welding

The weld metal has good corrosion resistance and the mechanical character and crack resistance are fine.

The main things that separate the men from the boys or should I say, the actual welders from the rod burners are the enthusiasm to follow procedures for welding stainless steel. Procedures like waiting for the pipe to cool in between passes, maintenance the hot tip of the rod shielded with argon, snipping the tip of the tig welding rod when it gets crapped up, maintaining your tungsten sharp.

One of the main actions is PURGE. Stainless steel completely has to be purged with argon gas in order to prevent sugaring. Sugaring is also called granulation but it is severe oxidation no substance what you call it.

You can’t still get away with tack welding without an argon purge that protect the back side or inside of the pipe. So how do you do it? How do you defend the back side with argon?

Regularly it is done with aluminum duct tape. The ends of a stainless steel pipe are taped shut and the complete inside is purged with argon gas. Yet the opening in the pipe joint itself is taped so that argon can fill the whole pipe and push out any oxygen. The strip is peeled back just enough to obtain a tack once the pipe is purge enough.

More information: welding electrode

The corrosion resistant characteristics of stainless steels may be adversely affected by the sensitization process occurring, while Welding-stainless, in a certain temperature interval from about 600 to 900'C (from about 1100 to 1650'F) which promotes the precipitation (gathering) of chromium carbides at grain boundaries and the parallel loss of anticorrosive chromium from the base metal.
Another is to use a different type of base metal welding rod including an amount of titanium (type 321) or columbium (also known as niobium) (type 347) which tend to form readily titanium carbides (or columbium carbides) (and by this action the carbon becomes unavailable for chromium) at sensitization temperatures leaving the chromium free to perform its anticorrosive task.
Note that the filler metal for this material, if required, should be always of type 347. Why? Because titanium (in type 321) being reactive, is not readily recovered during deposition, so that it would not be available when it is needed most. Columbium however is not reactive, it will stay put through melting, and, when the material is heated to the "sensitization" temperature, will do its job of producing columbium carbides in preference to chromium carbide, and so it will save the day.
The third strategy for safely Welding-stainless is to perform a solution heat treatment at elevated temperature (about 1050 oC or 1900 oF), for repairing a condition of corrosion susceptibility. This puts again in solution (called solid solution) the chromium carbides originated during Welding-stainless sensitization of regular 18/8 stainless (like types 302 or 304). This process however must contend with problems of heavy oxide formation if not done in vacuum or protective atmosphere, and of distortions.
Stainless steel welding electrode type 309 and 310, used for elevated temperature applications, and type 316 or better type 316L used for enhanced corrosion resistance, are generally not prone to sensitization and are used with filler wires of similar composition.

There are a lot of different welding electrode and wires out there. In the field, welding electrodes are usually referred to as "welding rods" so I will use that term here.

"Stick Welding" is also the term of choice in the field for SMAW, the acronym for Shielded Metal Arc Welding.

Stick welding used to be done with a bare welding rod. It was very difficult, and could only be used in the flat position. If you've ever stuck a rod with flux on it, you can only imagine how many times they stuck bare rods! If the rod gets too close to the base metal it will decrease the voltage causing the arc to go out.

Sticking the welding rod is where the rod instead of melting like it should, sticks to the base metal. There is not enough current to melt it, but enough for it to stick. One way of getting it loose is immediately jerking the rod away from the base metal. If that doesn't work, you have to unclamp the rod, and then break it off.

EVERYONE sticks welding rod, when they're learning, and even old salts like me stick it every once and a while. I've always thought it was called stick welding because the electrode looked like a stick, but I read on Miller's website once that it's called stick welding because so many people stick it when learning.

If you jerk the "stinger" (electrode holder) quick enough you can break the rod off of the base metal and re-strike your arc. But if it stays there too long and gets too hot, it will easily stick again and should be put down and allowed to cool.

Many times when it sticks, the jerking away, or breaking loose of the rod will cause flux to come off of the end. That makes it really hard to strike and arc again without it sticking. Sticking the rod is SOME KIND of frustrating. I have a punching bag up in my shop for students to acquire good eye/hand coordination, but it's also a way for them to go let off some steam when they need to.

One quick fix is to long-arc (hold the rod up off of the plate about a quarter inch) the welding rod and burn the bare metal off until it reaches the flux. . It helps to turn the machine up to warp 10 (in other words crank that baby up) when burning it off. If you don't do that, it will almost always stick again to the bare rod that you're trying to fix.

That's one reason you really need to keep your welding rods, especially 7018 low-hydrogen rods, in rod ovens. If you don't, besides getting moisture in the flux, which causes porosity, or worm holes; the flux can become brittle and flake off.

In another article, I'll talk about the most common kinds of welding rods used in the shop and field, as well as explaining some of the less used ones.

A New York City jury returned a multi-million dollar verdict against the manufacturers of welding rod that contained asbestos, finding the companies liable for the development of two welders' mesothelioma. The case marked a rare instance in which welding companies were held responsible for asbestos-related harm. Mesothlioma is a malignant form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure.

new document body { font-size:14px; padding-right: 4px; padding-left: 8px; padding-bottom: 8px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 8px; } Welding rod and other pieces of metal used in the welding process release toxic fumes and dust when heated. The most serious welding rods side effects have been found from the absorption of manganese, a chemical element that occurs naturally in the environment and is an essential nutrient in small amounts. In the larger amounts released during welding, manganese can cause long-term health problems.

Suffered harm from Welding Rod exposure? You may have a lawsuit. Click here, for a top rated law firm to evaluate your legal rights.

Manganese poisoning has been linked to a disease called Manganism that is either similar to or the same as Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s occurs when the brain cells that produce dopamine die and there isn’t enough dopamine for the nervous system to send messages needed for the body to move easily. The disease is progressive, which means it gets worse over time, often progressing from tremors to paralysis. Manganism may be reversible in the early stages, so recognition of symptoms is very important. See Welding Rods Side Effects – Parkinson’s & Cancer for help in identifying the early stages of Manganism.

Welding rods information has been available for decades. The first published report about the link between manganese exposure and Parkinson’s-like symptoms appeared in 1837. Other reports were published in the 1930s, including a welding safety pamphlet published by an insurance company that warned about the dangers of toxic fumes. The welding process was linked to Parkinson’s symptoms again by a toxicologist in 1963, and in 1981 the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the use of safety equipment to reduce exposure to manganese. In spite of these welding rod warnings, many workers haven’t been adequately protected from toxic fumes and dust in the workplace.

If you use welding electrode, you should be very careful to read all warnings and to make sure that toxic fumes and dusts cannot enter through the respiratory system, skin, or eyes. Use a good respirator, wear protective clothing over all exposed skin, and use eye protection. Be careful not to touch dust left on protective clothing or protective equipment with your bare skin. If you have been exposed to toxic welding fumes, see your healthcare provider to be checked for early signs of Manganism. If you have suffered injury from manganese poisoning or other toxic effects of welding rods, you might be able to get damages for your injuries. See Welding Electrodes Attorney and Lawyer – How to Hire to find out how to have your case evaluated by a competent welding rods attorney.

new document body { font-size:14px; padding-right: 4px; padding-left: 8px; padding-bottom: 8px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 8px; } welding rod, or welding electrode, are metal rods that melt and become part of the strong bond that holds metal together. They come in a wide variety of sizes and metals. The metal is surrounded by "flux," which prevents oxidation of the metal being welded. Choosing the right kind for your job is very important because the wrong kind can weaken the weld.

The first two digits of the welding rod number indicate the strength of the weld. Multiply the 60 in 6010, for instance, to get 60,000 pounds of pulling force.

6010 This is a very common type of welding rod. It is used for farm equipment, piping, wrought iron, and many kinds of general maintenance. The rod must be run on welders that use Direct Current (DC).

7018 This is a very versatile type of welding electrode and is a little easier to use than 6010. It's a low-hydrogen rod and moisture can't be allowed to get into the flux. A "rod oven" should be used to store 7018 at 250 degrees.

308L AC/DC This rod is used to weld stainless steel and is resistant to cracks and corrosion. It also works well in all welding positions.

24 AC/DC This rod is used to join two different kinds of metal and works in all positions.