Welding rod choice.

[Seadog]

Zoro has ceased trading.

 

[SipMerlin150]

Trying to find a supplier for 6011 rods at sensible prices is interesting, I use 6013 or 7018 rods.

Theres a few suppliers on a well known auction site, They sell 6010 (if your set runs them, i picked up 20 x 3.2mm for £8.50 delivered, they run Okay, and a 62 pack of EV50's 7016's for £17 delivered. Good rods, run really nice.

 

[zzr1200]

I've always found that buying small amounts of loose rods is a pain, better to have a supplier with stock on the shelf, just down the road.

Then there's always pressure to completing/getting the job done, with a lack of rods..

Somtimes there is no other way, titanium tig rods for example , which are super expensive.

 

[SipMerlin150]

I've always found that buying small amounts of loose rods is a pain, better to have a supplier with stock on the shelf, just down the road.

Then there's always pressure to completing/getting the job done, with a lack of rods..

Somtimes there is no other way, titanium tig rods for example , which are super expensive.

Totally understand that, its handy if you want to try out a few to see how they run before buying a few boxes, i remember years ago starting out learning i had a terrible buzz box and wasting my money on a box of 7018s that refused to work

 

[zzr1200]

Buzz boxes are awful things, for anything but E6013 rods in my opinion, a nice dc inverter (even a cheap one) makes things so much nicer.

If you want to run a E7018 rod on AC current, you really need an oil cooled welder with a 80VOC.

 

[SipMerlin150]

Buzz boxes are awful things, for anything but E6013 rods in my opinion, a nice dc inverter (even a cheap one) makes things so much nicer.

If you want to run a E7018 rod on AC current, you really need an oil cooled welder with a 80VOC.

Correct, when i first started self learning inverter welders were very expensive and out of my budget as were the oil cooled oxfords. I did hower get a lot of seat time at a school with one of their numerous Cebora 3 phase machines and learnt with as many electrode types as they had, even 7024, and 6010's. Fast forward to present day i now own 2 xti 140 inverters and an oxford oil cooled, and these are a revelation compared to what i started out on. Needless to say I gave my buzzbox to my brother before i departed to Australia back in 2013 and he managed to let the smoke out of it

 

[SipMerlin150]

Correct, when i first started self learning inverter welders were very expensive and out of my budget as were the oil cooled oxfords. I did hower get a lot of seat time at a school with one of their numerous Cebora 3 phase machines and learnt with as many electrode types as they had, even 7024, and 6010's. Fast forward to present day i now own 2 xti 140 inverters and an oxford oil cooled, and these are a revelation compared to what i started out on. Needless to say I gave my buzzbox to my brother before i departed to Australia back in 2013 and he managed to let the smoke out of it, haha so its long gone. Come to think of it he does owe me a welder haha. These days in work i tend to use a multi process machine, these Jasic sets are very good units.