"bare rod" - arc welding with no flux

Date 02-03-2004 08:19

I used to hear old welders talk about when they used to weld with arc
"stick", bare rod. Well I tried it, by shaving the flux off of 6010, 7018,
and gas rod, rg-45. 1/8". on a/c and d/c, neg and pos. 80-110 amps.
I had a 4x8in.x 1/2in piece of hot rolled plate. I could hardly srike the arc as it stuck almost every time, then when I did get to run a so-called bead it was the worst weld I ever saw. all oxidized, burned up, I had to travel at 90 mph because the rod turned red and started to melt above the arc. I wounder if they used some shielding gas or ??? Anyone that
used to do this, let me know how it was done. thanks. Bill

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 02-03-2004 13:40

Bill thats how they did it. Many times with disasterous results.

There is a nifty article in a 2003 "Welding Journal" about a College instructor in Chicago who starts his SMAW students off with bare wire; his notion as I understand is to get them to master arc striking and continuous beads in the harshest environment and it's downhill after that. Maybe some other poster knows the date of that excellent article.

Students make me feel like a monster for starting em off with 5P !

>snicker<

By DGXL

Date 02-03-2004 15:50

In the old days, a pine block was placed behind the joint. The resulting fuming from the block acted like the coating on todays cellulosic electrodes. Also, the material used to make BMAW electrodes was not alloyed like todays coated electrodes.

No I'm not that old.

By - Date 02-04-2004 08:28

You'll find that article in the April 2003 'Welding Journal'. And I agree it is an excellent article.
Mankenberg