Attn: Stick and ARC welders

[jekquistk5]

I have everything ready to weld my 14blt up, and I am wondering what rod will work the best. I have 1/8' e6011 and 1/8" 7014, and 7018's the way I understand it is that the higher the 4 or 5 number is the stronger it is. I know the 7014 is an all purpose rod, and the 7018 is a more of a steel deep penitrating rod. Obviously I have a arc welder, its the good ole Lincoln Buzz box or Coffin welder. Can anyone steer me in the right direction. I am very comfortable welding with the 7014 rod, but not sure about the 7018 or 6011. Someone please enlighten me

 

[spoolnaround]

I dont think it will really matter. I say use what you are most comfortable with. I used a mig cause I didnt want to mess with the slag.

 

[Drey]

60 or 70 is tensile strength 1 flux and the last is the position...i think
6011 if the most all purpose rod, good for welding on "dirty" steel. If i can help it I used 7014 and clean up my metal first, nicer looking weld and stronger. Course we have a wire welder at work so I havnt touched a stick welder in about 8 months.

 

[dleroy43]

6011 a multy pupose flat welding rod. 7018 would be good and beffy just turn it above 135A and wire brush the slag.

 

[diesel4me]

hot rods..

The 6011 is for rusty, dirty,or greasy metal..its deep penetrating,but leaves a lot of spatter,its easy to weld with,and isn't too fussy about position..the 7014 is mostly for clean metal,its stronger than 6011 is....the 7018 is low hydrogen rod..its the most difficult to use,and it must be dry,fresh rods work best..the low hydrogen prevents cracking and makes for a stronger weld..

I'm not 100% sure,but I think 6011 is AC/DC,7014 is too..7018 might be AC only,so if your using a DC welder,be sure the rods are compatible..(you can find out on lincoln's website)..

We used 6011 on most everything we cobbed together at the junkyard,and I can't say we ever had anything come apart after..it worked well for us,we were not exactly easy on our equipment--..our boss was too cheap to buy 7014 or 7018,unless it was HIS car we were welding on,or it had to be used,like on the forkloaders forks,etc....

 

[rjfguitar]

Like mentioned, 7018 is a low hydrogen rod and is a PITA to store because it has to stay dry. One trick I have heard to do is keep a light bulb on in the cabinet with the rod(as long as it's not dangerous and could start a fire).

I use 5/32" and 1/8" 6011 on anything. I'm a farmer, and it will weld through mud, rust, and cow crap. I've never had a problem with it being too weak. Most of the time when a weld breaks it's more of the operator's fault.

The rod size depends on your welder, I only use 5/32" on my Miller Big 40 that is hotter than heck, and when I am trying to get a lot of welding done like hardfacing.
A larger rod is good for going fast, if you have the heat to make it burn good.

I'd probably use 1/8" on your axle, you can finess it better.

 

[jekquistk5]

I'm not worried about the heat, the welder will go up to 225amps so I think that will work ok...lol So my best bet would be to use the 6011's but make sure I clean up the slag. My 7018 rods are a little old, and most likely bad. I'll go grab some fresh 1/8" 7018 and see what happens. I'm not sure on the ac/dc part I will have to check when I get home tonight

 

[merace19]

7018 is super easy to use. just strike it and drag slow. no moving in and out of the puddle. The beads look perfect every time. i have used every kind that there is and 6011 is easy to use and can weld though a lot of stuff thats not suppost to be there like dirt and oil. The slag is very bad with the 6011, 7018 normally just has the flux remaining on the weld itself and comes off easy. The spatter from 6011 can sometimes melt and permantly stick to areas that you dont want it to. Like the ring gear. Or break off after you closed up the housing.

 

[jekquistk5]

I will be welding the spiders like Kidjethro does AKA the spiderball. So splatter doesn't concern me.