Welding rods

[Don A]

I'm getting ready to finish welding up my new forge... hopefully Saturday.

I've left a box of Lincoln 7018 rods opened (in the box they came in) out in my shop for several weeks now.

Is the ambient moisture / humidity going to cause any problem with these rods?

Would a cycle in a warm oven do anything to help?

I've heard a lot about rod storage, but just didn't think much about it until now.

Thanks,

Don

[Hillbillysmith]

Don, Lincoln E7018 Excalibur rods as you should know are low hydrogen rods and yes they should be stored away from moisture. But, just welding up a forge shouldn't hurt anything at all. If you want to make sure that it won't do anything, put them in your oven at 550 degrees farenheit for one hour to "rejuvinate" them. to store them properly, just put them in a container with constant heat to it. Truthfully, all you need is nothing more than a lightbulb.

[Frosty]

Don:

Unless you're doing something that is going to be x-rayed or exposed to liability such as a staircase you're fine. 7018 isn't going to show hydrogen embrittlement on your forge. Unless we're talking something extraordinary in a forge. You aren't going to be heating RR cars or the like are you?

Frosty

[Glenn]

Buy new welding rods. The welding rod is one of the smallest costs in any project but one of the most important parts of the project. You NEVER want to tell the client that you saved a couple of bucks by using old or inferior welding rod on his project. The cost of replacing the weld, or rebuilding the project and the resulting damage is usually far in excess of the cost of new welding rods.

If this is a personal project that you can afford to repair or rebuild later, then pick what ever rod you wish. Just remember not to complain later.

[Nolano]

I would agree with Glenn on this one. For things I make for other people, I never settle for slapdash or other corner cutting that I would on my own projects.

[Frosty]

Buy new welding rods. The welding rod is one of the smallest costs in any project but one of the most important parts of the project. You NEVER want to tell the client that you saved a couple of bucks by using old or inferior welding rod on his project. The cost of replacing the weld, or rebuilding the project and the resulting damage is usually far in excess of the cost of new welding rods.

If this is a personal project that you can afford to repair or rebuild later, then pick what ever rod you wish. Just remember not to complain later.

Agreed. Don is welding up his forge, not something requiring inspection, nor with a liability exposure.

Actually, unless you have to meet hard specs 7018 isn't all that desirable a rod. Sure, it's excellent stuff but it requires special treatment and NO it can't be "revived" by baking at any temperature. The old saw, "any open cans at the end of a shift are trash," is the only way to keep hydrogen contamination within "spec".

If you want to use 7018 and keep to spec you'll be making proper scarfs, preheating, making root passes, pinging and stress relieving AND throwing the rest of the rod out when you quit for the day.

On the other hand, the chances you'll need the full 70,000 lb/sq/in and full deflection in any weldment in your forge aren't too great. You'll be fine using it on your forge.

Frosty

[Thomas Dean]

Frosty, will have to (respectfully) disagree with what you say about throwing away any unused 7018 rods from an open can. Proper rod storage for low-hydrogen rods is in an oven set to 250*F and can be kept that way indefinitly. Vessel and pipe shops would go under if they chuncked unused rods at the end of a day. And yes, according to AWS you can (although darn few shops would) recondition rods if done properly. The rods are heated to 500-550F for one hr. then can be stored as stated above. Now as far as the proper rod for this job I would agree that 7018 is overkill. BUT if that is what you have then go for it. I agree with Glenn about using bad material for a customer. He is paying good money for a good job. Anything less is unsatisfactory and really hurts us all.

Don A, if you are welding light guage material (3/16 and under) you might try using a E6013 rod. Designed for light work, easy to run, and leaves a smooth weld deposit much like a E7018.

[evfreek]

Hi Don. I would not worry so much about using 7018 electrodes that have been left out. I do it all the time. If I can get them cheap in bulk, there often is a bunch left over after a real job that can be used for non-critical applications. See the Lincoln book "New Lessons in Arc Welding" for definition of "non-critical".

The problem about damp rods is that they lose their low hydrogen properties, and the weld deposit becomes subject to underbead cracking in the HAZ. There are lots of times that non lo-hy rods are perfectly appropriate. The typical case is for welding mild steel under low restraining stresses, in thinner sections. Your forge is almost certainly in this category. I have welded up a lot of frames and brackets with mild steel for building gas forges. You can use 6013, 6011, or 7018 that is not dry. They all are non lo-hy electrodes. The only drawback is that the wet 7018 is harder to start, and it needs clean surfaces and good fit-up. You may also experience a little bit of porosity at the start of the weld. Again, not a disaster when welding up a forge. The only thing you may need to be careful about is the firepot, if you are welding 1" plate. There is more opportunity to trap hydrogen, but on the other hand, this is not a strength critical application.

Welding bridges often specifies dry 7018, since the structural steel alloys are crack sensitive. When I do a critical weld on HSLA steel, such as welding a horn onto an anvil, I use dry rod. Or welding a cracked impact tool. These are crack and porosity sensitive applications, and it pays not to skimp. But, mild steel, 3/8" or less, and non-structural (no power hammers or hydraulic presses) is a non-critical application. So, what are you welding on your forge? A pan for holding firebrick, or flange for the brakedrum, or legs? Should be OK.

Alright already, I'm a bit cheap . But, I don't actively seek out old junk rod. If it got really wet, the flux can flake off and then the rod is unusable. False economy.