which weld rod,,,,?

 I have NO idea what has happened with either me or my arc welder or ,,,,or,,Chit mayhaps it beem ole Shameless all along,,,,?? I did buy an older model Lincoln "Tombstone" arc welder that I like to use on thicker metals and leave the Lincoln 175 Mig welder for the lighter stuff.  The arc welder is a AC-225-S Lincoln,, But here recently I find the arc welder to be quite a handfull to get a nice weld bead like I always could do without any problems at all!!  I might of changed weld rod as I always used 6011 on the other arc welder I had (still have it )  chit,,it don't have any writing on it so can't tell ya'll whay is really is/was,,,Somebody told me I should use 6013 so I got a 10# carton,,didn't loke it and back to 6011 and having issues with it TOO!! The 6011 seems to "Stick" bad and have to restart the bead too often,,,,?  Any help,,??

Running to cold?

Base metal clean?

Rods a bit rusty on the end?

 Some rods are finickier than others.

 As T-bone  said, might be the moisture giving you fits...  yea, put them in the oven and forget them for a couple hours. 

 

DJ , get a box of 7018AC rods !

It's the ONLY rods I've used for 30+ years with my AC-225-S.

Actually tried the 6013 or 6011 this summer, YUCK...got 10#s minus 4 rods here,YUCK..

I use 7018AC 3/32 for welding up mower decks, 7018AC 1/8 to make trailers

NEVER ,ever had a bad weld and let's face it , I can't be that lucky !!!

7018 AC....AC on the end ,  as in Allis-Chalmers.... easy to um ,ah, oh yeah, remember !!!

About 5 years ago I replaced the  AMPS switch,cost $45, back then.

 Well,,,I'm gonna have to fess up as I'm betting ole Les's trk radiator that ole Shameless is gonna  try and blow up my story sure as chit,,,,,,

 The Welder is an almost new Lincoln that the PO had put it in garage and,,,,and,,,forgot it for a, a,,few years  BUT the box of 6011 was a .....bit old,,,but always been inside and I only take out of the 50# box what I'm gonna use . I'm gonna try puttin some in the oven as I now remember when still working I seen a demonstration of a salesman showing the company welders the BIG difference in using an oven Vs leaving the rod boxes on the work table,,,It was amazing!!

 The Dude at welding supply told me to try a 5# box of  7018 AC in 1/8" and he would order me a big box as he was sure I would like it sure!!???

 How are you storing rods? the plastic sealable containers that hold 5 lbs work good for me. Fancy storage is heated rod boxes ( $400-->), or an old refrigerator with a small light bulb (15-40 watts) to provide heat.

7014 is the rod of choice for me.

This chart may help as well

HAY DJ....

I've got 2 boxes of it here !!!

it's the only stuff I buy...don't buy cheap 'store branded stuff'.....

btw, 7 seconds on the internet....

https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en/products/lincoln7018acrsp_smaw?sku=ED033515

Want to have fun, go back to that place, make a bet..

so you say Lincoln don't make 7018AC rods? OK, if I can prove it, you'll give me 110# for free,if not I'll give you 100$...show him the cash and a handshake.....

..then grab his computer, and google 'lincoln 7018AC '

you can mail me 10# of the LINCOLN 7018AC  as a 'finders fee'....

Jay

  Well,,I'm gonna figure this sob out one way or the other!!  I got home and went out and gave that 7018 AC rod a time or two ,,,,and then I done it again and  danged if it ain't doing the same CHIT the other rod I was using,,,,WTF,,,,?? Tried back and forth changing rods and about decided something is amiss with the frigging Lincoln welder,,,it just don't want to weld anything!!  It sticks bad so upped the heat from 65 to 75,,,nope,,,tried 85 nope again, still sticking and just making big ole gorrillas, not flowing worth a chit. went back to 6013 same chit even tried some 6010,,, I believe something AFU with the Lincoln,,,,!!

Any kind words of wisdom?? 

I went and drug out my old 200 amp machine and it is "SUREWELD NCG AC ARC WELDER and I remembered the machine had tipped over and broke the aluminum crank handle,,,,I had done a southern engineering fix and then I bought the Lincoln and ,,,,just put it up

 I'm gonna check it out tamarrow cause I gotta finish this project soon

Another trick is to use two different grinding discs when working on repairs. I carry several grinders with different discs mounted up and don't use a disc that has busted the/a rust layer for much other than that. Break the crust, then use another disc to finish grind for a clean surface to weld to. Same thing with paint, don't use a grinding disc for metal to remove paint, this contaminates the disc spreading to your work. Using several discs avoids the cross contamination that gives many fits.  

Dont know why Joe needs 1/8 inch rods.. If your welding on 3/8 plate, ok... if thinner than that you should be using 3/32 rod .............. and the amps for 1/8 should be well over 100.

Codgers post about aluminum winding should be considered... Sometimes welders that have set for quite a while can get corrosion on the aluminum straps and clamps... Might want to open the cover, loosen the connections and check / clean / retorque. .... also test the OLD WELDER you have to verify you have a good 240v supply ... i blew one leg of a breaker once and had 120v supply and had similar results as you got... but your amps are way LOW.