Hi there,
For those of us that do not weld for a living and who go through a box of electrodes every year (at most) seems like having a rod oven is not practical. That said, 7018 electrodes are not the way to go since they loose their smooth running properties quite easily as soon as they pick up moisture and such. Not to mention porosity, bad starts and not being code compliant. It has been discussed to death there lately.
A few days ago while browsing through the catalog of a local welding supplier I came across a datasheet of a 7016 electrode (HERE). I recall reading somewhere that 7016 electrodes do not pick up moisture as easily as the 7018. But again, I could be wrong.
What do you guys think about these 7016 electrodes? Are they somewhat comparable? Will they make a fair substitute for 7018 without the hassle of having to bake them? Worth giving them a try?
I don't weld structural stuff at all. I am just a hobby welder who puts together stands, tables, brackets for whatever is needed and such. What I do enjoy about 7018 (at least the first rods I got out of the package, now, a year later, about 3/4s full and useless) was how smooth they ran and the nice beads I could make.
Thanks in advance,
Mikel
For those of us that do not weld for a living and who go through a box of electrodes every year (at most) seems like having a rod oven is not practical. That said, 7018 electrodes are not the way to go since they loose their smooth running properties quite easily as soon as they pick up moisture and such. Not to mention porosity, bad starts and not being code compliant. It has been discussed to death there lately.
A few days ago while browsing through the catalog of a local welding supplier I came across a datasheet of a 7016 electrode (HERE). I recall reading somewhere that 7016 electrodes do not pick up moisture as easily as the 7018. But again, I could be wrong.
What do you guys think about these 7016 electrodes? Are they somewhat comparable? Will they make a fair substitute for 7018 without the hassle of having to bake them? Worth giving them a try?
I don't weld structural stuff at all. I am just a hobby welder who puts together stands, tables, brackets for whatever is needed and such. What I do enjoy about 7018 (at least the first rods I got out of the package, now, a year later, about 3/4s full and useless) was how smooth they ran and the nice beads I could make.
Thanks in advance,
Mikel
