Just recently started stick welding, self taught. Great website, learned a lot from you. Tips for starting arc with stick for the basic newbie that I have learned.
1.If the stick, sticks, take off your stinger from the rod, and break, if you leave it hooked up, the stick will seem gummy.
2. The damn stick isn't fragile, its not a match :) I most of the time use the punch and pull method, but if your having trouble, push that damn rod into the metal while moving, it will not break like a match head, push so hard the rod bends a little, this will help you get a feel for the "match start" procedure. I thought it was fragile till I started practicing pushing hard and going faster.