Arc welder Rods/Sticks storage

[quintain]

How long can I keep any arc welder rods/sticks in storage.
What storage method do you find suitable.
I Have a 20yr old Power Craft 40-160amp Arc Welder which still starts and seems to be OK but I have only tried to use it twice in the 20yrs.

When researching on Youtube I am told I can only keep rods such as 6011 - 7018 (foreign lanquage to me as a wood butcher) for a short number of weeks or days AND I should consider an arc rod oven to store them for a little longer!!!!...Is there any more practical thoughts on how long or how to store them for a much longer time.

 

[Spectric]

They must be kept dry, once damp they tend to cut more than weld. Best option is to keep them indoors, low hydrogen rods are even worse if they get damp.

You can put them in the oven and dry them out but make sure the coating is intact and not cracked.

 

[quintain]

They must be kept dry, once damp they tend to cut more than weld. Best option is to keep them indoors, low hydrogen rods are even worse if they get damp.

You can put them in the oven and dry them out but make sure the coating is intact and not cracked.

Thanks Roy
If I store them next to the Rayburn, warm & dry location should I be able to use them after months or ??years BTW I am rubbish at welding.
Regards
Richard...(mid) West cumbria

 

[quintain]

They must be kept dry, once damp they tend to cut more than weld. Best option is to keep them indoors, low hydrogen rods are even worse if they get damp.

You can put them in the oven and dry them out but make sure the coating is intact and not cracked.

Is 7018 or 6010 low hydrogen rod.

Richard

 

[Ttrees]

Chances are if you bought some, say cheaply in the local agri place they would be general purpose 6013.
Some of those super penetrating or other application rods are ten times the price.

6013's still work if damp but not very nicely, not something I'd want to do for just a wee tack
on a finished thing, but alright for something which doesn't matter so much and grind any bad weld away and try again.
On the bright side, damp rods don't really spatter so much, if you can manage without losing the plot!


Steve Bleile has some of the best videos I've watched and is on youtube, (popular old video fro VHS)
although no mention of some problems one might have along the way.
i.e He's just too good to be using picks and whatnot to get rid of any slag which might be present.
a masonry nail and little Warrington hammer, does most of that,
(goggles on as hot slag will pop off, and mouth closed as masonary nail can ricochet, could easily hit a tooth)

but a sharpened nail/awl for further work, as you can't weld on top of slag, the sharp nail will make an audible scratchy sound when slag is present, and is the only tool which can do the job, wire brush wont do that and is for afterwards.
Any sound whatsoever of grit means its still there.

Tom

 

[sometimewoodworker]

I’ve had welding rods for years, mostly 6013 with a few 7018s the humidity here is usually in the 60% to 80% range. They still work OK, I keep them in their original packing with the ends of the pack cut off.

try them on something non critical they will probably be OK

 

[clogs]

dont worry as long as they are kept dry....I have some that are at least 2 years old (due to the move)
mine are stored in the airing cupboard....
Her indoors dosent mind as they cost money to replace thru neglect....hahaha...

 

[Old.bodger]

I store mine in a (obviously empty and well dried) 2.5 ltr fizzy drink bottle. Keeps them perfectly dry!

 

[dickm]

Suspect some of mine are at least 20 years old, kept in a dry drawer in the workshop. Seem to work fine within the limits of my welding skills. And if the results aren't good, you can always blame the rods!

 

[Tris]

I've used some that were at least 10 years old and got a reasonable result. Mind you my welding can look like the bottom of a budgies cage

 

[--Tom--]

6013 are less fussy, 7018 does like to be stored in a heated quiver, but if you’re just fabricobbling stuff that won’t be structural, load bearing or critical then just use them. I find 7018 more finicky so only use them if I need to, but my welding is something I’m very much still amateur at

 

[Terrytpot]

I store mine in a (obviously empty and well dried) 2.5 ltr fizzy drink bottle…

Thanks for the tip…I’ve spent a fair chunk of time trying to find a nice plastic tubular box that was at the budget that seemed reasonable to me and failed completely when all along the solution was within reach.

 

[jetsetwilly]

As others have said, for 6013 is not worth worrying about. And unless you have an inverter welder, I don’t think you’ll even be able to strike an arc with 7018…

 

[Digger58]

In the airing cupboard, never a problem.

 

[Spectric]

Is 7018 or 6010 low hydrogen rod.

Cannot remember the rod numbers as it has been some years since stick welding, once I got a TIG setup that was it but I do remember that some of my favourite stick rods were made by Stubbs, and used just a nice basic oil filled Oxford welding set with no gizmo's or invertor technology. Even my TIG is just basic, just not portable although it has a lifting eye attachment!

 

[Henniep]

Cannot remember the rod numbers as it has been some years since stick welding, once I got a TIG setup that was it but I do remember that some of my favourite stick rods were made by Stubbs, and used just a nice basic oil filled Oxford welding set with no gizmo's or invertor technology. Even my TIG is just basic, just not portable although it has a lifting eye attachment!

I buy small quantities of welding rods as and when I need. Straight out of the packaging and into an air tight container when I get home. Made the air tight container out of 50mm PVC piping with end caps. Small, compact, easy to store and holds 1kg 2.5mm rods.

 

[Lons]

Crikey! My ancient SIP welder was inherited from my FiL who bought it when he retired so that would make it 38 years young. The rods came with it, a fair quantity of mixed sizes and I'm still using them, never noticed an issue but then my welding is pretty poor and only occasional.

 

[Jester129]

Just yesterday I had my first 'play' with my new MIG/ARC welder. Got on quite well with the sticks but loads of 'spatter'(?) with the mig welds. Tried different amps but nothing really helped. Is it because of cheap/old wire from Amazon, or what am I doing wrong? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Jeff

 

[Old.bodger]

Is the gas feed working?

 

[--Tom--]

Dirty material, wrong polarity, wrong wire feed, gas rate, arc length can all contribute

Mig-welding.Co.uk forum has a lot of helpful and knowledgable people that are good at trouble shooting