Brands of rods?

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Howdy!  I just gotta say how nice a rod the hobart 7014 is.   I have a cross reference manual for the different manufacturers of rods, and am curious how big a difference the rest of you notice between brands, even though the rods have the same aws classification?  For instance, 6011 lincoln welds very different from 6011 hobart.  running DC both polarities, I'm having some issues with some of my 6011 rods, and not others.  I have a very hi-tech machine that is new to me, and I have set all the adjustments in "middle range". This is a Lincoln Invertec 350-Pro advanced process.  (It's sweet!) Like hot start feature and arc control feature, as well as amperage settings.  for practice, I layed down 5inch wide swath 1 rod long, so about 6" long, and 5" wide as a base layer of 6011. This is on top of a 1/4" thick mild steel 5" wide barstock with other practice pieces welded on the bottom.  I'm using 3/32's for now.  and this practice piece will all be with 3/32s rods. I also have 1/8th and 5/32s. Maybee thats just in-experience talking.  What have you folks noticed?  between manufacturers?  and how settings should change between manufacturers?  my top layers of practice weld metal is using 7014 in 3/32's.  I sure like that 7014!   Brian Lee  Sparkeee24  all comments would be appreciated!
Reply:Sparkeee24, I have found that not many rods from manufacturers will weld the same. Some run smoother, some splatter more, some stick worse, but it all comes down to what you get used to.  I find that everyone has there own brand that they prefer.  I have used the hobart 7014's some, but i personally prefer a lincoln or murex.  But it does not mean that the hobart is not a fine rod.  Just try a bunch of different brands, and stick with the ones you seem to like the best.  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I have also heard that the hobart rods are the cat's ***...2002 VW Golf TDi1994 Audi S4
Reply:cats ***?  is that like cats meow?  or the other end? cats *** is good? or bad? I just went through about 1 1/2 pounds of rod. MAN this is way slower then mig.  I'm getting the hang of it again though.  I find taht I always want to go faster then I should because I'm used to mig, and the puddle includes slag, so the weld puddle looks like it has too much volume to it.  I'm on my 5th or 6th layer of beads on my practice piece, and I can tell when I cut it up, that the higher I go, the better I am getting, the fewer inclusions there will be.  So what's the trick with slag removal in the crease (not undercut) between two welds?  My wire wheel just isn't getting in there enough for me to be satisfied with the removal results.  I don't get as clean a looking weld (shape wise) as mig.  It has alot more ripples in it.  Is this to be expected?  Thanx!  Brian Lee  Sparkeee24
Reply:Sparkeee,  you may already know this, but a 7014 is considered a drag rod.  You can hold the rod on the piece after the arc has started and drag it along as you need.  If you run a nice steady bead with a 7014 alot of times the flux will peel up from the starting end as the slag solidifies.  atleast the murex brand i run now will.  I have never had a problem with the wire wheel on a grinder removing what ever flux was not removed by chipping, but the only other thing i could think of would be a flab wheel.  ~Good luck   JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Sparkee, in my exp. there is a  noticeable  variation. I personally prefer eutectic, airco, hobart, lincoln,in that order. There are a lot of ways to get the slag out of the creases(grinder on edge) but the best way is don't put 'em there in the first place! If your running stringers just overlap them just a taste so you don't trap slag in between.If your beads are high and humpy enough so you have trouble getting slag from between, maybe you are going too slow?That might account for the extra ripples you see also. Every movement of your hand translates into a ripple.  like Hammock said, a good steady bead will just peel up like a scorpion tail. 7024 will do that all the time. 6011 or 10 won't do it at all............Good luck.
Reply:Originally Posted by Sparkeee24cats ***?  is that like cats meow?  or the other end? cats *** is good? or bad?