Pretty cool short article on emergency welding using automotive batteries

[Jerry Bransford]

http://www.lcool.org/technical/80_se...y_welding.html

[mrblaine]

Originally Posted by Jerry Bransford

http://www.lcool.org/technical/80_se...y_welding.html

From May 15, 2000 on the way to Sledge

[Jerry Bransford]

Cool pic. What is a good all-around rod to carry Blaine? I read both 7018 and 6011 on a thread at MJR, with 6011 getting the nod for dirtier condition type welds.

[Allen]

Originally Posted by Jerry Bransford

Cool pic. What is a good all-around rod to carry Blaine? I read both 7018 and 6011 on a thread at MJR, with 6011 getting the nod for dirtier condition type welds.

6011 or most 6xxx series rods are quite tolerant of paint, rust, and other contaminants, however, very difficult for the novice or even moderately experienced welder to run. A good looking bead can be very difficult to achieve.

7018 or most Lo-Hy rods would be preferred, if the area to be welded is accessible with a grinder or what not to get to clean steel. That class of rods weld beautifully, and are user friendly...if you can stick weld.

Smaller diameter rods would be preferred in most cases...3/32 and under if available...

[Jerry Bransford]

Good info Allen, 3/32 or 1/16" 7018 sounds like the right rod for me then. I don't stick weld (I burn stuff together with my Miller MIG) but I'll pick some up & practice with it. If there's no one else around who stick welds on the trail with me, at least it won't be my first time if it's a weld-it-or-die situation. Thanks for the advice Allen, there are only two guys I know of to trust with welding advice & you're one of those two (Blaine being the other).

[Allen]

Also,

6xxx series rods are stored without any special consideration. In other words, they don't need to be kept in an oven once opened. The flux is cellulose based, and actually needs moisture to burn correctly. I have heard of guys dipping 6xxx rods in a bucket of water before welding because they were too dry...I however would not do that.

7018 and all Lo-Hy rods are fine stored in a hermetically sealed can, but once opened need to be maintained in a 250*F oven until used. You can store them like 6xxx rods, if you don't mind going through a drying procedure. This usually involves placing them in a 500-700*F oven for a specified time. Lo-Hy rods use an iron based powder for the flux, and do not like moisture. The flux picks up moisture easily, and when burned breaks down the hydrogen atoms and places them in the base metal/weld thus inducing hydrogen embrittlement. Also, the oxygen atoms can introduce porosity.

7xxx series rods can be used within a week or so of opening, but to meet AWS code, I think open air exposure is 12 hours max...It's not long...

[Jerry Bransford]

I've wondered about that moisture issue Allen. What if I were to store 7018 rods in a PVC tube with end-caps with a desiccant of some type inside the tube? Heck it could be a long time before they got used, maybe guys on the trail with their Premier Power Welders carry 6011 just so the moisture potential isn't an issue? Then again, it's pretty dry out in the desert.

[Tumbleweed]

I have put some welding rods in those vacumn pack bags before to carry along. You know the sealer thing you put your food into vacumn bags? I would only put a few rods in each bag so you don't expose them all to moisture when you open them.
The rods will pick up moisture anywhere, desert or not. I always called 6010 and 6011 junk rods, because they will pretty much work on anything and are not fussy. As said, 7018 likes to have clean metal; and will leave a heavy flux coating.

[Jerry Bransford]

That's a good idea, that's what I'll do. Thanks!