best stick electrode?

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I found one of my old stick welder I can't remember if its called smaw, but ow well what is a good electrode for it? I want to break it out and use it! go back to the good old days!!MY Shop Gear::1: a rock and string2: glass bottle and gas3: old remote and batteries4: metal taped together5: ripped shoe6: smash anphibious water craft
Reply:All depends on what your doing..7018 is a good all purpose rod..Easy enough to use..Thats my vote anyway.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Just to learn and practice?  7018, 6013, 6011/6010 are all good rods for beginners, although some will disagree on the 6011/6010 rods.
Reply:cool tanks for the comentsMY Shop Gear::1: a rock and string2: glass bottle and gas3: old remote and batteries4: metal taped together5: ripped shoe6: smash anphibious water craft
Reply:i learned on 7024 but usually use 6010/6011
Reply:I like the 6013 so far. 7018 is supposed to be even better and cleaner appearance.
Reply:A lot of people will recommend a lot of different rods, seems a lot of people really like 7018's though. Me personally, my favorite rod is 6011's. DaveI am what I am, Deal with it!If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!
Reply:I'm with Zapster, 7018I'd rather be hunting........USE ENOUGH HEAT.......Drifting around Aussie welding more pipe up, for something different.....wanting to get home.
Reply:I don't think there's a bad rod it just depends on the application.  I seem to be able to produce a better "looking" weld with 7018 as long as they are stored properly.  I also have good luck with 6013 but still not as smooth as 7018MichaelMillermatic 25115" Rockwell Drill Press10" Logan Lathe5hp - 2-stage 80 Gallon CompressorHome Made Sand / Soda Blaster
Reply:While 7018 is my usual go to rod I would like to point out that you need to make sure that your welder will run it. Few of the AC buzz box stick welders will run it. If unsure get a box of 6013, 7014, 7018AC or see if you could bum a few sticks of 7018 before you by a box of something you can't use.
Reply:There is no 'best' rodIf you have a DC machine and arn't doing a lot of open roots (mostly doing fillets, laps, and the like), I concur that 7018 is a wise choice for general purpose work. Good cleaning action, all position, fairly easy to run, nice looking beads. Metal should be clean to begin with for any rod, but small bits of crud are tolerated due to the heavy flux. Fairly fast rod. Keep the arc short (the end of the flux should not quite touch the workpiece), move steadily, don't bother to weave much, and then only side to side. Heavy welds get multiple passes.6010 is also a good rod to have in the arsenal, but the technique is different. It is an angry, aggressive rod, and the welds tend not to look as nice as '18, and it doesn't put as much metal in as fast as '18, but it is very useful if you need to put metal where there is none (open root of a joint, edge buildup, etc) due to the fast freeze nature, and is more tolerant of crud than many rods, especially light rust. You still want to clean before welding, but if you can't get it perfect, '10 will burn it out with, often, minimal effect on the weld quality. You will likely find yourself burning holes with it as you learn, and may have trouble maintaining an arc. The technique is to move the rod away from the puddle and back (triangular weave, forward and back whip, etc) to let the puddle cool before putting more metal in. See Welderboy's diagrams.If you don't have DC, then you are limited pretty much to 6011 and 6013 (there is an AC edition of 7018, and regular 7018 *can* be run on AC, but the former may be tough to find and pricey, and the latter isn't easy) 6011 is very much like 6010.6013 is a rod all it's own. It fills pretty fast, but isn't a hot rod, and doesn't burn in much. Not tolerant of crud AT ALL. Don't need TIG clean, but that should be the goal. Fairly easy rod to run, also runs on DCEP or DCEN about equally well. Very pretty work can be done with '13, but it tends not to see a lot of use in the 'pro' world since '10 and '18 are more tolerant of real-world prep, and have somewhat better properties in the as welded condition. (basicly, you can use '18 for anything you can use '13 for, but not the other way) For most hobbiests, '13 will do everything they need. One place where I have use '13 (I don't have much use for it, usually) is things like tacking thin sheet to frames, and tacking expanded metal up. The low-penetration means that the sheet doesn't get burned back from the weld, but gets fused in instead.
Reply:Use 1\8" 7014 for a buzzbox rookie.  Cheap to buy, no special storage requirements, super easy to learn on...just drag on the flux, high enough tensile strength for most all home mild steel projects.  What's not to like?WeldingWeb forum--now more sophomoric banter than anything else!
Reply:Enlpck, couldn't have said it better my self.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.