Welding rod choice.

[Bornfree]

I have bevelled the joints, but maybe not enough.
The welder I've been using is an R-Tech 180 and I have no idea whether the stick function is AC or DC.
The 6013 rods were 3.2mm.
The metal was about 5mm thick.
And I was at about 130-140 amps if I've worked out the scale correctly.

Thanks for the input so far.

140amps with a 3.2 rod should be nearly burning through 5mm steel.

 

[Bornfree]

The GYS rods we get here recommend 115A for 6013 3.2mm, I get a decent result from these.

115-120 is the absolute maximum I go to with 3.2s

 

[harveyp6]

140amps with a 3.2 rod should be nearly burning through 5mm steel.

Maybe I've miscalculated the scale. My counting isn't too good so I could be way out!

 

[zzr1200]

The GYS rods we get here recommend 115A for 6013 3.2mm, I get a decent result from these.

That depends if the mma welder is a ac or dc output unit, it also depends on the make up of the rods flux coating and the design parameters under which the rods is designed to work.
Weld-Ro WRX30 Rods were awesome, British designed and manufactured one of the best 6013 rods until Lincoln Electric purchased Weld-Ro and killed them off.....

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/wrx-rods.16125/

 

[Mick Annick]

That depends if the mma welder is a ac or dc output unit, it also depends on the make up of the rods flux coating and the design parameters under which the rods is designed to work.
Weld-Ro WRX30 Rods were awesome, British designed and manufactured one of the best 6013 rods until Lincoln Electric purchased Weld-Ro and killed them off.....

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/wrx-rods.16125/

Mine’s a Lorch MicorStick 160 pro inverter. What 6013 rods do you recommend for general fabrication? I shall be in the UK soon so will restock whilst I’m there.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Mine’s a Lorch MicorStick 160 pro inverter. What 6013 rods do you recommend for general fabrication? I shall be in the UK soon so will restock whilst I’m there.

Anything with bohler written on them

 

[SipMerlin150]

As mentioned, if your machine can run them, i thoroughly recommend trying the 7018 electrodes, you don't have to worry about keeping them in the oven if you are just starting out, just keep them indoors (i typically keep a handful on top of a warm radiator overnight prior to using them, thats enough to keep them dry for practise, for serious work a rod oven is typically required. Hold a tight arc and you will love how easy it is to practise your vertical ups, overheads as the flux tends to freeze quickly and the arc and weld puddle is way more visible. Im sure you can find somewhere online that will sell electrodes in smaller quantities to sample before investing in a whole box, experiment and have fun!