old 7018 rods

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I was cleaning up the barn and ran across an open tin of 1/8" 7018 rods.  These have been here for at least 10 years.  I took one of the rods out to look at it and could easily read the 7018 stamped on the side.I live on the Texas Gulf coast and get a whole lot of humidity at times.Do you suppose that these rods are still good?  Or, is there anything I might be able to do so salvage them?  The tin is about half full (25# left).Thank you,Matt
Reply:Maybe you can use them to cut things like doing carbon arc. Crank up the amps and blow through. We used rods that got wet before in that manner.
Reply:If you want you can bake them in the oven at 400 for a few minutes, This will often reduce mositure content, just do not leave to long or the flux will fall off.
Reply:Just how much is your time and possible frustration worth to you?  They're definitely not "low hydrogen" anymore, and a lot of 7018 rods can get rather 'cranky' to try and run if they are not properly stored (meaning dry-dry-dry).Old 'cranky' 7018 can have hard arc starting, porosity, weld cracking, hard to remove slag, excess spatter, a rough weld bead, and other 'cranky' problems.If the electrodes are in generally OK shape (coating not flaking or falling off, no rust visible, etc) then -maybe- with a dry-and-rebake-and-store-properly they will be OK to use.  Old and exposed to the air but not falling apart 7018 generally calls for 1-2 hours of pre-drying in a 200F (+/- 20F) rod oven, and then 1 hour at 700F (+/- 50F).Longer bake times or different temperatures are NOT generally recommended.  Or 'allowed' by the rod manufacturers.And the rods have to be take out of the package (tube, can, whatever) and gently spread out inside the rod oven so that all the rods can be exposed to the heat and thus drive out the absorbed moisture in the flux coating.Your call.Last edited by MoonRise; 09-27-2012 at 03:38 PM.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:7018 rods really seem to suck up moisture bad, then the flux coating gets the weird spots and that's when I throw them away.  It's not like they are hard to come by and they will likely not produce good welds anymore.  Just make sure you keep your next set in a tightly closed container.Miller Syncrowave 350Millermatic 252/ 30A spoolgunMiller Bobcat 225g w/ 3545 spoolgunLincoln PowerArc4000Lincoln 175 Mig  Lincoln 135 Mig Everlast 250EX TigCentury ac/dc 230 amp stickVictor O/AHypertherm 1000 plasma
Reply:Truly speaking these welding rods once get in contact with water they absorb moisture badly and then are of no use at all. And baking them at any temperature wouldn’t take out the moisture content. It is just that you should keep them safe and air tight.
Reply:Thank you all for your replies.  All very good advice.  Since I don't have an oven that can do any of the above, I will probably just use them for scrap work.Thank you again.
Reply:Alan is 99.9% correct. I have used a high temp hot plate that goes to 1000 deg and every once in a while I may get a wet rod to work, but not often after 2-3 hours on the hot plate
Reply:http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us...es-detail.aspx
Reply:It depends on what your welding abilities are. Theres a some weldors here that can dry those rods when they strike an arc. And in the rain Then, theres those that have to have an ovenHave you tried them yet? If all else fails, bust the water contaminated flux off and use as filler rod. 7018 should be some mighty good fillerLast edited by Insaneride; 11-05-2013 at 08:49 PM.Reason: It was proven
Reply:Your wifes oven will work. Just dont tell her.
Reply:Originally Posted by InsanerideYour wifes oven will work. Just dont tell her.
Reply:Whether or not a low hydrogen rod will come back from long exposure to high moisture is something of a guessing game.As was stated by Lincoln Electric (click link in above posting by rock knocker), long exposure to high moisture levels may cause OXIDATION of some alloy additive components that are carried by the flux coating.  When something oxidizes, it does not "de-oxidize" later.  So, not just how much moisture, but how much permanent change has been done during the wet storage, has a lot of bearing on whether they can ever be reliably used afterward.
Reply:Break the flux off.  If there is any rust on the rod, its junk and not worth the time to dry it.  If not it may work for utility rod.Like Tozzi says.   A rod out of the oven is like a fresh biscuit.   DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.