heating your sticks

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Does it really make a difference if you heat up your welding sticks before you weld with them? I was told that it would help to dry them out. Like if it was humid out side
Reply:depends on the stick type. Few types work if they are dripping, 6010 and 6011 like a bit of moisture, LOHY rods like 7018 need to be DRY, and have special baking requirements, for best results, but for noncritical applications, as long as they arn't rusty and the flux is intact, the only thing you notice when they are moist is that they are sticky and the arc is a bit off. Most other rods... keep closed in a dry container and they are ok w/o heating.
Reply:If 7018's are contaminated with moisture you will know right away.  They are harder then ususal to get going and as well as the arc quality issue, there will also be excessive smoke from your rods.  These rods really need to be kept in an oven.  If you don't have an oven - don't get them.  With moisture inclusion the welds becomes more brittle.An alternate choice for this is 7014.  no special storage other then to be kept in a dry place.Here in the Great White NorthMosquitoes can't fly at 40 below
Reply:now i understand why to heat and dehumidify Lh rod but if you are on a service truck chasing rigs around i have stuck some big parts together and some small ones without a rod oven i am sure there is a time and a place where you would have to heat but i have never had to welding 10 yrs and a speed tube with o-ring seals works for me
Reply:i guess what i was saying dont keep your rod in a bucket of water and expect it to work
Reply:I use 7018 on the truck without an oven, just keep it sealed in original pkg untill needed, then store in sealed rod tube thereafter.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:any SMAW electrode that ends in a 5,6, or 8 should be kept in an oven. theys are the low hydrogen type. if you don't keep them in an oven, might as well buy a 7014. F4 = Low Hydrogenonly thing worse than an ugly woman is an ugly weld
Reply:2 code.. if you have a low hrydrogen rod not stored in a heater your doing a no no... dont let the cwi see that.
Reply:See this old post regarding the difference between low hydrogen rod like 7018 and cellulose rod like 6010.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...highlight=7018
Reply:ok today at work i took some 3/8 x3 mild steel strap and butt welded it welded it vert up one set with a brand new never opened can and one with some older rod that was stuck in a speed tube god knows how  long ago put them both in a 100,0000 psi press and they both just bent over not a single crack so i think  it is a way to sell heaters i understand the principle of them but come on really i  am a bad welder cause i dont heat some rods come on
Reply:If I'm doing welds that will be Xrayed or other critical welds I put the 7018 in a rod oven. Otherwise......just use em' if they are in good shape and dry.
Reply:ok today at work i took some 3/8 x3 mild steel strap and butt welded it welded it vert up one set with a brand new never opened can and one with some older rod that was stuck in a speed tube god knows how long ago put them both in a 100,0000 psi press and they both just bent over not a single crack so i think it is a way to sell heaters i understand the principle of them but come on really i am a bad welder cause i dont heat some rods come on
Reply:Originally Posted by oneweldingmonkeyok today at work i took some 3/8 x3 mild steel strap and butt welded it welded it vert up one set with a brand new never opened can and one with some older rod that was stuck in a speed tube god knows how  long ago put them both in a 100,0000 psi press and they both just bent over not a single crack so i think  it is a way to sell heaters i understand the principle of them but come on really i  am a bad welder cause i dont heat some rods come on
Reply:There's the Pulser we've come to know and love I think I'm going to throw my EPRI papers in the trash while I'm at it.
Reply:i just want to know how many of the people saying that i am wrong accually do this 10-12 hrs a day 6 days a week like i do cause i weld with alot of other welders and i have never seen a rod oven on any other rigs and when you ask some of the old schoolers that been welding longer then i been alive they say "its rod not a cake if it was meant to go in a oven it would be womens work"
Reply:not my words i just repeat really that is what they say
Reply:I have used 7018 with out the oven until the last couple of years.  I can tell the difference.  It runs smoother for me.  So both ways.  I just kept an unopened can for jobs that needed it.Improperly stored 7018 welds WAY better than any of the 60xx  and 7014.To quote Tozzi  " Like a fresh biscuit out of the oven"DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I agree, there is no comparison.  Anyone who has run a low-hy rod out of an oven beside an improperly stored rod should EASILY tell a difference.   I have seen multiple times that I was running rods off the truck that had been there a couple days, and noticed porosity starting to appear in some of the welds.  It's not some gimmick, its a fact.  I honestly don't know any experienced weldors that will openly admit that using improperly stored Low-hy rods will not make a difference...I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:If you are in a high humidity area they'll soak up moisture more so than in a dry climate. If in doubt use a rod oven I guess.
Reply:Eastern Washington isn't considered a high humidity area and 7018 left in my garage  for several days will gather humidity. Its very noticable when you strike an arc and the moisture shoots from the end of the rod into the weld puddle. Once it gets hot enough and the moisture is gone, it will run fine.
Reply:i would still like to know how many of you work in the field with your oven
Reply:Originally Posted by oneweldingmonkeyi would still like to know how many of you work in the field with your oven
Reply:IF you are doing anything X-ray, they better be in an oven or else. any low hy 14 18 24, storage; 250-300degrees. besides, if any of you guys do enough code work,you would know this. like hammock said,i'll agree here POROSITY,POROSITY,POROSITY.,and not to mention all the rework.my.02
Reply:I don't have a rod oven at work, or home. At home I cook 'em on the woodstove during the heating season, and otherwise keep them in sealed containers as much as possible. Notwithstanding the technical reasons already mentioned, I notice a distinct difference in how smooth a hot,and dry rod runs compared to one stored in even moderate humidity.
Reply:Originally Posted by oneweldingmonkeyi would still like to know how many of you work in the field with your ovenThis question is probably a bit too simple and generalized, but... For the sake of saving on electricity, is it OK to not have these ovens running all the time, but rather turn them on a short time before welding?
Reply:I use e7016 a lot.  I keep them in a refrigerator (not plugged in of course).  I put a small plastic container with magnesium chloride in the bottom of the refrigerator.  The mag/chlor  takes all the moisture out of the air. Works great.  We use the mag/chlor in our riding arena to keep the dust under control in the winter.   I don't notice a difference between rods stored in an oven or in the refrigerator.
Reply:Originally Posted by burnandreturnI use e7016 a lot.  I keep them in a refrigerator (not plugged in of course).  I put a small plastic container with magnesium chloride in the bottom of the refrigerator.  The mag/chlor  takes all the moisture out of the air. Works great.  We use the mag/chlor in our riding arena to keep the dust under control in the winter.   I don't notice a difference between rods stored in an oven or in the refrigerator.
Reply:Collect the crud that runs off the underside of your car when you wash it in the winter.  Mag Chloride also eats aluminum rims"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:We buy it at our feed store.  Comes in fifty pound bags. Cheap. It will destroy leather boots and gloves.  I broke a bag in the barn and some spilled on the floor. The next day there was a puddle in that spot. It sucked so much water out of the air. That is when I thought it might be good for my rods. Seems to work. Of course for critical welds I still use the oven.
Reply:I have and use a rod oven.  Here in oklahoma you can have your department of labor welding licence pulled if you get caught on a job with out a rod oven.  Also, to take any state test they require you to show up with a rod oven if not you have to have a new unopened box of rods for the test.  THIS IS ONLY FOR LH RODSSalas Repair General Welding & Fabrication
Reply:If you're not gonna store your LoHy rods properly (ie, rod oven) while using them, what's the point in using LoHy?? They are LoHy for a reason.From the day I started my pressure ticket, our instructor hammered into us "Only three rods out of the oven at a time! Use them before getting the next three!"It doesn't take real long for the rods to suck the moisture out of the air.And sure, the moisture may burn out of the rods pretty quickly after striking your arc, but there is still a good chance of Hydrogen being in the start of every bead run with a moist rod.If your ever caught running a coded weld without storing your rods properly, you can kiss your job goodbye.Just my 2 cents.Cheers, RyanOnly two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein
Reply:Originally Posted by snotjelloThis question is probably a bit too simple and generalized, but... For the sake of saving on electricity, is it OK to not have these ovens running all the time, but rather turn them on a short time before welding?
Reply:I've seen the flux blow off by the moisture turning to steam by the welding process. It costs a little more, but for home use buy lohy rod in smaller pkgs to avoid having it exposed to the elements for long periods.
Reply:Originally Posted by pulserYou're right, it's a damn conspiracy to sell ovens, jack up the price of rod, sell more hermetically sealed cans!  A little hydrogen never hurt no weld!Plus you got all these bleeping engineers and metallurgists making up this cr@p about hydrogen embrittlement, cold cracking, and such, just to publish some thesis, welding journal article, or sell some book.  My 7018 runs hotter and better after a quick dip in my bud light.  And if some code job wants my rod heated, I don't pay no attention to AWS recommended time and temperature, I just toast it up a bit with my OA torch and start laying it down, hot and wide.Here's some kind of hooey posted up by a blood sucking organization who is apparently trying to make some money off this whole hydrogen fiction.http://www.twi.co.uk/content/jk45.html
Reply:speaking of a rod oven you can use a small dorm fridge and drill a hole in it and make it big enough to get a elect socket in and use a 40-60-80 watt bulb keeps em dry and its already insulatedmiller maxstar 150   hobart handler 210 w mig conversion hobart 250 arc force plasma cutter    boston ind cutting torch miller performance auto darkening helmet milwalkee 14in chop saw 10,000 watt generator huge drill press and industrial band saw
Reply:MN Welder I was just about to post the same thing, and you can also put a bulb inside your mig to keep the dampness out and your spool dry, I don't do it but have seen it done.
Reply:also a lil tip of the trade if you dont have a rod oven carry around a lil piece of flat with you and whenever you get a new rod connect your ground to your flat and purposely stick your rod to it for about 15 seconds. that will dry it out and warm it up