7018 welding rod

Nebraska Cowman · Apr 3, 2015

I bought a package of 7018 rod and so far I can't get it to light. I have the amps turned up to 160 and it's only 1/8 rod. I've never seen anything like it. If I ever do get it lit it promptly goes out. And if I hold it any closer it sticks. What am I doing wrong or did I get a bad batch of rod? See why I HATE to weld?

ditchwitch · Apr 3, 2015

your not running enough heat.

Buzzman72 · Apr 3, 2015

Has the rod drawn humidity, or gotten damp?

ditchwitch · Apr 3, 2015

That flux will fingernail over the metal in the rod making it hard to just start on the metal. you have to drag that rod alittle then pick up that helps alot

Dalex · Apr 3, 2015

That comes in DC and AC rod , they act quite differently if you are using the wrong current.

Hank ABAB · Apr 3, 2015

Nebraska,

You do not state what type of welding machine you have.
If you just have an "AC buzzbox" as a welding machine, the OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE is likely too low.
7018 electrodes will work on AC current, but you need an OCV of around 60, and you would be good to go without any problem.

old · Apr 3, 2015

Fill in the gaps in your info. What type of machine you using AC or DC. If AC good chance you have DC rods and if your not much of a welder they are super hard o work with on AC.

gene bender · Apr 3, 2015

It is hard to start but with practice you will make it work keep it closed so it doesent get exposed to damp air thats why a "hotbox" helps. Plywood box with door and a 40 watt lite works fine.

bison · Apr 3, 2015

I think you lack experience.
7018 are harder to start and have a tendency to stick.
1/8 rod will need at least 110+ amps to burn properly, 160 is def to hot
If you have one that does not want to start tap the electrode straight down on another piece of metal or on the concrete floor to break the flux of the tip

Nebraska Cowman · Apr 3, 2015

Thanks for all the comments. my welder is a 230 amp Century AC. I have a bunch of old rod that has been in the damp for years, both 5/32 and 1/8 and it works fine. I don't know what number it might be. I bought the 7018 because i was under the impression it was a stronger weld. It is new in the box and has never been wet. We have not had any rain or snow all winter)You wet weather country folks don't know what dry is. I bury stale potato chips in the yard overnight to crisp them up. getting back to the impossible to start rod. It's KT Industries E7018 1/8 says on the box it can be used AC or DC, 100- 140 amps (made in China)"gen purpose, low moisture, low hydrogen. Features easy start/ restart, easy slag removal, very easy to control," blah blah blah.

rusty6 · Apr 3, 2015

After 40 years of practice welding I have only burned up one package of 7018s and I hated using them. The old Smith Roles AC180 is a good durable welder and will work with any other rod I have tried except those stubborn 7018s. Oh they did work eventually but extremely difficult to strike and hold an arc. 6011,6013 and 7014 are my choice and much easier to work with.

bison · Apr 3, 2015

(quoted from post at 12:19:45 04/03/15) Thanks for all the comments. my welder is a 230 amp Century AC. I have a bunch of old rod that has been in the damp for years, both 5/32 and 1/8 and it works fine. I don't know what number it might be. I bought the 7018 because i was under the impression it was a stronger weld. It is new in the box and has never been wet. We have not had any rain or snow all winter)You wet weather country folks don't know what dry is. I bury stale potato chips in the yard overnight to crisp them up. getting back to the impossible to start rod. It's KT Industries E7018 1/8 says on the box it can be used AC or DC, 100- 140 amps (made in China)"gen purpose, low moisture, low hydrogen. Features easy start/ restart, easy slag removal, very easy to control," blah blah blah.

aybe it is the brand that ain't any good but 7018 usually burn worth a vart on AC. 7018 burns the best with DC
I only use 7018 and DC,... it is my rod of choice for just about everthing.
7014 is only used here to tack things together and on really small jobs( they start easy but make not near a nice weld as 7018)

Dick L · Apr 3, 2015

7018 is about all I use in stick welding. It is a learned hand control where you scratch and lift slightly so it does not stick but not enough to where it looses the fire. I strike an arc with the rod by scratching at about a 45° angle. I buy DC rod but don't have a problem running it on a AC buzz box.

Nebraska Cowman · Apr 3, 2015

yeah, I've welded in poor dirty conditions all my life. I thought I knew how to strike an arc but this stuff has me beat.

M-MAN · Apr 3, 2015

Throw them away and buy 6011's or buy a DC welder and use them. Yes some ac welders will run them but most won't. It ain't worth the hassle.

Janicholson · Apr 3, 2015

probably made from old F-20s resold as rod.. Your parenthesis statement might be the main difficulty. Jim

RodinNS · Apr 3, 2015

Based on what you say I suspect you've just got plain old 7018 rods that will not burn on an AC machine. The fact that the package says they'll work on either doesn't mean much to me... The only 7018AC rods that I ever had much luck with were Blue Shield rods too... and they very clearly will denote the fact that they are E7018AC rods. I'd be inclined to get some if you need them and sell the cheap ones to someone else who has a DC machine that will burn them. 120-135 amp should burn a 1/8" 7018.

Rod

Dblair · Apr 3, 2015

7018 is a iron powder , 70,000 tensile strength rod , that will weld in any position Ac or dc , even though I like it better on dc . it's a great rod . it will even weld just laying there on a 45 degree angle . the heat range on that rod should be from 125 on 1/4 inch stuff up to 160 amps . good luck with it . it appears that your ground may not be cutting it .

vscummins · Apr 3, 2015

I am not a welder but I was building. A box for my truck had some 7018 couldn't get it to do anything finally got some 6011 and was able to weld and finish the project .

mkirsch · Apr 3, 2015

1. What brand rod?

2. Have you ever run 7018 before?

Nebraska Cowman · Apr 3, 2015

I give up. I went out and found a pretty clean chunk of iron, clamped the ground on with a vice grip to make sure that was not my problem. No change. By turning up the amps to 200 it and really working at it I could get it to strike an arc maybe once in 20 tries, and it would hold it about that long too. So I grabbed a couple of my old junk, been damp, stored in an open box for years rod, 1 1/8 and 1 5/32 (5/32 has always been my preferred size) I could run a bead with both but as expected 200 is way too hot. So then I turned the fire back to 120, now the old rod runs a pretty fair bead, fair for an old man that hates to weld anyway. But when I re-tried the 7018 with no other changes, it will not do a (expletive removed) thing. I can knock the flux off, DRAG it across the iron at a 45 degree angle and maybe it will spark a little but it will NOT light off. Not even close. I did notice when I did get the 7018 to arc at 200 amp that when it died the rod would be burned back quite a ways inside the flux, nearly an eight inch. Is that normal? Anyway I have a nearly full 10# box of 7018 somebody can have. And I'll even throw in a jar of Vaseline.

vscummins · Apr 3, 2015

That was my exact experience with this box of rod I bought I've Neve liked 7018 for anything just can't get it to run i am not a welder though .

Nebraska Kirk · Apr 3, 2015

Despite what the label says, it sounds like that is a DC 7018. I run 7018AC in my welder and it works just fine. Like you discovered, DC rod does not work worth a ______ on AC current!

Weldcase · Apr 3, 2015

7018 is a structural steel welding rod only, it is meant to be kept in an oven when not in use. If it is opened out of the package, it has a life of 8 hours, after which time it is junk, if not kept in an oven. We have to get our welds certified every year, to be able to weld on structural buildings, and need to weld with this rod. You are probably using old rod as they will not weld good after 8 hours, they tell us there is a chemical breakdown, which just makes them "stick" and not weld at all. Hope this helps. Use the "farmer" rod like I do for most things that don't require certification. 7014 x 1/8

JRSutton · Apr 3, 2015

Same here, I've run 7018 on the old ac tombstone plenty of times. It might get a little sticky and not always simple to start, but I've never had that much trouble.

I'm pretty far from being a pro, so I know for a fact it CAN work. I don't think your equipment is the problem.

Sounds like you've probably got at least as much experience as me, if not a lot more - so I doubt you're the problem.

That leaves the rods.

I'd try a different brand - pick up one of those small, cheap packs.

Perhaps the pack you got wasn't sealed and absorbed moisture.

roy prins · Apr 3, 2015

A lot of good advice on here for sure - but for me them rods suck -- if I need something like cast iron repaired I will get out the torch and braise it -- never failed yet-just sayin-- Roy

Hank ABAB · Apr 3, 2015

It is likely the cheap welding machine that sucks, not the rod.
If the machine will not run an E7018 electrode, you need a better machine.

A better machine does cost more, but you end up getting your money back and more on re-sale.
Look on the Name Plate and note what the OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE is.

Less than 60?
Don't buy it.

Cheap welding machines are cheap for a reason.

bison · Apr 3, 2015

(quoted from post at 16:18:15 04/03/15) 7018 is a structural steel welding rod only, it is meant to be kept in an oven when not in use.[b:bd14477530] If it is opened out of the package, it has a life of 8 hours, after which time it is junk, if not kept in an oven.[/b:bd14477530] We have to get our welds certified every year, to be able to weld on structural buildings, and need to weld with this rod. [b:bd14477530]You are probably using old rod as they will not weld good after 8 hours, they tell us there is a chemical breakdown, which just makes them "stick" and not weld at all. [/b:bd14477530]Hope this helps. Use the "farmer" rod like I do for most things that don't require certification. 7014 x 1/8

don't know about all that? probably BS salesman talk to sell more product or they want to steer clear of liability?

I been welding with 7018 and 7014 for close to 50 years.
I just keep them under the work bench in the factory carton box opened on the small end next to the welder.
I never have had them in a freezer or oven or heated box but i do keep them dry
Some sizes like 5/32 or 3/16 that don't get used to much can be 2 years old or more.
I never had the problems you mention and i can't recall a weld let go or crack because of it and i have fixed and fabricated plenty in my life time.
They all burn just fine

T in NE · Apr 3, 2015

I could come give you a hand in the morning if you still need to do some of that welding. Haven't run a stick much in the last couple years though.

rankrank1 · Apr 3, 2015

Well an AC output buzzbox is not the ideal machine at all to run 7018 IMOP as it is primarilay a DC rod.

If you dead set on having using this level of rod then go with 7018AC which will run on your AC output machine.

That all said, any 7018 or 7018Ac should technically be stored in a rod oven. They can get quite tempermental to run when they draw moisture.

7014 will run like a dream on that AC machine of yours so do make sure to try it out. You may find you like welding much better than you thought and this rod requires no rod oven either.

Nebraska Cowman · Apr 3, 2015

yeah, I'll pick up some 7014 the next time I'm in town. I have used that before.

moresmoke · Apr 3, 2015

I have a box of KT rods, that I would give away, but haven't found anyone I hate that much. Throw them away and get some name brand rods, ie. Lincoln, Hobart, or even Radnor. Since you have an AC machine it would be best to get 7018AC. I have a really nice Blue engine drive, and struggle with the KT rods.

mj · Apr 3, 2015

(quoted from post at 11:49:43 04/03/15) I bought a package of 7018 rod and so far I can't get it to light. I have the amps turned up to 160 and it's only 1/8 rod. I've never seen anything like it. If I ever do get it lit it promptly goes out. And if I hold it any closer it sticks. What am I doing wrong or did I get a bad batch of rod? See why I HATE to weld?

If you can find a 'high frequency' unit somewhere it will allow you to run DC rod like what you've probably got on a 'buzz box' BUT don't try using one if you have a pacemaker :shock:

Jon Hagen · Apr 4, 2015

7018 is a DC rod and will not work well on an AC welder, for that you need 7018DC rod.

7018 even with the correct welder is tougher to weld "out of position".

We have found that 7018 DC rods run on a DC welder, will produce much better "out of position"(Verticle or overhead welds)

mkirsch · Apr 4, 2015

You still have not answered:

1. What brand rods?
2. Have you welded with 7018 before?

7018 is certainly not junk after being exposed for more than 8 hours. That is pure baloney.

You can't use them to weld in a professional setting, but unless the flux is falling right off them they are fine for general fabrication and farm use.

7018 welding rod

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