a few questions

[leather]

i have been reading and you all say that dc works better on a stick weler when doing out of position work. I may not be able to afford a ac/dc welder so I was wondering can you weld overhead and verticle ok with ac? What electrode works best?

I have been reading that 7018 is a good rod for all positions and it works good for mostly everything on dcep. Is the 7018 rod made for AC as versatile and work as good out of position as the dc stuff?

[Franz]

I can weld overhead and verticle with an AC machine, and in fact, I strongly recommend people learning to weld start with AC, because it will make a weldor out of you. It will take a bit of time and practice, but it can be done very well. First learn to run a good pass flat, then move to verticle down, and then overhead, and you'll be fine. Ya gotta crawl & walk before you can run.
6013 can be run in any position with AC, and is a **** good learning rod. AC 7018 came out in the 1960s, and was highly touted for it's restrike capability, as the coating contains a quantity of powdered iron.

[cope]

Re: a few questions

Originally posted by leather
i have been reading and you all say that dc works better on a stick weler when doing out of position work. I may not be able to afford a ac/dc welder so I was wondering can you weld overhead and verticle ok with ac? What electrode works best?

I have been reading that 7018 is a good rod for all positions and it works good for mostly everything on dcep. Is the 7018 rod made for AC as versatile and work as good out of position as the dc stuff?

7018 needs special oveb storage that makes it an expensive rod for home use. Stick with the 6013-it will do everything you need. 7014 is a good rod for flat welding.

[Sberry]

The new AC 7018 are more moisture resistant I believe. They are looser and you have to really stick with it to get good control and learners have a problem with it sometimes but it makes a great quality weld. 6011 is good too. Good control with that. Thats the only 2 rods I would need for an AC machine.