy,acet. just like brazing they work good for that sometimes they may work good with arc welding depends on what you need to do . we have used them since 1956 for some repairs that had to be done in field where no other means were available some of those welds are still being used . good luck . willie
In my limited aluminum experience I found it way easier to oxy-acetylene any broken aluminum stuff, it just seemed like it was ALOT easier to control heat input and puddle because it's a slower process and you're forming each ripple individually, just my 2 cents
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