Stick welder begginer question.

By DarknessEyes PT Date 01-11-2019 23:38 Edited 01-11-2019 23:40

First post here, hello Im a welder in Portugal at few years but i always welded with a gaz mig/mag.

But now i got an inverter 160a to do some stuff at home, never welded with stick rods and i need to weld galvanized mid-steel (going to use an angle grinder to remove the galvanized in weld spots before welding) with 1.5mm and 2.0mm (sorry about the mm)

Wich rod is the best? E6010, E6013?
And wich rod size? 2mm or 2.5mm?

Already asked in few stores about the rod E+numbers and they have no idea what im talking about, they seem to sort it by material and size only.

By 803056

Date 01-12-2019 22:47

6013 is easier to weld with, but is characterized as shallow penetration and can be used with AC.

6010 has deeper penetration than 6013, but can only be used with DC. 6011 is like 6010, but can be used with AC.

The 6013 produces less spatter than 6010 or 6011. 6013 also produces a "prettier" weld than 6010 or 6011.

Best regards - Al

By DarknessEyes PT Date 01-13-2019 12:45 Edited 01-13-2019 13:19

Ty, all i can find in shops here for mid steel is 6013 and a few also have 7018.
I buyed a bunch of 6013.

Now im having a few problems since im a noob at stick rods

When i weld in a flat surface the weld looks good but when i do it in a joint of a tube with a gap of 1 or 2 mm (cutting tube with angle grinder and some tubes have round corners) the arc keeps jumping from side to side and the beads stick to sides only.
If i weave i get a good looking weld until i remove scrap, once i remove it i get beads on both sides with a line of scrap in the middle.

By DarknessEyes PT Date 01-14-2019 18:34 Edited 01-14-2019 18:38

Btw im running around 40-50 amps.
The mid steel and the stick rod are 2mm (5/64 i think) and im using the e6013 in DCEP.

The angle im not sure whats the best for 6013 on flat surface, i already read 10-30 degrees but i also watched some youtube videos where ppl use them around 45 degrees

When welding a vertical joint it shoud go from top to bottom or from bottom to top?

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 01-14-2019 18:41

Not sure what brand of electrode you purchased, but below is Lincoln's suggested welding parameters for their E6013.

By DarknessEyes PT Date 01-14-2019 18:52 Edited 01-14-2019 19:02

I took a picture to the box of the 2.5mm ones and only says :

aws a5 1 e60w3
Rex 1001

I checked the box for more details about amps but doesnt say anything.

When i weld in a flat surface the weld looks a little flat but doesnt look bad.
When i do it in a joint of a tube with a gap of 1 or 2 mm (cutting tube with angle grinder and some tubes have round corners) the arc keeps jumping from side to side and the beads stick to sides only.
If i weave i get a good looking weld until i remove scrap, once i remove it i get beads on both sides with a line of scrap in the middle.
If i weave slower i melt the weak side of T joint, even if i keep the arc more time over the strong side.

Any tips?

In work we only use mig but some weld with stick rods at home. So i asked what was ac dcep and dcen and no one knew about it

By DarknessEyes PT Date 01-14-2019 21:26 Edited 01-14-2019 21:29

Made another test run and took some pics.
Now used 3mm mid steel with e6013 at 50 amps DCEP.

It was cold (around 0°c) and dark (bad ligth in back yard) so i didnt even care to draw any lines to follow.

I started way to fast at first and then kept slowing down. Should i slow down more? Advices?

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN44JGEvM4vojkN2vNFqYfdb5yc2p6Vfj7iSEQby7_APJHMjPCj_e3yuaVnMwTa9g?key=THFWSFgzVUZMZHptbF92QkR5N1lEUXdCS1lWbEhB