Bought some new rods, weird color

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i went to the LWS and bought two packs of 6010 got home opened one box expecting to see a gray rod, Nope not these they are red.  blowed me away, took another look at the box to make sure what i bought, it said radnor 6010 1/8, so i guess i will give them a try.... the ones i used in welding school were 6010 that were gray like a 6011. so not sure what is going to happen...does the color mean anything. i noticed they don't have a color code dots. just red rod with black number (6010) ?MikeHH210Hobart Champ 10KLincoln Buzz BoxCampbell Hausfeld 115Victor JourneymanMilwaukee 14" Chop Saw7" Chop Saw4/12" horz band sawmetal benderother toys forthcoming.
Reply:I've seen and welded with both.  I'm not an experienced enough stick welder to notice the difference, but I'll bet guys like JT McC are.  I can't remember now which he prefered, but my dad likes one better than the other, too, but yes, they are both legitimate 6010.
Reply:I'm no authority on the subject but all of the 6010 I've ran was red.
Reply:from what i have used the red 6010s are the old 5p that all the pipeliners have used for years.  the gray ones are 5p+ which are replacing the older 5p.  many diehards still prefer the red rods over the gray.  i have partial 50lb cans of both.this is the best explanation that i have.  there may be a better one.
Reply:Great ! ! ! !  thanks for the info..... well like i said we ran the gray ones in school, but there are red, so i thought ok what is the difference.... that's cool. now i know there ok... THANKS ! ! ! !MikeHH210Hobart Champ 10KLincoln Buzz BoxCampbell Hausfeld 115Victor JourneymanMilwaukee 14" Chop Saw7" Chop Saw4/12" horz band sawmetal benderother toys forthcoming.
Reply:6010 and 6011 are very similar. The only differences are in the flux composition and the fact that 6011 can run on AC/DC, while 6010 is for DC only. 6010 has cellulose sodium and 6011 has cellulose potassium in the flux. (I wish I could tell you what that means, but we are now in territory too deep for my shallow mind. Both rods have forceful arcs, deep penetration, and fast-freeze characteristics. Fast-freeze means the puddle solidifies rapidly—it returns to solid steel, or metal from being molten, or liquid.With 6010 and 6011 the puddle goes back to solid almost as soon as the rod is removed. Therefore it is very important that the rod is placed directly back into the puddle or there will be a space without filler metal in the bead. A space is a weak point (defect) subject to cracking or pulling apart under stress.
Reply:Delete - Nevermind.
Reply:5P Lincoln rod has been red forever.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:red rod is better for real rusty dirty metal or painted metal. 5p+ is more for cleaner metal. Red rod digs in and burns out dirt and paint better than 5p+
Reply:thanks for the info guys ! ! ! ! yep i ran a few the other day, while waiting on the turkey to finish frying. and decide i am keeping these rods. there sweet.ran them on painted steel about 1/8" thick, ran it around 75 amps cause of the thinness of the steel.... they did well, no spatter compared to 6011.may run somemore tomorrow if it ain't rainin, pouring right now...i can't tell much difference between the gray ones so far, but i hope to find out. the ones i ran in class was run on 1" steel and a lot more amps, plus on a d2&* nice shop welder, it was a 440 Volt 3 phase Hobart. well i don't have that but my Champ 10K should run them OK....Again thanks for the input/info. MikeMikeHH210Hobart Champ 10KLincoln Buzz BoxCampbell Hausfeld 115Victor JourneymanMilwaukee 14" Chop Saw7" Chop Saw4/12" horz band sawmetal benderother toys forthcoming.
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWelding5P Lincoln rod has been red forever.