7018 storage?

admin

Ok I have a question  I purchased some 7018 rods, but they came in a cardboard box with plastic around them.  (cheap plastic) Now the spec. says to not expose them to atmosphere before using them, but I don't believe that the packaging that they are in is doing anything for them.  I know I can re-bake them but what then?  I am not going to keep them in a hot box  till I need one.  I only stick weld once in a blue moon when I cant get the work into the shop (a farm)??? Has anyone used a descant pack in a rod holder with any luck?Me!
Reply:I have kept 7018 in rod guards for years.  I just acquired a rod oven from Tozzi.  I can tell the difference in the dry rod, but Its not like what I used to do was the end of the world.  You can put em in the oven at home for a couple of hours at 300 then keep them in an airtight container.  If you notice em sticking, dry again.I take it you are not doing any AWS procedures.  DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by David RI take it you are not doing any AWS procedures.
Reply:Dry rods, are happy rods. Thats why I buy 7018 or any LO-HY rod for that matter in tins, not cartons.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:old freezers work well too, if your storing alot of rod.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingDry rods, are happy rods. Thats why I buy 7018 or any LO-HY rod for that matter in tins, not cartons.
Reply:Originally Posted by sn0border88old freezers work well too, if your storing alot of rod.
Reply:Anyone have an opinion on storing welding rods in a vacuum?    If you were to build a vacuum chamber and vacuum all of air out, it should boil the the moisture out of the rods.  This is what the air conditioning guys do to eliminate moisture from an AC system.Millermatic Passport PlusMillermatic 200Millermatic 350P with PythonXMT 304 /w S-64 feeder and 12RCDynasty 300 DXVictor O/APremier Power Welder for my trail junk.
Reply:Originally Posted by crawlerAnyone have an opinion on storing welding rods in a vacuum?    If you were to build a vacuum chamber and vacuum all of air out, it should boil the the moisture out of the rods.  This is what the air conditioning guys do to eliminate moisture from an AC system.
Reply:I live in Florida where humidity is a constant problem.  I built a wooden container about 24 inches high, by 36 inches wide.  I keep all of my consumables (spools, tig wire, 7018, etc.) in there.  I sealed it with calking and put a 75 watt bulb inside that is on constantly.  Most if not all of the stick rod is in closed canisters, but the dry air inside the box works wonders.
Reply:Originally Posted by enlpckIf the rods are dry to begin with, vacuum storage will protect them. It WILL NOT remove moisture from the rod without heat (OK, it will, but so slowly as to be useless. You want to wait centuries or millennia for the rod to dry?). The moisture isn't free, like the water in an AC system, just waiting to boil away. It is bound into the flux, forming a hydrate. It take a fair bit of energy to get the water free, and at a higher rate, there is more energy available to do this. The rate increases faster than temperature, so, at 100F, the rate is so slow as to be useless, at 200F the rate is so slow as to be useless, at 250F the rate is significant enough that the moisture won't hydrate a dry rod, but to get moisture out of a wet rod at a reasonable rate, you really need at least 500F (depends on the exact chemistry of the rod)
Reply:If you wanna be a weldor, pony up and buy a rod oven.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingIf you wanna be a weldor, pony up and buy a rod oven.
Reply:How about pulling a vacuum on rods that are still hot from an oven and sealing them?
Reply:I have cobbeled together a "sort of a rod oven" using a light bulb in a ceramic socket, the  kind with a large flange to be mounted to a ceiling box. I mounted it to a two foot square of plywood that was covered with a piece of flashing. I used 1/4 nuts as stand offs to keep some of the heat the  off the wood, a stack of fender washers would have worked at least equally well.I made an outer tube of two tall juice cans with both ends cut out and spliced together using pop rivets. Small TEK screws would have worked equally well.I stood the outer tube over the socket with the lamp and cord installed, drilled holes and installed pieces of rod to form a grii to support the inner  tube made of smaller cans. The bottom can in the inner was opened on only one end, the upper cans have had both ends removed.Fiber glass insulation was packed in the space between the inner and outer tubes.   I cut a lid of two pieces of plywood, drilled a hole for a thermometer and.. it aint much but it will heat rods.
Reply:if you are worried about it and dont have the oven, use 7014... no problem.....
Reply:Get a foodsaver and seal 3-5 or more rods in custom size bags. This way when you need them you only have to open one bag for a few. Seal them fresh out of the can. The problem with lightbulbs is that you are only warming the air up enough to keep moisture from condensing on stuff. This works great to keep certain 60 and 70 series rods from getting to much moisture in them in a very humid area (remember many of them do need some moisture in them) but we are dealing with a flux that absorbs moisture even at 180 degrees. The only way to be in moisture free environment is to vacuum seal, purge container with dry gas, or heat above boiling temp. Heat is easiest to do and the rods stay warm for a long time after pulling them out of oven so they resist pulling in moisture for a while longer then if they were room temp.Do you need to store them in a rod oven? absolutely not but they better be in a sealed container fresh out of oven or new packaging. 7014 is a great rod to use if you can't use 7018. Remember 7018 has way more ductility and dynamic load properties are there but that is only on a dry rod, it is no better and probably worse then any other rod when it has absorbed moisture since the other rods don't want to suck up moisture as much and there moisture content is probably lower. Sorry for the long winded post, hope this makes sense.Millermatic 252Lincoln 175 plusTA 185tswTA 161stlhypertherm pmax 45Victor torchHenrob torchAn S10 for each day of the week
Reply:I use those blue rod tubes and rarley have a problem with moisture. I try to keep the tube sealed as much as possible. Ill take a couple rods out at a time and put the top back on. Im not welding structural I beams or having to pass X-ray. However, a 10lb "bag" of rods does not take me very long to burn. Maybe a day or so depending on the work. In conclusion, I keep then in the bags until i need to refill my blue tube.Cain's Mechanical LLC Southwick, MAwww.cainsmechanical.comRig:-2006 Chevy 2500 utility body-Lincoln Ranger 10-Miller Spectrum -Tons of hand and power toolsAWS D1.2 Structural Steel Certification
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingIf you wanna be a weldor, pony up and buy a rod oven.
Reply:Anyone tired using a 16" piece of PVC pipe with a cap on each end?American by birth Southern by the Grace of God
Reply:Originally Posted by 74fencerAnyone tired using a 16" piece of PVC pipe with a cap on each end?
Reply:Tried vacuum packing some 7018's but the ends would poke a hole. The I got a rod oven. They run so much nicer when they are warmProbably costs the same as leaving a light bulb onG
Reply:i have a 50 lb canister of jetweld lh78mr,or7018h4r rods. i used 20lbs on a repair and brought the rest inside my house.i covered the top with plastic wrap and tied it off. i recently used some to weld a 2ft piece of rail onto a table to be used as an anvil,the rods worked fine,with minimal preheat on the rail.i think its only a broblem when there subjected to a moist/ humid atmosphere for a long time.who knows, maybe every weld ive done w 7018 will fail a radiograph,or magnaflux test, but theve all lasted in service,including the repair on the boom of a john deere 690.lincoln weld pak 100 hdlincoln ranger 225gxt ac/dcoxy/acetylenepuroxcw202 victor fc100harris model 85harrismodel 16oxweld w24roxweld w17
Reply:Originally Posted by enlpckIf the rods are dry to begin with, vacuum storage will protect them. It WILL NOT remove moisture from the rod without heat (OK, it will, but so slowly as to be useless. You want to wait centuries or millennia for the rod to dry?). The moisture isn't free, like the water in an AC system, just waiting to boil away. It is bound into the flux, forming a hydrate. It take a fair bit of energy to get the water free, and at a higher rate, there is more energy available to do this. The rate increases faster than temperature, so, at 100F, the rate is so slow as to be useless, at 200F the rate is so slow as to be useless, at 250F the rate is significant enough that the moisture won't hydrate a dry rod, but to get moisture out of a wet rod at a reasonable rate, you really need at least 500F (depends on the exact chemistry of the rod)