How to Stick Weld

A Quick Overview of Different Stick rods and what they are used for

Stick Welding is also known as Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMA), and just plain Arc Welding.

It is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to get started welding.

All you need is a welding machine, some stick electrodes, a welding helmet and basic safety gear and you can get started welding.

A quick Description of the most common Stick rods

6010 rods are used a lot for open roots on pipe welds as well as pipeline welds made downhill from root to cover pass.  6010 are DC rods and are often run on DCEP but will also run on DCEN depending on the procedure or weld type

6011 rods will run all polarities and will run especially well using an AC buzz box.  Some small inverter welders will not run a 6010 but will do fine with 6011 due to the stabilizers in the flux that help maintain the arc.

6013 rods are easy to restart so a lot of welding schools start students off with 6013.  My personal experience is that I welded with 6013 for my first day or two in welding school and then never used them again in my whole career except to make these welding videos.

7014 rods burn similar to 6013 and will weld on all polarites but have heavier flux coating with extra iron powder and deposit more metal than 6013

7018 rods are the backbone of the construction industry in the USA for structural as well as pressure piping.  7018 are low hydrogen rods and should be used fresh out of the can or out of a rod oven to ensure the low hydrogen performance.

Learn Basic Stick Welding Starting with 6013 with Bonus Tips on "How Not to Weld"

6013 electrodes restart easily and will work with any polarity.

AC, DCEP, DCEN.  All work very well.

Same goes for 7014.

6013 and 7014 are very similar but 7014 has a much heavier flux coating and lays down and fatter bead.

7018 Multipass Tee 2F position with Cut and Etch Test

Why Low Hydrogen? and What is hydrogen embrittlement?

Hydrogen embrittlement from welding happens when hydrogen atoms enter the metal during or after welding, making the metal more likely to crack. This is why low hydrogen electrodes are often specified for structural welds.

7018 is one of the most commonly used low hydrogen electrodes but low hydrogen rods are no longer low hydrogen if left out in the atmosphere too long.

What does it mean for a rod to be classified as low hydrogen?

7018 Overhead Quick tips

Video on Overhead Welding with 7018 Stick rods in rooftop position

Overhead Welding with 7018 can be challenging at first.

But once you learn to hold a tight arc, slight drag angle, with correct amperage, things get much easier.

One big mistake I made when I was first learning was setting the amperage too low.

Amperage should be set high enough to where you can hold a tight arc ( electrode diameter or slightly less) without the rod sticking.