Electrode Poor performance and how to fix it

[Wood Butcher]

EDIT: Checking my electrodes shows them to be E4112, AWS A5.1 E6013 by CIGWELD (Ferrocraft 12XPs). Since I use them on a small stick welder for general purpose home use, I hope they are suitable. If not, what would you suggest?

Groggy, I would't have any qualms using those rods myself. The are a good general purpose rod that is suitbale for most welds I would expect you would be doing at home. I do prefer the 4113 rods for general use, but I do have a box of 12's for when I am either doing positional welding or want a bit more firey arc especially with gal coated steel.

[journeyman Mick]

...............Just leaving the bloody things in an open packet for a couple of months can be enough. Humid weather and moisture content in the air can be tough on them.................

Just leaving them in an open packet for a day or so during a good wet season is enough to wreck them around here. I keep mine in a drying cabinet (large aluminium meter box with a heating element fitted) along with all my abrasives, biscuits and any other humidity sensitive stuff. I've also seen them kept in a pie warming oven turned all the way down.

Mick

[Grahame Collins]

Groggy,
12 XP,s are a fine rod they are suitable for nearly everthing a light fabricator ( read home DIY bloke) could ever tackle.
They are cable of being used to perform flat welding, vertical up beads and even overhead. yes all this and more is possible on most home stick welder machines.I 'm back at school now but when I get a free momemnt I'll write up a thingy on positional welding if reader feel it's warranted.

RE comments on electrode storage
Even a old fridge withan 80 watt globe was what sufficiced a an electrode oven. Just storing them so moisture in the air can't spoil makes them last for ages.

Grahame

[Groggy]

They are cable of being used to perform flat welding, vertical up beads and even overhead. yes all this and more is possible on most home stick welder machines.

Really? Darn, it must be me then .

It's nice to know I've got the right rods since welding is really something beyond my experience base. The limited amount I've done has worked eventually: 10 mins welding, 20 mins grinding, 10 mins welding, more grinding etc. When I get a bigger shed I may do a short course for some general DIY. It's great to read this stuff though, I've learnt quite a bit reading these welding posts.

thanks

[aussiecolector]

12P's are easy to get on with. I use very few though since I got the mig. Mig wire is something you want to protect from moisture, big problems if it gets rusty.

[Schtoo]

Grahame, how did you know?

Yep, they are Kobelco and they are good, at least through the welder I have. About $100 worth and heavy. Unlike the most recent Cigweld unit I picked up.

But the only real comparison of rods are random specification and freshness WIA and Cigweld rods on varying qualities of welder.

Anyways, I'll still find what it says again and let you know. Might give you some info you didn't need to know.

[Groggy]

I've looked at Google and Wikipedia - what do you mean by "positional" welding?

[Grahame Collins]

Schoo
I made an educated guess.From what I understand Kobelco electrodes enjoy an excellent reputation and dominate most of their home market.As I said,I have used their LB52U's and swear by them. LB52U's are are a specialised electrode and are used in Uranami welding ( a term that I understand to mean welding from one side -as in a root penetration bead in a pipe butt weld ) Correctly handled they produce a bead approaching a TIG weld appearance.
I assume you have a mild mild welding electrode .It may be coded 6012 or 6013 adjacent to the bare bit.The yanks are users of their products in the oil industry so that must count for something.It would love to get my mits on the mils steel versions they make.I would expect them to be as good as their high strength LB52U,s

Groggy,
Positional welding in welding terms is where the surface being welded upon is vertical, overhead or anywhere in between. I trained the X ray level welders to this standard for years. You have not lived until you have laid on your back and put an bead in over your head and have the sparks come down and burn through your leather hat- like a foily, but for welders. No wonder I have'nt got much hair left.I got burnt away.
Cheers
Grahame

[DanP]

You have not lived until you have laid on your back and put an bead in over your head and have the sparks come down and burn through your leather hat- like a foily, but for welders. No wonder I have'nt got much hair left.I got burnt away.

Ah, laying on your back in a boiler tube, overalls on fire, worrying about if you took your lighter out of your pocket and getting zapped every time you change rods. I really miss welding.

Nothing like a good positional root bead...

Dan

[journeyman Mick]

Ah, laying on your back in a boiler tube, overalls on fire, worrying about if you took your lighter out of your pocket and getting zapped every time you change rods. I really miss welding.

Nothing like a good positional root bead...

Dan

Did a lot of Aluminium boat builds/fitouts a few years back, working ridiculous hours to meet deadlines. Whenever I started feeling a bit sorry for myself I'd watch some poor bugger lying in the bilge or inside one of the fuel or sewage tanks trying to weld the sole to the framing over their heads. Some of the tanks were so tight it would have been near impossible to get them out if something went wrong. Full of unsafe work practices that place was :mad: .

Mick

[Schtoo]

Grahame, if you can give me a number I can ask about, I'll see if I can't dig some up for you.

One of the guys I play softball with cuts out steel shapes for the cranes and ships that get built around here, another works for a coachbuilders and there is always the local crane company, Tadano.

If they are not hiding around here somewhere, then they don't exist.

(Freaking crazy, all this steel working stuff around here, but do you think I can easily buy anything but plain old mild steel?)

[Grahame Collins]

Hi Schoo
Thank you for your kind offer.
I did a google on Kobelco and crikey ,their bloody handbook runs to a 180 plus pages.I am completely blown away.I have never seen a company with the volume of consumables these guys offer.You could change electrode types every day and not see the same type again for a year.Talk about spoilt for choice.
These guys have everything.The parent company is Kobe steel.Surelyif steel is a core business, they must have some of the steel goodies you are searching for.
For the time being won't ask for anything electrode wise but might trouble you later on,if the offer is still open later. We are so busy at school that I am getting less and less opportunities to read the forum.
Once again thank you very much.
Grahame

[Dobre]

I know that this is an very old thread but is always good to rebirth them and simply to remind us about electrode care. Electrodes can be purchased cheaply but its a pain in the butt when you need to do some welding and you have left your packet out in the rain after that last job you did around the house. The time and money wasted going to buy a new pack to simply run a couple of beads on your trailer.
Make a little bit of an effort to correctly store your rods and they will be ready for when you need them next. A very good thread from Grahame.

[danielhobby]

While this discussion has been going on I cut up some pipe, painted it and put some caps on. It took a full fifteen minutes with the extended drying time for the paint in the cold weather. I even put a small bit of rubber at each end to stop banging the rods. Overkill is my middle name .

Thanks again for the tip Grahame.

EDIT: Checking my electrodes shows them to be E4112, AWS A5.1 E6013 by CIGWELD (Ferrocraft 12XPs). Since I use them on a small stick welder for general purpose home use, I hope they are suitable. If not, what would you suggest?

very good choice for general mucking about and mild steel positional welding,probably the most commonly used electrode for farmers,home handymen and tradies site welding etc