7018 vs 7016

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Hi there,For those of us that do not weld for a living and who go through a box of electrodes every year (at most) seems like having a rod oven is not practical. That said, 7018 electrodes are not the way to go since they loose their smooth running properties quite easily as soon as they pick up moisture and such. Not to mention porosity, bad starts and not being code compliant. It has been discussed to death there lately.A few days ago while browsing through the catalog of a local welding supplier I came across a datasheet of a 7016 electrode (HERE). I recall reading somewhere that 7016 electrodes do not pick up moisture as easily as the 7018. But again, I could be wrong.What do you guys think about these 7016 electrodes? Are they somewhat comparable? Will they make a fair substitute for 7018 without the hassle of having to bake them? Worth giving them a try?I don't weld structural stuff at all. I am just a hobby welder who puts together stands, tables, brackets for whatever is needed and such. What I do enjoy about 7018 (at least the first rods I got out of the package, now, a year later, about 3/4s full and useless) was how smooth they ran and the nice beads I could make.Thanks in advance,Mikel
Reply:I think you will like 7014.  I am not aquainted with 7016 electrodes, so will not comment about them.I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:From what I have read here and other forums 7018 for the home user does not really lose anything as long as it is kept relatively clean and dry.
Reply:There's a company in your region called Solnor, they do a very nice basic electrode called IIRC the SN-70. I'm not sure if it is a 7016, although they have the same glassy slag and are great for 'out of position' work.. I've not used the Elga ones in your link (although Elga are known for making good consumables), and in the UK  ESAB Filarc 56s seems to be the industry favourite.
Reply:Mwalden is right clean and dry theyll work fine for your application. 7016s if I am not mistaken will be limited on the positions in witch you can use it . I not sure about this but flat an horizontil is all this rod is good for I think.[/I]
Reply:7016 is still a low hydrogen, or "hydrogen controlled" rod, as one manufacturer puts it. Storage requirements would be similar to 7018. The '1' indicates it is an all position rod. A '2' as the third digit would indicate flat/horizontal only, as in 7024. The casual home/hobby/farm welder does't need to get too hung up about heated storage. Keep them from getting wet and you should be fine.
Reply:7018 - Low hydrogen, iron powder in flux, depositon rate similar to a 6010 rod one size larger.7016 - Low hydrogen, no iron powder in flux, depositon rate similar to a 6010 rod of the same size7014 - not low hydrogen, iron powder in flux, deposition rate similar to a 7018 rod of the same size or a 6010 rod one size larger.Suggest 7014 for those who don't want or need low hydrogen welds or rod storage ovens required by 7018, yet 7014 welds similar to 7018."The reason we are here is that we are not all there"SA 200Idealarc TM 300 300MM 200MM 25130a SpoolgunPrecision Tig 375Invertec V350 ProSC-32 CS 12 Wire FeederOxweld/Purox O/AArcAirHypertherm Powermax 85LN25
Reply:Ive used a bit of 7014 and have found that for non-critical work it makes a very nice bead and is easy to run with a heavy slag that comes off easy and clean
Reply:7016 is what you used to weld on galavinzed or zinc paint coated steel and still have have to have a low hydrogen weld.   It has to be kept in an oven like 7018.  I use it all the time.Lincoln 300 Vantage 2008300 Commander 1999SA250 1999SA200 1968Miller Syncrowave 200XMT350MPA/S-52E/xr-15Xtreme 12vs Millermatic 251 w/30A  Millermatic 251 Dialarc 250 Hypertherm 1250 GEKA & Bantom Ironwokers
Reply:Plus, If you happen to have an AC only buzzbox then 7014 runs very well on a 220 volt AC buzzbox.  7014 not the best choice though for a 110 volt dinky transformer as it likes a few more amps than other rods of equivalent size.On my Lincoln AC-225, I run mostly 7014, 6011, and some 6013 for non-crtitical stuff.  Heck, all my stuff is non-critical so who am I kidding.  I usually use 6013 for stuff that is the least critical of my non-critical stuff.  7014 for anything requiring strength and 6011 for anything dirty and rusty.
Reply:Originally Posted by MWaldenFrom what I have read here and other forums 7018 for the home user does not really lose anything as long as it is kept relatively clean and dry.
Reply:Originally Posted by Mikel_24Thanks for pointing them out. I just cheked them and they are in Vitoria, which is about 45 minute drive from here. They seem to have a dealer closer to me as well. According to the description the SN-70 is listed as basic as you stated and needs to be rebaked just as 7018 does, so it doesn't help much. What I liked is that they seem to manufacture celulosic rods as well... so maybe (just maybe) when I burn the 12kg of Bholer Fox CELL I have stocked, I may buy some from them instead of bringing them from Germany. LOL.Mikel
Reply:Originally Posted by Baila La PinzaYou're welcome! At the end of the day ALL basic electrodes will need to be redried if you're using them for code work, although as you say, E7016 are more tolerant to a bit of moisture, making them a better choice for general maintainence work. The SN-70 will work fine without redrying, you should see if you can get a few sample ones to try from your local dealer, I'm sure you'll like them.Oerlikon Spezial (E7016-1 H4) are another good 7016, should be able to get them from your local Airliquide dealer.
Reply:I see Air Liquide is now selling a 7018 LMP (low moisture pickup) rod.I havent tried one myself but I do use their blueshield 7018's and like them.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:bake your rods in the kitchen oven for a few hrs.   the temp and time should be on the box or rod makers website.  get the plastic air tight containers and pop them in there after baking.  several folks have put those silica desiccant packet in too to keep any moisture in check.   there was a recent thread that had lots of good discussion on storing LH rod.   several folks using Vacuum sealers too.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Wrong forum lol
Reply:If you want to use 7018 try lincoln. They have "moisture resistant" 7018. Plus you could always keep the rods in something like a 40mm ammo can after you open the package.What I do is I put them in plastic rod holders by size then keep them all in the ammo can. Keep it closed and only open it to grab what I need. Originally Posted by rankrank1Plus, If you happen to have an AC only buzzbox then 7014 runs very well on a 220 volt AC buzzbox.  7014 not the best choice though for a 110 volt dinky transformer as it likes a few more amps than other rods of equivalent size.On my Lincoln AC-225, I run mostly 7014, 6011, and some 6013 for non-crtitical stuff.  Heck, all my stuff is non-critical so who am I kidding.  I usually use 6013 for stuff that is the least critical of my non-critical stuff.  7014 for anything requiring strength and 6011 for anything dirty and rusty.
Reply:I could be wrong, but my understanding was 7016 is for the same applications as 7018. Just more suitable for areas where arc blow is an issue, by leaving the iron powder out of the flux coating. It still has the same storage requirements of any LH rod.