Best welding rod

I plan on welding some 3/8 thick hot rolled steel and I want the best possible joint. I have 7013 and 7014 but not sure it is the best. Any suggestions would help a lot.

Depends what type joint.If its a fillet joint it would be 7018.The 13 last two digit series[7013] is a mild penetrtion rod.There is probably an AWS chart somewhere on the web.Of the two rods you mentioned I would use the 7014 over the 7013.However the 7014 is also a light or mild penetration rod and may not be suitable either depending on the final purpose of the part or structure being welded.I would bring this question to the tool talk section as there is several weldors there often.Describe the type of joint intended and what your doing.I mean if its for a shelf in your shop ok 7013 if its for an engine hoist,no good.I weld brackets for large transformers and only use 6010 and 7018 so they dont hit me on the head.I have also said on tooltalk if you have a welder you need an AWS rod chart.Hope you can get a better answer since mine is not that helpful.Good luck.

You probably mean 6013 and 7014. The 7014 is a better rod but not the best rod if you want maximum strength. Like dr. sportster said 7018 is the strongest mild steel rod. 6010 are strong but are a rougher looking weld with less build up. 7018 and 6010 are for dynamic loading while 6013 and 7014 are for static loading. Dynamic means things that twist and move under stress. Static means that it just sits there like a base on a post. You could put more than one pass to give more strength but if you use 7018 and put in a good weld, you should be fine. Make sure the rods stay dry. In your post you said best possible joint. I thought you meant strongest rod. If you did mean joint, you want to make sure you have as thick of weld as the material. On a T joint you need a 3/8 inch leg on the weld. The leg is from the inside corner out to the edge of the weld. If you join the pieces flat, you need to grind a bevel on both pieces so you get full penetration. Usually you can bevel both sides and after one side is welded you can grind into the back of the weld before welding the other side up. You may want to clamp the pieces so they don't pull a lot from the welding. Hope this helps. Dave

Yes,I never heard of the 6013 in the 70 series tensile strength.I have heard of 11018 with 110,psi tensile but dont know why anyone would want the extra expense for it.If they make a 7013 its news to me.

Mild steel is around 60,000 psi tensile so 7018 is more than enough. Tensile strength isn't the only factor in determining the proper rod. They make up to 12018. The higher tensile rods are made for higher tensile or specialty steels like T-1 or chrome moly etc. 7018 is the most used rod on pressure vessels and piping. 6010 is common for field welded pipelines done by hand. It is done going downhill. Other than MIG other rods don't have a lot of strength going vertical down. Dave

Thanks friends. I think I will get some 7018 rod as that seems to be the best advise. My son just might offer to wire weld the project for me.

7014 should work well. As I recall, 7018 doesn't like moisture, which makes it a pain to store in Michigan.

You don't say whether you have a DC or AC welder. For best penetration, 6010 (DC+) or 6011 (AC) are very good choices.

Better stay with the 7018 ran on DC and don't use that wire welder if you want a strong weld !

heres a chart, its not the best but it covers the usual.

http://welding.w4zt.com/charts.html

Jerry,

I think you are on the right track with the 7018. It is a good general purpose rod.

However, for those tricky jobs that require something better, Welco makes a rod called Super Missileweld. It is excellent for making high strength welds on medium & high carbon and dissimilar steels. I have even used it on exhaust manifolds and cast steel with excellent results. It is pricey - about $25/lb but many suppliers sell it by the rod as well.

Here's a link:
<ul><li><a href="Shortcut to: http://www.stoodyind.com/Catalogs/Commercial/current/05catpg394.pdf">Welco Super Missileweld</a></ul>

There's actually a better chart on the same site.

It agrees with what I've been taught: If you want a pretty weld on clean material, 7014 and 7018 are good. If you want a STRONG weld and and you don't care what it looks like, go with 6010 (DC+) or 6011 (AC).
<ul><li><a href="http://welding.w4zt.com/stick.html">Stick selection</a></ul>

The only rod description in the chart using the word strong is 7018.

Yes, Doc. And the only rods that are described as having "deep" penetration are 6010 and 6011. A strong bead with low penetration results in a weak weld joint.

The 7018 section of the chart you linked to also describes the rod as having low penetration.This is not correct 7018 with the last digit being an 8 means medium penetration.Last digit identifies usability.Only last digits 3and 4 are lght penetration[6013-7014]5,6,8,20,27,28,and 2 are medium .Deep penetration is 10,and 1.I realize that not all are actual last digits some are third and fourth digits but thats how the chart works.Now if ya wants to get technical there are eight factors in rod selection.1 base metal strength properties 2base metal composition3weld position[third digit]4Current5joint design and fit up6thickness and shape of base metal7type of service of welded metal [what is part or structure for]probaly most important one8Production efficiency and job conditions.So the more info the guy that wants to make a rod selection can give the better for a weldor to help him make a choice.Which is kinda what Dave the weldor said a week ago.Not trying to argue just trying to be helpful to this question.

I would like to throw a question under this topic if you all dont mind. I have some chipped teeth on my moline big mo 500 flywheel.Can I weld and file these chipped areas to match the other teeth? If so what rod do i want? Is there any major saftey factors (fire)? thanks Shawn

7018--70=70000 lbs tensile strength
7018--1==all positons.
7018-- last digit is electrode characteristics--8-iron powder, low hydrogen-ac, dcr-shallow to medium penetration,convex bead,fill freeze. Unless you are wlding cast or stainless or exotic metals I would suggest you use what you can control the best. 6011 is cheap and a fast chill rod that is easy to use and very forgiving. 6010 and 6013 need a lot prep to make agood weld, if multipass allslag needs to be removed meticulously.

(quoted from post at 23:09:31 12/15/06) 7018--70=70000 lbs tensile strength&lt;br&gt;7018--1==all positons.&lt;br&gt;7018-- last digit is electrode characteristics--8-iron powder, low hydrogen-ac, dcr-shallow to medium penetration,convex bead,fill freeze. Unless you are wlding cast or stainless or exotic metals I would suggest you use what you can control the best. 6011 is cheap and a fast chill rod that is easy to use and very forgiving. 6010 and 6013 need a lot prep to make agood weld, if multipass allslag needs to be removed meticulously.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;

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^
This guy. Use 6013 to tack or root pass, it starts easier. then 7018 to put in the rest of the passes to build up the weld, it's stronger. If the part is cast and thick, grind a vee into it and heat it up first.

(quoted from post at 02:50:24 12/02/06) Mild steel is around 60,000 psi tensile so 7018 is more than enough. Tensile strength isn't the only factor in determining the proper rod. They make up to 12018. The higher tensile rods are made for higher tensile or specialty steels like T-1 or chrome moly etc. 7018 is the most used rod on pressure vessels and piping. 6010 is common for field welded pipelines done by hand. It is done going downhill. Other than MIG other rods don't have a lot of strength going vertical down. Dave &lt;br&gt;

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I wonder what they weld submarine pressure hulls with ?