7018 vs 6013 vs everything else

[Shield Arc]

What amazes me is, 6013 is widely used for high pressure pipe welding through out Europe. Not that I know anything about pipe welding, but I would guess if you used 6013 here in the states for pipe welding they would run you off!

 

[Arc weld]

I don't think any shops would meet ASME requirements. I much prefer welding with 7018 over 6013. It's predictable, you can see exactly what the puddle is doing and the slag doesn't get in the way. In certain tight area's you can still get a proper weld using an odd rod angle, including pushing. It takes some practice but you can make 7018 fingernail on purpose to keep the slag out of the way. 7018 even works for blind welds where you can't even see what you're doing.

 

[Shield Arc]

I never ran much 6013, never really gave it much thought until joining these tractor forums. So I bought some to give it a try. My first pass I ran it like I would 7018. Whoa! That was a mistake!:shocked: I learned right away you have to give it more angle. Once you do that, it's really easy to run.

 

[CNC Dan]

What amazes me is, 6013 is widely used for high pressure pipe welding through out Europe. Not that I know anything about pipe welding, but I would guess if you used 6013 here in the states for pipe welding they would run you off!

Somewhere I read that in europe they have several kinds of 6013. So I think that that explains why they use that rod for everything.

 

[Shield Arc]

You know Dan I was wonder about that! There is a guy on a lot of the welding forums who lives in Northern Ireland. The guy is amazing with 6013, he works in a pipe fabrication shop. His welds are nothing short of inspirational to say the least.

 

[rankrank1]

I actually like 6013 for some things. It is one of my favorites for parts build up that I will then be free hand shaping with handheld power tools such as 4.5 grinder or even more so when using a rotary carbide burr in a die grinder. 6013 cuts much more similar to virgin mild steel compared to other rods (or mig)which makes backyard hack machining operations much easier when working with primitive tools.

I imagine I would use 6013 even more than I do now if I did not have my mig unit. I think I could easily get by using 5/64" 6013 for thinner metals if no wire feeder available. I typically keep both 6013 in 5/64" and 7014 1/16" for just those occasions when I might run out wire. If my wire feeder ever dies then I might not even replace it since I rarely weld on anything less than 1/16" anyhow.

 

[EMB5530]

Where have you ran across 1/16" 7014? The only 1/16" rod I have ever found is 6013. The welding store I go to (Matheson) does not keep any 1/16" rod in stock. The only place I have found 1/16" is Harbor Freight and Home Depot.

 

[rankrank1]

Menard's carries 7014 in both 1/16" and 5/64" diameters in US Forge Brand (US Forge is Messer which is good stuff).
Menard's also carries 6013 in 5/64"

TSC and Rural King also carry 1/16" diameters in Hobart.

Some Ace Hardware may carry 1/16" in 7014 in Forney which is now made by ???? since Forney closed their rod plant a couple years ago. Quality could be hit-n-miss.

I have also used the Horrible Freight 7014 in 1/16" and it is usable but that is about all I can say for it. I do not care for the HF 6013 at all.

In reality, I hate all 1/16" diameter rods, but the ease of 7014 makes it borderline tolerable. I actually do not mind the 5/64" rods. They are typically shorter than standard and have just enough diameter to not flex all over the place.

I pretty much buy my rods at either Menard's or Rural King now as they have best selection as well as decent prices.

 

[LD1]

But I did bend tests with both 6013, and 7014. Not a flaw in either one, for most of us here do we need anything more?

That has been my experience too. When the rod is stronger than the base metal, who cares if its 1.5x's stronger, 2x's, or 10x's. the added strength dont really gain a whole lot. And while I dont hang heavy structural iron for a living, I have made lots of things with 6013 and 7014 and not one failure.

I have also ran alot of 7018 from several different welders. Stuff runs great too. But on the old craftsman tapped buzzbox at home, 7018 just flat out wont run. Even the AC variety. Dont know what it is about the welder, but I know it isnt me cause any other welder I can run 7018 beautifully. But all of those have been DC machines. So I guess if given a choice, and was on a DC machine, I'd likely opt for the 7018, and use 7014 or 6013 for tacking things, mainly due to ease of restart. But for home, its 7014 as my go-to rod.

What amazes me is, 6013 is widely used for high pressure pipe welding through out Europe. Not that I know anything about pipe welding, but I would guess if you used 6013 here in the states for pipe welding they would run you off!

Well, if it is strong enough for pipes in europe....I am sure it is fine for what most of us here do.

That statement though kinda makes me think of those disclaimers that read something like "This product is known to the state of CA to cause cancer in lab rats":laughing:

Well, since I aint a rat and I live in Ohio, I got nothin' to worry about:thumbsup:

 

[bdog]

Kind of off topic but why do people typically do a first pass with a 6010 and then cover it up with a 7018? Why not just use a 7018?

For me the cost of rods is negligible compared to my time and the down time if something breaks. I weld pretty much everything with 6010 (5P+) but would consider 7018 if it was all purpose but I am not familiar with it enough to know if there are certain situations where you shouldn't use it or if the first pass of a 6010 is always required. As to the 6013 if it is inferior why buy it? Is it that much cheaper? Sounds like it is adequate so I wouldn't hesitate to use it if I had some but I wouldn't go buy some if I knew something better for the sAme cost was out there.