Question for the welders out there

I gotta agree with Mike, as I've never found a rod that won't burn on DC but there pretty picky on AC use.

I've found that just trying different rods on DC you might be supprised of how well they run. 6010 is a DCEP rod but it works very well on galvanize with DCEN. 6011 on DCEN is another good choice that's rated for AC use.

And then there's some brand of electrodes that work well on DC and AC and another brand of the same rod type that won't weld worth a darn on either mode. Horbart electrodes fit this latter catagory well.

T_Bone

I run 7014 on DC all the time. Can't really see any difference from AC in the bead it puts down. 7014 is a medium penetration rod, like 7018. It has iron powder in the flux for high deposition, also like 7018. But it's not a low hydrogen rod like 7018 so no special storage is required, but it won't satisfy a welding procedure calling for low hydrogen weldment.

In my experience, 7014 strikes easier than 7018, but it's a little more likely to entrap slag, so it's a tradeoff, like everything else.

All the best, Stan

6010 works really well for a root pass weld as it has very little slag and a very smooth arc. 7014 has a very dense slag and will trap slag much easier on a open root weld much like 7018 will.

You mention tensile stregth of the 6010 and yes the 70 series is slightly stronger but in 90% of home type welding you would not notice this lack of extra strength. However you would notice how well the 6010 lays in a fast bead and is overall more useful for farm type welding.

Another good use of 6010 is plug welding roof decking. Here you burn thru the deck metal then weld to the joist while back filling to weld the decking.

On the other hand 6010 is used for making certified welds on pipe from the root pass to the cover pass and does it very well and is the rod of choice amoung pipe welders.

T_Bone