[chase1994]

Well I have a 230 amp century stick welder and everynow and then, the welding rods stick. But they only really stick when the flux burns off of the metal rod and the part of the rod that only has metal touches it, that is when it sticks. SO is my welder alright or is the coil or something burn out in it?? Thanks

[eloc431962]

What rod what temp are you running. Sounds like your temp is wrong. Cole

[oldschoolrods]

Is it an AC only machine, because if you're running DC rods on that machine it'll stick a lot. Machine is OK, if the transformer was blown you would know it.

[oldred]

The rods are sticking? Wow, I have never heard of that happening!


Ok, sorry about the joke but the point is sticking is common with stick welding (maybe that's why it is called "stick" welding ) and many things could cause this. Not enough heat, wrong polarity for the rod, bare rod end, technique or any and all of the above, believe it or not even a worn "stinger" that will not grip the rod tightly will cause the problem. Some rods, for example the E7018, will easily start without sticking in the larger sizes while the small ones like a 3/32" can sometimes be a PITA to run without sticking. This is because the small rod will be more flexible and also tend to fit looser in the holder, both conditions contributing to the rod being drawn into the weld puddle by the current. Also once a rod has been stuck and broken loose the flux will be cracked and the end of the rod may still be very hot, it is nearly impossible to start an arc without sticking if the end of the rod is red hot.

Now for your particular problem we need to know a couple of things, what kind of welder? AC or DC? What type/size of welding rod?



BTW, once a rod sticks NEVER just wiggle it loose and re-establish the arc and continue on as if nothing has happened! This is probably one of the most common serious mistakes a lot of welders make and it will most certainly leave porosity in the weld in the spot this takes place. If you can not restart the weld with a new rod then, using a piece of scrap, burn off the end of the rod until the area of damaged rod/flux is burned away which usually takes at least 1/4" or so of the rod and sometimes a great deal more than that.

[chase1994]

Ok, thanks you guys. It is a ac welder and it really don't matter what heat setting I put it on or what size rod I use. It still does it. But the end of the rod is bare when it sticks, thats what I was thinking that caused it. It is also a 230 amp welder so it ain't a cheap one. And thanks for the tip oldred. I do yank it off sometimes when it sticks or either pull the stinger off the rod, but I want do it now. so thanks u guys.

[matt167]

99% of the arc welding I do is with an older Century 110 A/C arc welder.. running 110 amps with 6013 rod, I'll weld most anything with little trouble.

1 thing I learned to do, is use a 'cheater plate', clamped to your work by the ground clamp.. once the tip of the rod is glowing red, it won't stick.. what you do is strike an arc on the cheater plate, get the tip good and hot, then move to where you want to weld, quickly so the tip doesn't cool off, then you can just touch your work and it'll arc and you can weld

[chase1994]

thats pretty neat matt167. I will have to try that next time I weld. thanks

[oldred]

Matt I must say you have me a bit puzzled there, it is nearly impossible to establish an arc with the end of the rod red hot. Certainly a "starter" plate or tab such as you describe is an excellent idea just as a run off plate at the end is required for maximum weld integrity. But the advantages to starting the arc on this plate or tab is to allow the arc to stabilize and establish a shielding plume around the weld puddle to prevent porosity and weld bead oxidation which occurs to a small amount when ever the arc is started. Starting the bead along the weld such as occurs whenever the rod is changed will do this also to a small degree, as long as succeeding starts do not occur in the same place but at the beginning and end of the weld this effect will be cumulative. This results in the beginning and end of the weld bead being of very poor quality and riddled with porosity unless these start up and run off tabs are used which can then be cut or ground off leaving only solid weld material. These tabs need to be located right at the ends of a weld bead and the arc established on them then the weld would continue on over the area to be welded without breaking the arc but to intentionally try to start an arc with the rod end itself (not the flux) being red hot is usually just frustrating.




BTW, this effect is true with MIG also but to a much lesser degree and unless a weld is really critical it is not too much of a concern, TIG and O/A welding however are not affected any appreciable amount.

[matt167]

IDK, it always works for me... with the tip hot, it literally will start arc if you just touch it, no need to scratch start after it's hot.. that's how I work with my grandfathers old Lincoln A/C 225 too.

[oldred]

I think I see what you are talking about now, I was thinking you meant the tip of the rod red hot such as it would be when it sticks.


BTW Chase what kind of rod are you using? 6013? 7018, etc?

[JeffB]

Put this site in your favorites! www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/stick-welding.html there is lots of good info to be had.

[oldred]

Definitely save that link!

I was going to mention the file trick but figured I would get laughed at over that one!

That's a really good link but I would like to add my opinion on a couple of things, that one about the stick rod and body welding in particular. Of course they are right and I am not disagreeing or challenging anything they are saying about it BUT I think they make the impression that it is not too hard to weld body panels with the right rod. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Welding body panels with a stick welder is extremely difficult even if it can be done by a skilled welder and even 1/16" rod is actually too big. The bottom line here is that unless a person is already absolutely sure they can do it then don't attempt to do body work with a stick welder! Also with AC even though 7018 can be used it sucks when used on AC. There are special, but easily found, E7018AC rods meant for that type welder but they are little better and I actually prefer regular 7018 if I am forced to use AC.

I especially liked his section on MIG welding and that is one of the few times I have had someone agree that letting the tip stick out slightly past the nozzle makes the darn thing run better, it does! Most times people will argue that it will cause the wire to stick from spatter on the more exposed tip or that the tip is too easily ruined by bumping it against the but I have found neither to be a problem. I have seen many times when someone would be totally frustrated with their claiming they "just can't get the heat set right" when it was nothing more than the darn tip recessed 1/4" or more back inside the nozzle, it makes a big difference.

[crussell85]

welding with no flux on a rod is like welding with no gas on a mig, when the flux burns it creates a gas and helps penetrate the steel. Instead of heating the rod up before you go to your project piece to scratch your arc usually if you just take and bust the flux that hangs over the end of the rod off it will start especially will 6011. A/C welding sucks with the right rod and sucks even worse with the wrong rod. If it is an A/C welder it is a cheap welder. The only way to go is DC, you pay more money for it but it is worth it if you are going to use it quite a bit. JMO

[oldred]

Originally Posted by crussell85

welding with no flux on a rod is like welding with no gas on a mig,

Well not quite as bad, in the beginning the rod was just a short piece of bare steel wire with no flux at all. Back in the 20s and even earlier welders were usually just open coils (the OSHA/IMSHA inspectors would have the big one!) and welding "rods" was just a coil of bare wire and the welder (weldor) would cut off about as many pieces as he thought he would need in the lengths he preferred. I know of one large earth moving machine (A Page walking drag-line) that was welded together with bare wire back in the early forties so I know it was still sometimes done that way as late as then, I personally knew one of the welders who worked on building it. Just looking at the welds it was obvious the welding was crudely done but it was not nearly as bad as some might think and most of those welds were still holding just fine in 1992 when the old machine was finally retired. I am not saying this is an acceptable way of welding anymore, with today's welding supplies it would be simply ridiculous to so, but it does work a lot better than most people would think.

[Dave57210]

And then there is old farmers emergency welding rod- a chunk of coat-hanger wire!