I’m a retired certified welder, 41 years worth, and my first welds were in HS shop class in the mid 70’s using 6013. After graduating and starting my career, it was all 7018, most of the time vertical up or overhead! I only do occasional “friends & family” welding nowadays, and I’ve gone back to my roots - using 6013 & 7014 instead of low hydrogen due to the storage issues of 7018 when not using them up steadily. Slag inclusions have always been an issue with 13’s & 14’s, but I stumbled on a great tip! On one of those welding channels from India (you know the ones!), I noticed this guy doing the obligatory dab dab dab 6013 weld along with an occasional standard uninterrupted stringer bead, ALL of them free of slag pockets!! He was using a greenish colored electrode that I figured was some regional thing. I commented, saying how impressed I was with the lack of discontinuities in his beads, I myself constantly fighting it! His response? Get some ESAB 6013’s! My local welding supply didn’t stock them, but got some for me. Opening the first tube of “Sureweld 6013”, I was greeted by the first green welding rods I’d ever owned, and my skepticism was quickly squashed upon burning the first one! I’ve tried 5 or 6 different brands of 6013, but these things are in a class all by theirselves! I highly recommend trying them for yourself! A game changer for me! Excellent video by the way, even though I had to watch it with the sound turned off! Ha!
Hi Tom thanks for the comments, I got my basic welding ticket 30 plus yrs ago but didn't keep it up ,just doing farm,home jobs ,guys was selling strata 555s ,bought them $75 30 something yrs ago ,big $$ then but best rods ever ,finally used the last one ,but being eking them out ,don't know the $$ now would glue anything together, rusty etc
I just came across one of the best deals absolutely ever . Lockheed Martin was selling off a tone of old equipment. I bought 3 flammable storage lockers full of welding equipment welding rods wire gloves all sorts of tools for $150 a piece I bought three of these lockers . Each one of these lockers was chalked full of these 3/32 golden rods. Golden is the name of them as the color of them. My machine is a Miller bobcat 225. These rods seem to be a 5p type rod the only thing is when I weld flat with them it leaves pits not sure what the deal is I'll be laying a really nice roll of dimes and then something happens the slag breaks away or something I don't know it just leaves a crater but like I said it's only when I will flat a pill in overhead beautiful beautiful beach. Do you have any suggestions
@@shanerogers2835 The undesired crater or slag inclusions scream out 6013 or 7014 to me, but I’ve never seen “Golden” electrodes! If there’s no number on them, it’s hard to figure out what you’re dealing with! There is a “Golden Bridge” manufacturer of welding consumables in China, and they list two different versions of 6013: J421 (J38.12) E4313, and J421X E4313. If that’s what they are, flat beads can be very frustrating, and rely on rod angle, travel speed and amperage. Welding too “cold” can cause those defects, running hotter gets everything stirred up and separates the molten puddle and slag better, and letting the molten slag get in front of the puddle is a sure sign that the weld will be full of discontinuities! 6013 & 7014 are typically not used vertical up or overhead because of the heavy slag, but it could be that out of position welding uses gravity to pull the slag away from where it’s not wanted! I can’t be sure though because I’ve never used either uphill or overhead!
@@tomt9543 ok this electrode is a 3/32 on the side of the road it says " X-ERGON #106 DURA-WELD GOLD. . these rods are a chocolate chip cookie, golden brown with very small specks of white and little bit of black . The exposed end of the rod ,that you stick into the stinger is an ugly shade of almost cheap spray paint gold.. unfortunately these rods didn't come in a box or can , just a sealed plastic bag, no MSDS no markings on the bag . Each bag is 25 maybe 30 lbs I have in all 71 bag's. Thank you so much for your information. I've never had trouble like this with 7018 , 6011, 6022 , or 6010s it's quite frustrating. I've been a structural steel Ironworker for 24 years, never busted out on any weld test or inspection. Normally when I burn rod , my slag peal's off .
Recently I've started using an old air fryer to heat up the rods before I start welding, I find a big improvement, I'm only an amateur but I do a lot of welding now and again
Just started welding recently. Watching your videos has helped me immensely. My boss even said my welds are nicer than his and he has been welding 30+ years so i thank you for that.
Hi Tim, The first time I learned to weld was when I was 7 years old, and over the last year, I became burnt out from 25+ years of software engineering, and one of my friends told me - "Dave, have you tried working with your hands again?" Your channel has helped me so much, and I thank you for it! You keep up the good work! This. Is. Awesome. Oh - I'm starting an official welding course next year ;-)
I know that burnout. I craft that time when I get to work with my hands. I can't leave software, as I don't think I can make as much with my hands at my skill level. But working with my hands is way better.
When I weld thicker plates ( like 1/4"), I use 105 or 120 amps on my old Lincoln AC with 6013. I get lots better results than at low amperage. I also find that weaving from side to side for the first half inch or so, leaves a more uniform weld.
HI Tim, Jose from Puerto Rico. I'm 65 years old and retired, but I've always been interested in learning to weld. As much so that I've taken a basic stick welding course just to get my feet wet, and I truly enjoyed it. Then I stumbled on your channel, and I'm at awe of your tremendous skill set and manner of teaching. You're a gifted teacher. Do you think that your course described on your channel would be something I could really learn from? Or do you think that going to school is the way to go? I mean, the price of your total course is mind-boggling exceptional, compared to what I paid for that basic course.
Your videos are really awesome. There are so many variables that can have a profound effect on making a good solid weld from day to day or even throughout the day or night. HOWEVER, this usually involves temprature and moisture, in my experience. I spent 5 years welding where every weld and weld repair was UT'd or Mag. Part.tested with the outcome also noted in your record as a passed or failed weld. I moved from the Midwest (Hot and Humid) to a High Desert environment which is very Hot with very low humidity) during the day. I transferred to nightshift and on one night, I had a small 6" repair to make on 3/8" mild steel at a depth of 3mm. on a weldment that was stored outside after it failed Ultra Sound. I had brought the section inside the plant and guickly gound the slag inclusion and poracity out. As i started to fill in the gash, the supervisor came by and told me to slowly preheat the steel up a little bit in that area, if i valued my record. When i asked him WHY it was necessary. He stated because of " moisture in the metal from condensation, even though it's dry to the touch and eyes, it's " wet ". It will also prevent cracking and warping from thermal shock so don't chance it". I fired up the belch fire torch and saw the moisture being driven out almost right away. The canyon i ground out filled up so nice, that i didn't have to butter up the weld and it passed. From that time to this day i preheat everything from 1/4" on up. Even if the outside humidity is only 20% at 70 degrees. Just another one of if those little details that can make a difference.
Hi Tim, thanks for helpful reply to my email and I appreciate you taking the time to make a video addressing the issues I am having using 6013 rods. In the UK they seem to be the only welding rods on the shelf plus the do not need to be stored in an oven like the 7018s. I have not applied the tips you have given me yet but I will let you know how it goes when I do. Cheers
Here in Europe we often use ISO instead of AWS so for example ESAB OK 48.00 is the same as 7018 and I found it on the UK version of ebay. But 6010 is hard to find here.
Thank you for requesting this. It was the exact same problem I was having but didn’t know how to ask it. I often get welds onto one side and not the other and slag inclusion. I need more amp and steeper angle and I think I need to slow down too!
I’ve found arc length is important with 6013 rods, really tightening it up seems to help blow the slag away from the puddle for me. There’s also (certainly here in Australia anyway) a difference between brands, some are a lot smoother running than others. A bloke I was working with was giving me tips on my welds, he’s very picky about which brand he’ll use and it certainly helped me.
@@glennh2965 Don’t think they’re the best, but the Bossweld from Bunnies aren’t actually too bad. They’re the ones my welder mate told me to go with, they lay a decent bead.
Absolutely right. Steep work angle, tight arc and you should be able to feel both plates with the flux as you feed the rod. Those 2.4mm really burn off quick too
I have been welding for 35 years but have very little experience with AC electrodes. The struggle is real. Thank you for reaffirming what I subconsciously knew to be true.
I wanted to learn welding for a long time ; so I have been watching Tim's videos for a while now . I got myself a cheap Inverter DC welder 2 weeks back and been practicing with some 2.4 mm and 3.15 mm 6013 electrodes . I found that with 70-75 amps I get good results with the 2.4 mm 6013 electrode ( or at least it seems good to me , lol ) and 100 to 110 amps with a 3.15 mm 6013 electrode . I need to work on my welding angles and travel speed ; it's only a fortnight I have been welding :)
I’ve been doing it for a few weeks now, 6013 I find really easy, but e7018 I’m getting the issue you’ve highlighted in this video, always tried lowering amperage as was getting burn through and sticking, noticed less sticking with higher amperage but just getting the craters like in this video, I’ll try the mid point amperage for 4mm e7018 and angle and see how I go, 1 thing I’m struggling with is prepping properly avoiding contamination… I’ll try your fix and see how I go Great video 👍
I gave up 6013, but I may have to revisit the rod after watching this video. Appreciate it Tim . . . your delivery seems more natural now....keep up the good work Sir!
cheers Tim, I have seen this from time to time in my welding, good to know why. Like a lot of hobbyists 7018 isn't for me, 6013 for most of my work, it can be long periods between welding and rods need to be able to sit for months if not years open on the shelf, and be fine to use straight away - which 7018 cant do.
I have been welding for over 50 years. Granted, for the past 5-8 years my oscillation is built in, but I always watch what my puddle is doing. I use 6013 often and 7018 as a primary rod....I love the stuff. What I have noticed is that if you are running the weld on either and it is running downhill, even slightly like a few degrees, the slag on 6013 tends to run over the puddle. Keep the welds even or uphill and you will do away with a lot of that puddle problem.
Thanks, this is why I switched to 7018 as my go to rod. The 7018 restart issue I deal with by keeping a small file handy and I file the end clean of flux before I restart.
I have had similar issues when I weld 6013. I've done a decent amount of welding in a class room setting to figure out what welding mistakes I am making at home. When I work with 6013 try to hold it start of the world for about 1 or 2 seconds then start running a beed. I got a hint from another channel a while back they suggested maybe putting you travel angle a little farther forward to help push the slag away from the weld puddle with 6013 and it seem to help a lot what I was doing. Now I was mainly practicing at home keep up on welding. But good video I like it I love your channel
Ive been welding as a hobby and have gotten alot better but this video helped me out with slag pockets. Ive never liked how the 7018s or 6011s weld ive come to like 6013s but then again im only using a cheap 110 welder. It will run kn 220 with the adapter cord but havnt gotten to try it. Its tiny but works great
Old timer here. I had problems for a long time with 6013s. The problem was I kept trying to use it like a 6011. Remember you need a gap when using a 6011 and others. Try dragging the rod with no gap or very little. You'll see the difference. For many years all I had was a Lincoln AC buzz box. I have learn things to use that others don't talk much about. Like rod manipulation and watch the heat versus what people say the amp dial says. Think more like an artist than an weld engineer. Loosen up, get comfortable. It's a great day when your welds look good. Then the welding bug will get you big time. If you are not having fun burn more rods til you smile 😀
Thanks for making this video. When searching for beginners videos on welding this one really is the one that tells you what you need to know to start making good welds with 6013 and really that is all you need to know.
Here in South Africa one only gets the 6013 on shelves.Different manufacturers and are they a pain in the but and on top of that one has to weld 1.6mm and 2mm steel with it when making safety gates.I thought I was a terrible welder cause I sometimes have the same problem of slag caught up in weld.Currently I weld at 77Amps and not much of a problem other than blowouts.Thanks for sharing.Currently doing a 6meter gate a 3.4m gate and a 1.18m gate with 1.6mm rectangular tubing and 10mm square steel.
Awesome tutorial as always, Tim. Same problems for me with 6013...can't see puddle, trapped slagged, undercut if I turned up the heat, etc. On my own I stumbled on increasing the travel angle. But real, the best solution for 6013...is to switch to 7014 haha!
Same here. I'm just welding on the farm but never been able to make nice welds with 6013. I can make nice looking welds with 7014 and never had one break. I use 1/8 and sometimes 3/32. 7014 keeps years for me, stronger than 6013 and lays a nice bead so I don't see any reason for 6013. Great video.
Your clear explanation on problems that might occur during welding , everything makes more sense after watching your video's. great trainer..... thumbs up!!!!!
Nice information Tim. Thanks for continuing to make quality training videos. Something to consider on future videos is taking a still frame of ‘good’ and another of ‘bad’, and putting them onscreen next to each other. Even better would be drawing some curved lines on the stills showing where the arc defining line is and also the edge of the weld puddle. After you’ve been welding a while, these are easy to see. But people new to welding may not understand where to look. When you show a video and say, “as you can see…”, those of us that have been welding a while can of course see what you’re talking about. But somebody that’s just starting out may not be able to pick out the details.
I agree as well. A break/snapshot an some hand drawn lines with different colors for slag and weld pool will make this explanation perfect. Maybe direkt in this video as an overlay? Thanks Tim for sharing your experience.
I worked in Todd's Shipyard in Seattle in the 80's and they had the best welders I've ever seen, stick, tig and mig. I moved to Baja 12 years ago and asked around for a good welder. I was told that a fellow in town was the best around. I needed a header for my truck fixed and the job was so bad I ended up spending $500 for a new set. Everything is so half assed down here, I now have only certain people do my repairs but it's taken a long time to learn the ropes. I've been screwed multiple times and they don't even use Vaseline.
I feel like I've seen another 6013 troubleshooting video on TIm's channel but as someone who's only working with 6013 so far, I've done the mistake on the thumbnail so countless times as I was learning on my own. On 6013 fillet welds you really have to make sure that the starting puddle and arc has warmed up and stabilized well, and keep the arc length really close! That's one thing not mentioned in this vid for the issue, I'm guessing arc length got a bit too long and the arc and deposits were just going everywhere. Keeping the arc length small makes it so that the deposits only go where you want it to, and that's critical for a rod where you don't have as much puddle visibility as other rods
yea im pretty sure he could have summarized the video in 2 seconds: dont long arc, increase drag. once ur in the correct amp range its just a matter of travel speed
Just bought your 4 pack bundle, looking forward to getting stuck in! I was a mig welder on a production line for 2 years, 20 years ago. Looking forward to learning the knowledge behind the skill as back in the day it was just practice until you get good, never mind the theory 👍
Thank you so much sir, i had this problem for a long time when i'm doing corner joint welding 6013 is amazing for every joint except corner and lap joint. Please do more of 6013 electrode content since it is rare content also 6013 is very popular in africa and Asia. Lots of love from Somalia🇸🇴❤
Any weld I make with whatever process, I always focus on the size and shape of the puddle that is visible after the arc and before the freeze line of the slag. I can almost always “see” the finished weld in my minds eye even before the slag is cleaned off. The sliver of light at the sides of the puddle that reflect the arc means it’s blending well to the base metal, and the shape of the puddle where the slag freezes will be the shape of the weld at that point. When I started welding I wasn’t sure what to look at. I have shared that tip with co workers and it helped them as much as it did me. The molten puddle created is what it’s all about. If you can see what it is doing, you can know how the weld will turn out. If the filter lens is too light, or even too dark, you cannot differentiate between the puddle and the leading edge of the slag, or even the puddle and the arc itself.
Great advice and video. Wish I knew this years ago; it would have helped eliminate a lot of inconsistently I have been experiencing exclusively when running slow on 6013 fillet welds!
Thank you, have had this problem with 6013 and, as others have said, worked out for myself that upping the amps and adding some rod angle seemed to sort it out, good to have this technique confirmed.
Just today was 6013 welding some 1-5/8" pipe 1/8 thick and had that problem. I'll try increasing the stick angle tomorrow to see if that helps. Did not want to turn amps up to 90 because of pipe thickness. Since i'm welding around the circumference of the pipe, keeping the stick angle constant is a challenge.
Real advice is; STOP USING 6013, go to 6011. And if you want a stronger arc force, try electrode negative! This will push that slag away from the puddle way better, and keeps the heat down, so the issue of undercut is drastically reduced.
why would you use 6013 in the first place unless you are doing root pass? 6010 is far better or 6010P. also 6013 is an ac rod and 6010 is dc which is a far more stable arc.
Can you do a video on welding at awkward angles? In your shop/bench setup, you always weld at “ideal” positions: top down, flat surface. Can you do vertical and even upside down angles? Thanks. Your channel is awesome
There's another great option if you have a tig with a high frequency start, and a foot pedal. Set your amps at 150, don't bother scratch starting, just hit your foot pedal. Start off flooring it. After a few seconds back off on foot pedal till its welding like you want. Your foot pedal controls your amperage. You can adjust the heat as you go. If your rod sticks simply back off the pedal, let cool a second and break loose, start again, no bent rods and etc. Weld getting too hot at the end, back off pedal and finish weld at lower heat. Wish I'd known of this 30 years ago.
I could actually really see the difference here. Not sure which line was the one you were talking about as the clearly-defined puddle, but I did pick up a small box of Harbor Freight 7018 to practice with during the course, then I'll come back to my massive box of name brand 6013.
I recently purchased your online course, and have completed stick welding. You should add this as a troubleshooting step! I was having this issue in every fillet and some lap joints, it would have been easier to have it included in the lessons vs having to research it elsewhere. But overall I like the course and learned (but not mastered) stick quickly. Can’t wait to start on the shielded processes though, slag and smoke suck!
Great! Have been having this exact same problem. Could you have lines on still images to show what we should be looking for and what not please? Maybe a what to look for for various types of common electrodes please?
For me, 6013 must be declared illegal, like cocaine. Both of them are giving the same health effects: dilated pupils,nausea,raised blood pressure, fast or irregular heartbeat, restlessness...🙄
I still do a fair bit of welding using 6010 , 6013, 7018 and I am relatively easy using any of these . I have some esab stainless rods as well . I sometimes even now get a bit of slag inclusion because I weld very thin metals and as you would know stick and paper thin metals don’t really like each other
I would recommend using E6010 or E6011 instead of the E6013 for what you are welding. If you were welding thinner material then the E6013 would probably be suggested. Also, I recommend welding in the middle of the amperage range for a particular rod rather than at the extremes unless there is some particular reason. The other thing that many people overlook is that the key variable is the heat input expressed in kilojoules per inch. The heat input will depend on the thickness of the metals being joined and rod diameter, but generally, the range for effective welding is going to be 15 to 50 kJ/in. You can reduced the amperage and travel slower, or increase the amperage and travel faster to have the same heat input. Insufficient heat input results in lack of penetration and lack of fusion, while excessive heat input results in burn through and splatter. Arc length is also important. hth
Hey Tim excellent video, just thought I'd mention (I know most of us know this, but the hobbyist/new welders may not) that the reason 6013 rods run the way they do is because of the Flux coating. I'm no metallurgist and honestly don't know exactly how it works, except it has to do with how the Flux reacts while it's being burned away. That is why 7018 runs the way it does, has to do with the low hydrogen content, or why inverter welding machines (lower end ones) can't run 6010 because of the cellulose content in the flux.
6010 by coating design are required to have some 4-7%wt free H2O. 7018 by coating design is usually less than 1/2%wt free H2O. AWS spec require diffusable hydrogen to be measured, classified & designated on 7018 such as H4, H8 etc. BTW, most if not all 7018 coatings designs these days are non-hydroscopic. (moisture resistant or low moisture pickup). Unfortunately, welding codes may of not caught up to these MRs & still require holding ovens prior to use. Usually both 6010s & 7018s are delivered in hermetically sealed containers. Hmmm, wonder why. ;-)
I've been stick welding for 50 years and still do but less nowadays. I listen, if you listen you can hear if the amperage is high as there's a lot of noise from the splatter. Likewise, too low amperage and the rod sounds as though the arc is drowning in the puddle rather than being on top of the job. Just my opinion, wondered what your thoughts are as I rarely hear, listening to the weld as a solution to help correct the amperage.
I've only watched a handful of your videos so far, but a burning question I have is about travel speed, and in your close-up arc shots I can't tell if they are real-time, or slowed down. In shots from behind the weld, some are obviously sped-up. It would help to know when the video playback speed is changed.
Something I wish I knew 30 years ago, running 6013 HOT realy helps, if ya not running high in the amp range go to a smaller rod and run that hot. The other thing is we where steered toward 3.2 mm ( 1/8") rods as the go to, but for a lot of work they where too heavy and we where running too low in the amp range. . combine this with looking thru fixed shade, manual lenses that where too dark for the work, i'm not surprised we struggled
I have to use 6013 in all positions I run them on DC- turn the amps up a tad and touch down slag peels leaving a very nice flat micro rippled bead. DC+ = Arc blow for what I weld.
Trying to do some plug welds with Stick and I keep getting undercut/slag stuck in the plug. It’s a real pain where I don’t think rod angle will help. Anyone able to offer any advice? Love the videos Tim, very informative and well put together.
Hi 👋 how long does it take for you to finish your ear to ear as for me it took me 3 day s thank u , my work absolutely changed after watching your videos ❤
Hmmm. Looks like he’s lifting & dragging the Electrode. If you’re new to this then try resting the tip of the Electrode on the material, right in the corner of the joint, so it’s touching both plates. Don’t drag the Electrode. Let the Electrode push itself along as it fuses into the metal, just holding it gently as you go. You’ll have to get the angle of the Electrode correct so that the Slag doesn’t find a way to race ahead of the Weld. This may take a bit of practice. When you complete your Welding run it should be free from defects & a nice even width. The Amperage used will depend on the recommended range set by the Electrode manufacturer & how good your Welding Plant is. The Slag should lift itself off easily with little scraping. If you’re having to chip away the Slag & it’s tough going then you’re probably Welding using too high a temperature. Happy Welding!!
I have been having the very same issue but in a worse way. The slag would actually fill those holes left behind and it is quite hard to remove them. I need to try this but the main challenge I think I will face is, I am using thin square tubing. At this amperage, I am pretty sure that I will be "burning" through the material very easily.
What is the major difference between 6013 and 7014? I had class two days ago using 6013 and my welds looked awful. Today I used 7014 and it looked alot better and was easier to use.
Nice one Tim, thank you. On some future video, could you maybe edit a picture of a welding in progress to show that boundary between the weld pool and slag, please? Not obvious to me with the 6013, not sure what I should be looking at. Rookie here hey 👋
The slag should not exceed past the middle of the puddle . If you use an auto lens adjust so you can see the slag running around on the puddle . If you are using a regular green lens #11 then go to gold leaf (it blocks mor UV rays) & drop to #10 , that is all I ever used to use
honestly, could be a few things. I got my certifications back in shop class in high school with stick, mig and tig, flat vertical and overhead. The 3 pictures I see of his welds, one with the holes in the weld that could be a few things- either going too fast with the stick, or in a windy environment, where the gasses are being blown away from the weld, (which is bad, those gasses are needed to make the localization of the weld inert so the filler material can penetrate. Also could be from dirty work environment, like not cleaning the weld area before welding, you want all rust, paint, and contaminants cleaned off the weld area before welding or it could react and cause holes in your welds. The second weld that looks really rusty (thats obviously way too hot, too many amps running through the welder, lower it down some. 3rd weld looks like it didn't penetrate good, going too fast with the welder, but also too hot/too many amps through the welder. When welding, match the rods to the thickness of the material you are welding. Match them to be about the same size as the thickness of the thinnest material you are welding. Then prepare the area, if you are in a windy environment outside, set up some weld curtains to keep the wind off the welds. Proper setting of the machine- use a scrap piece of material that matches the material you are welding and set your welder, it should sound like bacon frying or popcorn popping if you have your machine set right. Most of the time you can save on welding rods, if what you are welding doesn't need to be air or water tight, you can use 1 inch stitch welds to "glue" pieces of metal together. prepare your welding area by cleaning the area, clean off all contaminations, like oil, paint, rust, etc. Grind a bevel or a V shape onto the pieces of metal you are trying to piece together and and if you are repairing something broke or cracked, go to the end of the crack, and use a drill at the end of the crack and drill a hole at the main end. This will prevent the crack from cracking any further. After you weld, if you want you can grind off the excess weld, wait until the work piece completely cools and use some sort of paint on it to protect the area from rusting in the future. When you weld, just remember, you are not doing any fancy movements, unless you are using a Tig Welder, then that requires "walking the cup". OR if you are doing vertical welds, which require the backwards Z beads (starting at the bottom of the work piece, you are only moving the stinger/rod from left to right, then from fright to left, then left to right, all the way up the work piece until you run out of rod or you get to the end of the weld area. I see so many bad how to videos on youtube that claim to be instructors or in the industry for 50 years and they say you need to use TIG techniques on a flat weld. Which is hilariously wrong. KISS. Keep it simple stpid. On flat you just move the rod left to right at a 45 degree angle, slowly. Nothing special about it. You want good penetration and you want to fill in all the material missing with the welding rod filler material, to fuse the metal back together.
We use metric so its 2.5mm 3mm 4mm etc, 2.5's if not having the amps down and rushing will give you the issues you are talking about, but the 3mm and 4mm at 90 amps should give you a nice run, when welding 3mm thick steel, any thicker and I would go as high as 110- 120 amps. Only use hydrogen high/lows for steel.
This happens to me a lot. I have a 110v 100 amp buzz box, so can't turn up the amperage. The most I can do seems to be 3/32" 6013. I'll try the steeper electrode angle next time.
I have a lot of expired fire extinguishers like the ones behind you that I want to make stuff out of. What rod, amperage and technique would you recommend? I'm having a few problems!
Help me out, here's my setup on my past problem. 6010 like your rod here, 60-70 amps, and the going speed like you do here in this vid. So the problem was the slag keeps going under the weld, is it because i grind the crack to expose it and make the weld go deep and stick well?? I didn't put an angle to that grind just a straight shallow cut like.
6013 is basically sheet metal rod because it does not penetrate. Try 6010 dc rod or 6011 ac rod all around most versatile mild steel rods that penetrate you will never go back. No reason to fight with a welding rod that doesn’t penetrate and traps slag.
Hi, good explanation of the problem and how to avoid it. However I am very interested to see a solution on how to correct that same weld without redoing it completely.
Get all the slag out that you can ,switch over to 6011 or 6010 , as the flux on the rod burns adding to the heat & leave your welder set the same , so it really digs in ; drag into the previous weld where it joins the piece to be welded so it cuts in & under to insure there is no slag in there , pull around unto the weldment watching carefully that you fill it all up. If you fill to much & have excess , you can grind it off , if material is to thin you may have to clamp on a backer strip to absorb heat , if you use copper or brass for backer & you burn through , weld won’t stick to it. As others have said KEEP THE ARKS SHORT.
The particular brand of rod goes far. There is a term thrown about too often: "All things being equal". In 6 decades I have not found it. Quality control, atmospheric conditions (especially Florida), bead application technique, push, pull, weave, etc., and prep all contribute to the weld as well as the welder itself. While not a "professional" welder I have done a lot of it. One of my biggest issues is patience! Thanks for the post!
I’m a retired certified welder, 41 years worth, and my first welds were in HS shop class in the mid 70’s using 6013. After graduating and starting my career, it was all 7018, most of the time vertical up or overhead! I only do occasional “friends & family” welding nowadays, and I’ve gone back to my roots - using 6013 & 7014 instead of low hydrogen due to the storage issues of 7018 when not using them up steadily. Slag inclusions have always been an issue with 13’s & 14’s, but I stumbled on a great tip! On one of those welding channels from India (you know the ones!), I noticed this guy doing the obligatory dab dab dab 6013 weld along with an occasional standard uninterrupted stringer bead, ALL of them free of slag pockets!! He was using a greenish colored electrode that I figured was some regional thing. I commented, saying how impressed I was with the lack of discontinuities in his beads, I myself constantly fighting it! His response? Get some ESAB 6013’s! My local welding supply didn’t stock them, but got some for me. Opening the first tube of “Sureweld 6013”, I was greeted by the first green welding rods I’d ever owned, and my skepticism was quickly squashed upon burning the first one! I’ve tried 5 or 6 different brands of 6013, but these things are in a class all by theirselves! I highly recommend trying them for yourself! A game changer for me! Excellent video by the way, even though I had to watch it with the sound turned off! Ha!
Hi Tom thanks for the comments, I got my basic welding ticket 30 plus yrs ago but didn't keep it up ,just doing farm,home jobs ,guys was selling strata 555s ,bought them $75 30 something yrs ago ,big $$ then but best rods ever ,finally used the last one ,but being eking them out ,don't know the $$ now would glue anything together, rusty etc
That is because ESAB INVENTED SHIELDED RODS , BEFORE THAT THEY WERE BARE METAL 👌
I just came across one of the best deals absolutely ever . Lockheed Martin was selling off a tone of old equipment. I bought 3 flammable storage lockers full of welding equipment welding rods wire gloves all sorts of tools for $150 a piece I bought three of these lockers . Each one of these lockers was chalked full of these 3/32 golden rods. Golden is the name of them as the color of them. My machine is a Miller bobcat 225. These rods seem to be a 5p type rod the only thing is when I weld flat with them it leaves pits not sure what the deal is I'll be laying a really nice roll of dimes and then something happens the slag breaks away or something I don't know it just leaves a crater but like I said it's only when I will flat a pill in overhead beautiful beautiful beach. Do you have any suggestions
@@shanerogers2835 The undesired crater or slag inclusions scream out 6013 or 7014 to me, but I’ve never seen “Golden” electrodes! If there’s no number on them, it’s hard to figure out what you’re dealing with! There is a “Golden Bridge” manufacturer of welding consumables in China, and they list two different versions of 6013: J421 (J38.12) E4313, and J421X E4313. If that’s what they are, flat beads can be very frustrating, and rely on rod angle, travel speed and amperage. Welding too “cold” can cause those defects, running hotter gets everything stirred up and separates the molten puddle and slag better, and letting the molten slag get in front of the puddle is a sure sign that the weld will be full of discontinuities! 6013 & 7014 are typically not used vertical up or overhead because of the heavy slag, but it could be that out of position welding uses gravity to pull the slag away from where it’s not wanted! I can’t be sure though because I’ve never used either uphill or overhead!
@@tomt9543 ok this electrode is a 3/32 on the side of the road it says " X-ERGON #106 DURA-WELD GOLD. . these rods are a chocolate chip cookie, golden brown with very small specks of white and little bit of black . The exposed end of the rod ,that you stick into the stinger is an ugly shade of almost cheap spray paint gold.. unfortunately these rods didn't come in a box or can , just a sealed plastic bag, no MSDS no markings on the bag . Each bag is 25 maybe 30 lbs I have in all 71 bag's. Thank you so much for your information. I've never had trouble like this with 7018 , 6011, 6022 , or 6010s it's quite frustrating. I've been a structural steel Ironworker for 24 years, never busted out on any weld test or inspection. Normally when I burn rod , my slag peal's off .
Recently I've started using an old air fryer to heat up the rods before I start welding, I find a big improvement, I'm only an amateur but I do a lot of welding now and again
Just started welding recently. Watching your videos has helped me immensely. My boss even said my welds are nicer than his and he has been welding 30+ years so i thank you for that.
As a hobbyist getting into welding, your videos have been immensely helpful. By far the most clear, concise and to-the-point videos.
Hi Tim,
The first time I learned to weld was when I was 7 years old, and over the last year, I became burnt out from 25+ years of software engineering, and one of my friends told me - "Dave, have you tried working with your hands again?"
Your channel has helped me so much, and I thank you for it! You keep up the good work! This. Is. Awesome.
Oh - I'm starting an official welding course next year ;-)
I know that burnout. I craft that time when I get to work with my hands.
I can't leave software, as I don't think I can make as much with my hands at my skill level. But working with my hands is way better.
You’re the clearest, most concise welding instructor on TH-cam. Subbed!
Huh?….. obviously you're not a welder! This man lacks as an instructor
When I weld thicker plates ( like 1/4"), I use 105 or 120 amps on my old Lincoln AC with 6013. I get lots better results than at low amperage. I also find that weaving from side to side for the first half inch or so, leaves a more uniform weld.
HI Tim, Jose from Puerto Rico. I'm 65 years old and retired, but I've always been interested in learning to weld. As much so that I've taken a basic stick welding course just to get my feet wet, and I truly enjoyed it. Then I stumbled on your channel, and I'm at awe of your tremendous skill set and manner of teaching. You're a gifted teacher. Do you think that your course described on your channel would be something I could really learn from? Or do you think that going to school is the way to go? I mean, the price of your total course is mind-boggling exceptional, compared to what I paid for that basic course.
Your videos are really awesome.
There are so many variables that can have a profound effect on making a good solid weld from day to day or even throughout the day or night. HOWEVER, this usually involves temprature and moisture, in my experience.
I spent 5 years welding where every weld and weld repair was UT'd or Mag. Part.tested with the outcome also noted in your record as a passed or failed weld. I moved from the Midwest (Hot and Humid) to a High Desert environment which is very Hot with very low humidity) during the day.
I transferred to nightshift and on one night, I had a small 6" repair to make on 3/8" mild steel at a depth of 3mm. on a weldment that was stored outside after it failed Ultra Sound.
I had brought the section inside the plant and guickly gound the slag inclusion and poracity out. As i started to fill in the gash, the supervisor came by and told me to slowly preheat the steel up a little bit in that area, if i valued my record. When i asked him WHY it was necessary. He stated because of " moisture in the metal from condensation, even though it's dry to the touch and eyes, it's " wet ". It will also prevent cracking and warping from thermal shock so don't chance it". I fired up the belch fire torch and saw the moisture being driven out almost right away. The canyon i ground out filled up so nice, that i didn't have to butter up the weld and it passed. From that time to this day i preheat everything from 1/4" on up. Even if the outside humidity is only 20% at 70 degrees. Just another one of if those little details that can make a difference.
Hadn't even considered this. Thank you!
Ohhhhhh thanks for this vid. I was having the same issue using the 6013. I will check my amperage and weld angle next time. =)
Hi Tim, thanks for helpful reply to my email and I appreciate you taking the time to make a video addressing the issues I am having using 6013 rods. In the UK they seem to be the only welding rods on the shelf plus the do not need to be stored in an oven like the 7018s. I have not applied the tips you have given me yet but I will let you know how it goes when I do. Cheers
Here in Europe we often use ISO instead of AWS so for example ESAB OK 48.00 is the same as 7018 and I found it on the UK version of ebay. But 6010 is hard to find here.
Thank you for requesting this. It was the exact same problem I was having but didn’t know how to ask it. I often get welds onto one side and not the other and slag inclusion. I need more amp and steeper angle and I think I need to slow down too!
I noticed when I was in Europe 6013 was popular there for home welders, but here in America, it seems 6011 is much more popular for home use.
@@jimjungle1397 6011 is the no prep rod for welding junk steel mill scale ,and anti rust coating. a almost universal rod!
@@MyGFIsMaria 6011 is the same as 6010
I’ve found arc length is important with 6013 rods, really tightening it up seems to help blow the slag away from the puddle for me. There’s also (certainly here in Australia anyway) a difference between brands, some are a lot smoother running than others. A bloke I was working with was giving me tips on my welds, he’s very picky about which brand he’ll use and it certainly helped me.
the tighter the arc the better (if you have enough amps)
Mate, So what are the best 6013 here? Not Bunnings I'm guessing...
@@glennh2965 Don’t think they’re the best, but the Bossweld from Bunnies aren’t actually too bad. They’re the ones my welder mate told me to go with, they lay a decent bead.
Absolutely right. Steep work angle, tight arc and you should be able to feel both plates with the flux as you feed the rod. Those 2.4mm really burn off quick too
I use Oerlikon Fincord M, they are the most butter smooth rod when you get used to them. Could weld in a shirt and tie with them
I have been welding for 35 years but have very little experience with AC electrodes. The struggle is real. Thank you for reaffirming what I subconsciously knew to be true.
I wanted to learn welding for a long time ; so I have been watching Tim's videos for a while now . I got myself a cheap Inverter DC welder 2 weeks back and been practicing with some 2.4 mm and 3.15 mm 6013 electrodes . I found that with 70-75 amps I get good results with the 2.4 mm 6013 electrode ( or at least it seems good to me , lol ) and 100 to 110 amps with a 3.15 mm 6013 electrode .
I need to work on my welding angles and travel speed ; it's only a fortnight I have been welding :)
I was a fortknight who couldn't fight well with a sword, but was good with a crossbow.
I’ve been doing it for a few weeks now, 6013 I find really easy, but e7018 I’m getting the issue you’ve highlighted in this video, always tried lowering amperage as was getting burn through and sticking, noticed less sticking with higher amperage but just getting the craters like in this video, I’ll try the mid point amperage for 4mm e7018 and angle and see how I go, 1 thing I’m struggling with is prepping properly avoiding contamination… I’ll try your fix and see how I go
Great video 👍
I gave up 6013, but I may have to revisit the rod after watching this video. Appreciate it Tim . . . your delivery seems more natural now....keep up the good work Sir!
Thanks, this helps a lot, in the town I live in, you only get 6013, nothing else, and I am struggling to get a nice weld.
cheers Tim, I have seen this from time to time in my welding, good to know why. Like a lot of hobbyists 7018 isn't for me, 6013 for most of my work, it can be long periods between welding and rods need to be able to sit for months if not years open on the shelf, and be fine to use straight away - which 7018 cant do.
This is the most instructive video about this matter (which is my most common deamon) I`ve seen. And the duration of 5 minutes is perfect
HUGE HELP! I'm a beginner and I've been running into this more than anything else. Can't wait to try what you showed here. Thanks!
I have been welding for over 50 years. Granted, for the past 5-8 years my oscillation is built in, but I always watch what my puddle is doing. I use 6013 often and 7018 as a primary rod....I love the stuff. What I have noticed is that if you are running the weld on either and it is running downhill, even slightly like a few degrees, the slag on 6013 tends to run over the puddle. Keep the welds even or uphill and you will do away with a lot of that puddle problem.
All I can say is Thanks Mate from a novice Auzzie welder.
Another great and highly useful video.
Thanks, this is why I switched to 7018 as my go to rod. The 7018 restart issue I deal with by keeping a small file handy and I file the end clean of flux before I restart.
I have had similar issues when I weld 6013. I've done a decent amount of welding in a class room setting to figure out what welding mistakes I am making at home.
When I work with 6013 try to hold it start of the world for about 1 or 2 seconds then start running a beed. I got a hint from another channel a while back they suggested maybe putting you travel angle a little farther forward to help push the slag away from the weld puddle with 6013 and it seem to help a lot what I was doing. Now I was mainly practicing at home keep up on welding. But good video I like it I love your channel
From 🇵🇭...i always watching your vids.new idea.new Knowledge..shout out
Ive been welding as a hobby and have gotten alot better but this video helped me out with slag pockets. Ive never liked how the 7018s or 6011s weld ive come to like 6013s but then again im only using a cheap 110 welder. It will run kn 220 with the adapter cord but havnt gotten to try it. Its tiny but works great
Old timer here. I had problems for a long time with 6013s. The problem was I kept
trying to use it like a 6011.
Remember you need a gap
when using a 6011 and others. Try dragging the rod with no gap or very little. You'll see the difference. For many years all I had was a Lincoln AC
buzz box. I have learn things to use that others don't talk much about. Like
rod manipulation and watch the heat versus what people say the amp dial says. Think more like an artist than an weld engineer. Loosen up, get comfortable. It's a great day when your welds look
good. Then the welding bug will get you big time. If
you are not having fun burn more rods til you smile 😀
You have saved me from bad welds with 6013. I usually bump it 7-10 degrees hotter and makes a difference.
Thanks for making this video. When searching for beginners videos on welding this one really is the one that tells you what you need to know to start making good welds with 6013 and really that is all you need to know.
Here in South Africa one only gets the 6013 on shelves.Different manufacturers and are they a pain in the but and on top of that one has to weld 1.6mm and 2mm steel with it when making safety gates.I thought I was a terrible welder cause I sometimes have the same problem of slag caught up in weld.Currently I weld at 77Amps and not much of a problem other than blowouts.Thanks for sharing.Currently doing a 6meter gate a 3.4m gate and a 1.18m gate with 1.6mm rectangular tubing and 10mm square steel.
Awesome tutorial as always, Tim. Same problems for me with 6013...can't see puddle, trapped slagged, undercut if I turned up the heat, etc. On my own I stumbled on increasing the travel angle. But real, the best solution for 6013...is to switch to 7014 haha!
Exactly my thought. If you can work with a clean surface, why would you mess with 6013.
I found the same thing. I learned on 6013 and thought I was just bad until I switched to 7014. It is better in every single way.
Same here. I'm just welding on the farm but never been able to make nice welds with 6013. I can make nice looking welds with 7014 and never had one break. I use 1/8 and sometimes 3/32. 7014 keeps years for me, stronger than 6013 and lays a nice bead so I don't see any reason for 6013. Great video.
Would this still be within about a 10-20' travel angle? I've been trying a lot to get rid of porosity in my welds even with 7018
Great video. I had the same issue with 6013. I’m off to the shed to put your advice into practice. Thanks Tim.
Your clear explanation on problems that might occur during welding , everything makes more sense after watching your video's. great trainer..... thumbs up!!!!!
Nice information Tim. Thanks for continuing to make quality training videos.
Something to consider on future videos is taking a still frame of ‘good’ and another of ‘bad’, and putting them onscreen next to each other. Even better would be drawing some curved lines on the stills showing where the arc defining line is and also the edge of the weld puddle. After you’ve been welding a while, these are easy to see. But people new to welding may not understand where to look. When you show a video and say, “as you can see…”, those of us that have been welding a while can of course see what you’re talking about. But somebody that’s just starting out may not be able to pick out the details.
Yes! I have been looking everywhere to see this cause I don’t know what I should be looking for.
Yeah a little drawing on the arc shots would be nice
I agree as well. A break/snapshot an some hand drawn lines with different colors for slag and weld pool will make this explanation perfect. Maybe direkt in this video as an overlay? Thanks Tim for sharing your experience.
I worked in Todd's Shipyard in Seattle in the 80's and they had the best welders I've ever seen, stick, tig and mig. I moved to Baja 12 years ago and asked around for a good welder. I was told that a fellow in town was the best around. I needed a header for my truck fixed and the job was so bad I ended up spending $500 for a new set. Everything is so half assed down here, I now have only certain people do my repairs but it's taken a long time to learn the ropes. I've been screwed multiple times and they don't even use Vaseline.
Thanks for the hot tip. 6013 is what’s available here in Australia so any advice is always appreciated regards Ardy
I feel like I've seen another 6013 troubleshooting video on TIm's channel but as someone who's only working with 6013 so far, I've done the mistake on the thumbnail so countless times as I was learning on my own. On 6013 fillet welds you really have to make sure that the starting puddle and arc has warmed up and stabilized well, and keep the arc length really close! That's one thing not mentioned in this vid for the issue, I'm guessing arc length got a bit too long and the arc and deposits were just going everywhere. Keeping the arc length small makes it so that the deposits only go where you want it to, and that's critical for a rod where you don't have as much puddle visibility as other rods
yea im pretty sure he could have summarized the video in 2 seconds: dont long arc, increase drag. once ur in the correct amp range its just a matter of travel speed
Just bought your 4 pack bundle, looking forward to getting stuck in! I was a mig welder on a production line for 2 years, 20 years ago. Looking forward to learning the knowledge behind the skill as back in the day it was just practice until you get good, never mind the theory 👍
Thank you so much sir, i had this problem for a long time when i'm doing corner joint welding 6013 is amazing for every joint except corner and lap joint. Please do more of 6013 electrode content since it is rare content also 6013 is very popular in africa and Asia.
Lots of love from Somalia🇸🇴❤
Tim is without doubt the best tutor on TH-cam.. Since I started welding a few years back I've learnt everything from this guy
Excellent video, Tim. Very good info, well explained, and entirely clear. Thanks!
Any weld I make with whatever process, I always focus on the size and shape of the puddle that is visible after the arc and before the freeze line of the slag. I can almost always “see” the finished weld in my minds eye even before the slag is cleaned off. The sliver of light at the sides of the puddle that reflect the arc means it’s blending well to the base metal, and the shape of the puddle where the slag freezes will be the shape of the weld at that point. When I started welding I wasn’t sure what to look at. I have shared that tip with co workers and it helped them as much as it did me.
The molten puddle created is what it’s all about. If you can see what it is doing, you can know how the weld will turn out. If the filter lens is too light, or even too dark, you cannot differentiate between the puddle and the leading edge of the slag, or even the puddle and the arc itself.
Dude, thank you
I was getting the exact same results as the viewr that sent you the email
Gonna try your tips tommorow.
Thanks Tim
Great advice and video. Wish I knew this years ago; it would have helped eliminate a lot of inconsistently I have been experiencing exclusively when running slow on 6013 fillet welds!
Brilliant insight. I always use 6013 and experience exactly this problem
I'm pretty sure I don't have any 6013 because of this problem.
Had this *exact* trouble today with *Forney 7018AC!!!*
Turned current up, gave it more angle…
I'm lucky finding this channel. I have the same problem like this. Thanks man.
You are a great teacher, Tim!
Thank you, have had this problem with 6013 and, as others have said, worked out for myself that upping the amps and adding some rod angle seemed to sort it out, good to have this technique confirmed.
Just today was 6013 welding some 1-5/8" pipe 1/8 thick and had that problem. I'll try increasing the stick angle tomorrow to see if that helps. Did not want to turn amps up to 90 because of pipe thickness. Since i'm welding around the circumference of the pipe, keeping the stick angle constant is a challenge.
Real advice is; STOP USING 6013, go to 6011. And if you want a stronger arc force, try electrode negative! This will push that slag away from the puddle way better, and keeps the heat down, so the issue of undercut is drastically reduced.
6011 costs 8 times as much, and hate humidity. There are reasons why the 6013 are the most used electrodes
@@fuckingpippaman where i am price is about the same, and not particulary sensitive to humidity, not like 7018 eg.
why would you use 6013 in the first place unless you are doing root pass? 6010 is far better or 6010P. also 6013 is an ac rod and 6010 is dc which is a far more stable arc.
I did what you said, now I have blown holes all throughout my sheet metal project. Hmmm, wonder why? I'll try 7018 next, that's gotta work.
Can you do a video on welding at awkward angles? In your shop/bench setup, you always weld at “ideal” positions: top down, flat surface. Can you do vertical and even upside down angles? Thanks. Your channel is awesome
I can work some more of that in, for sure. Thanks!
There's another great option if you have a tig with a high frequency start, and a foot pedal. Set your amps at 150, don't bother scratch starting, just hit your foot pedal. Start off flooring it. After a few seconds back off on foot pedal till its welding like you want. Your foot pedal controls your amperage. You can adjust the heat as you go. If your rod sticks simply back off the pedal, let cool a second and break loose, start again, no bent rods and etc. Weld getting too hot at the end, back off pedal and finish weld at lower heat. Wish I'd known of this 30 years ago.
I could actually really see the difference here. Not sure which line was the one you were talking about as the clearly-defined puddle, but I did pick up a small box of Harbor Freight 7018 to practice with during the course, then I'll come back to my massive box of name brand 6013.
I recently purchased your online course, and have completed stick welding. You should add this as a troubleshooting step! I was having this issue in every fillet and some lap joints, it would have been easier to have it included in the lessons vs having to research it elsewhere. But overall I like the course and learned (but not mastered) stick quickly. Can’t wait to start on the shielded processes though, slag and smoke suck!
Great! Have been having this exact same problem. Could you have lines on still images to show what we should be looking for and what not please? Maybe a what to look for for various types of common electrodes please?
Yeah ace Tim nice to have some good commentary rather than other vids with no explanation like on most youtube vids out there
Thanks Mr. Tim, truly you solve the issues in E - 6013 electrode, Godbless!
For me, 6013 must be declared illegal, like cocaine. Both of them are giving the same health effects: dilated pupils,nausea,raised blood pressure, fast or irregular heartbeat, restlessness...🙄
I still do a fair bit of welding using 6010 , 6013, 7018 and I am relatively easy using any of these . I have some esab stainless rods as well . I sometimes even now get a bit of slag inclusion because I weld very thin metals and as you would know stick and paper thin metals don’t really like each other
I would recommend using E6010 or E6011 instead of the E6013 for what you are welding. If you were welding thinner material then the E6013 would probably be suggested. Also, I recommend welding in the middle of the amperage range for a particular rod rather than at the extremes unless there is some particular reason. The other thing that many people overlook is that the key variable is the heat input expressed in kilojoules per inch. The heat input will depend on the thickness of the metals being joined and rod diameter, but generally, the range for effective welding is going to be 15 to 50 kJ/in. You can reduced the amperage and travel slower, or increase the amperage and travel faster to have the same heat input. Insufficient heat input results in lack of penetration and lack of fusion, while excessive heat input results in burn through and splatter. Arc length is also important.
hth
Hey Tim excellent video, just thought I'd mention (I know most of us know this, but the hobbyist/new welders may not) that the reason 6013 rods run the way they do is because of the Flux coating. I'm no metallurgist and honestly don't know exactly how it works, except it has to do with how the Flux reacts while it's being burned away. That is why 7018 runs the way it does, has to do with the low hydrogen content, or why inverter welding machines (lower end ones) can't run 6010 because of the cellulose content in the flux.
6010 by coating design are required to have some 4-7%wt free H2O. 7018 by coating design is usually less than 1/2%wt free H2O. AWS spec require diffusable hydrogen to be measured, classified & designated on 7018 such as H4, H8 etc. BTW, most if not all 7018 coatings designs these days are non-hydroscopic. (moisture resistant or low moisture pickup). Unfortunately, welding codes may of not caught up to these MRs & still require holding ovens prior to use. Usually both 6010s & 7018s are delivered in hermetically sealed containers. Hmmm, wonder why. ;-)
Retired welder here, P5 6010, 6011, 7018, 7024, mig, tig, all fine no problem but god I hated welding with a 6013. 😂
I've been stick welding for 50 years and still do but less nowadays. I listen, if you listen you can hear if the amperage is high as there's a lot of noise from the splatter. Likewise, too low amperage and the rod sounds as though the arc is drowning in the puddle rather than being on top of the job.
Just my opinion, wondered what your thoughts are as I rarely hear, listening to the weld as a solution to help correct the amperage.
I've only watched a handful of your videos so far, but a burning question I have is about travel speed, and in your close-up arc shots I can't tell if they are real-time, or slowed down. In shots from behind the weld, some are obviously sped-up. It would help to know when the video playback speed is changed.
Something I wish I knew 30 years ago, running 6013 HOT realy helps, if ya not running high in the amp range go to a smaller rod and run that hot.
The other thing is we where steered toward 3.2 mm ( 1/8") rods as the go to, but for a lot of work they where too heavy and we where running too low in the amp range.
.
combine this with looking thru fixed shade, manual lenses that where too dark for the work, i'm not surprised we struggled
This was a great video Tim, Clear and concise, and very well explained.
I have to use 6013 in all positions I run them on DC- turn the amps up a tad and touch down slag peels leaving a very nice flat micro rippled bead. DC+ = Arc blow for what I weld.
Smaw student here..hello creator!
Trying to do some plug welds with Stick and I keep getting undercut/slag stuck in the plug. It’s a real pain where I don’t think rod angle will help. Anyone able to offer any advice?
Love the videos Tim, very informative and well put together.
Hi 👋 how long does it take for you to finish your ear to ear as for me it took me 3 day s thank u , my work absolutely changed after watching your videos ❤
Hmmm. Looks like he’s lifting & dragging the Electrode. If you’re new to this then try resting the tip of the Electrode on the material, right in the corner of the joint, so it’s touching both plates. Don’t drag the Electrode. Let the Electrode push itself along as it fuses into the metal, just holding it gently as you go. You’ll have to get the angle of the Electrode correct so that the Slag doesn’t find a way to race ahead of the Weld. This may take a bit of practice. When you complete your Welding run it should be free from defects & a nice even width. The Amperage used will depend on the recommended range set by the Electrode manufacturer & how good your Welding Plant is. The Slag should lift itself off easily with little scraping. If you’re having to chip away the Slag & it’s tough going then you’re probably Welding using too high a temperature. Happy Welding!!
I have been having the very same issue but in a worse way. The slag would actually fill those holes left behind and it is quite hard to remove them.
I need to try this but the main challenge I think I will face is, I am using thin square tubing. At this amperage, I am pretty sure that I will be "burning" through the material very easily.
Do spot welds 1/2 on top of each other & a tight arc
What is the major difference between 6013 and 7014? I had class two days ago using 6013 and my welds looked awful. Today I used 7014 and it looked alot better and was easier to use.
Many tanks! Solved my 6013 problem :). God bless!
Nice one Tim, thank you. On some future video, could you maybe edit a picture of a welding in progress to show that boundary between the weld pool and slag, please? Not obvious to me with the 6013, not sure what I should be looking at.
Rookie here hey 👋
The slag should not exceed past the middle of the puddle . If you use an auto lens adjust so you can see the slag running around on the puddle . If you are using a regular green lens #11 then go to gold leaf (it blocks mor UV rays) & drop to #10 , that is all I ever used to use
I learned more lesson today that i will never forget thank you sir may God continue to bless you 🙏 please sir how do I take follow you on line
Thanks for your clear explanation
honestly, could be a few things. I got my certifications back in shop class in high school with stick, mig and tig, flat vertical and overhead. The 3 pictures I see of his welds, one with the holes in the weld that could be a few things- either going too fast with the stick, or in a windy environment, where the gasses are being blown away from the weld, (which is bad, those gasses are needed to make the localization of the weld inert so the filler material can penetrate. Also could be from dirty work environment, like not cleaning the weld area before welding, you want all rust, paint, and contaminants cleaned off the weld area before welding or it could react and cause holes in your welds. The second weld that looks really rusty (thats obviously way too hot, too many amps running through the welder, lower it down some. 3rd weld looks like it didn't penetrate good, going too fast with the welder, but also too hot/too many amps through the welder.
When welding, match the rods to the thickness of the material you are welding. Match them to be about the same size as the thickness of the thinnest material you are welding. Then prepare the area, if you are in a windy environment outside, set up some weld curtains to keep the wind off the welds. Proper setting of the machine- use a scrap piece of material that matches the material you are welding and set your welder, it should sound like bacon frying or popcorn popping if you have your machine set right. Most of the time you can save on welding rods, if what you are welding doesn't need to be air or water tight, you can use 1 inch stitch welds to "glue" pieces of metal together. prepare your welding area by cleaning the area, clean off all contaminations, like oil, paint, rust, etc. Grind a bevel or a V shape onto the pieces of metal you are trying to piece together and and if you are repairing something broke or cracked, go to the end of the crack, and use a drill at the end of the crack and drill a hole at the main end. This will prevent the crack from cracking any further. After you weld, if you want you can grind off the excess weld, wait until the work piece completely cools and use some sort of paint on it to protect the area from rusting in the future.
When you weld, just remember, you are not doing any fancy movements, unless you are using a Tig Welder, then that requires "walking the cup". OR if you are doing vertical welds, which require the backwards Z beads (starting at the bottom of the work piece, you are only moving the stinger/rod from left to right, then from fright to left, then left to right, all the way up the work piece until you run out of rod or you get to the end of the weld area. I see so many bad how to videos on youtube that claim to be instructors or in the industry for 50 years and they say you need to use TIG techniques on a flat weld. Which is hilariously wrong. KISS. Keep it simple stpid. On flat you just move the rod left to right at a 45 degree angle, slowly. Nothing special about it. You want good penetration and you want to fill in all the material missing with the welding rod filler material, to fuse the metal back together.
We use metric so its 2.5mm 3mm 4mm etc, 2.5's if not having the amps down and rushing will give you the issues you are talking about, but the 3mm and 4mm at 90 amps should give you a nice run, when welding 3mm thick steel, any thicker and I would go as high as 110- 120 amps. Only use hydrogen high/lows for steel.
Good video man. Those are some awesome tips thanks and keep the videos coming
Thanks Tim, you’re a great educator.
Thanks for the videos, finally I found the way out 🙏
Great tuition, thamkyou, I've been making some gates for the last few days and have started feeling like I've got the flu, could it be the welding
Thank you, all the best to you and your loved ones
Thanks Tim I got your website and will be in contact. Have a great day.
The best 6013 rods are MUREX VODEX as they weld over anything and are also brilliant positional rods with no undercut
Wow, amazing lesson. Thank you, much appreciated!
This happens to me a lot. I have a 110v 100 amp buzz box, so can't turn up the amperage. The most I can do seems to be 3/32" 6013. I'll try the steeper electrode angle next time.
Good job!
Could plz make a video on welding steel disk to steel rod.
Deppending of the welding position depends ur amps, on a flat i run 85 amps with a bit of a whip
I have a lot of expired fire extinguishers like the ones behind you that I want to make stuff out of. What rod, amperage and technique would you recommend?
I'm having a few problems!
Great channel Tim! Thanks for all the tips.
Coming from Mig/TIG, I struggle with this issue the most. It’s often frustrating and heartbreaking. Thanks for the insights, I’ll give it a shot.
Help me out, here's my setup on my past problem. 6010 like your rod here, 60-70 amps, and the going speed like you do here in this vid.
So the problem was the slag keeps going under the weld, is it because i grind the crack to expose it and make the weld go deep and stick well?? I didn't put an angle to that grind just a straight shallow cut like.
Great video. Thanks Tim!
6013 is basically sheet metal rod because it does not penetrate. Try 6010 dc rod or 6011 ac rod all around most versatile mild steel rods that penetrate you will never go back. No reason to fight with a welding rod that doesn’t penetrate and traps slag.
Hi, good explanation of the problem and how to avoid it. However I am very interested to see a solution on how to correct that same weld without redoing it completely.
Get all the slag out that you can ,switch over to 6011 or 6010 , as the flux on the rod burns adding to the heat & leave your welder set the same , so it really digs in ; drag into the previous weld where it joins the piece to be welded so it cuts in & under to insure there is no slag in there , pull around unto the weldment watching carefully that you fill it all up. If you fill to much & have excess , you can grind it off , if material is to thin you may have to clamp on a backer strip to absorb heat , if you use copper or brass for backer & you burn through , weld won’t stick to it. As others have said KEEP THE ARKS SHORT.
The particular brand of rod goes far. There is a term thrown about too often: "All things being equal". In 6 decades I have not found it. Quality control, atmospheric conditions (especially Florida), bead application technique, push, pull, weave, etc., and prep all contribute to the weld as well as the welder itself. While not a "professional" welder I have done a lot of it. One of my biggest issues is patience!
Thanks for the post!
Thank you
Great demonstration