rjmack
Platinum Member
one trick for low hydrogen rods that have been left out for a while (weeks, months, or years) is to simply bottom the rod out by basically short circuiting it against a piece of grounded steel such that the arc is snuffed out.
the rod will heat up and start steaming, sometimes if the rod is really damp you will actually see water boiling off it. once the flux dries out you break contact and then start welding.
one thing to take into consideration is that the flux gets very brittle as it dries out, and while the rod has been short circuited it effectively spot welds the end of itself to the base metal. when the rod has been dried and you go to break it loose there is resistance from the spot weld at the base of the rod... this causes the rod to flex and can cause the flux to crack. you can then run into fingernailing problems as a result. on the other hand it can get you out of a pinch, and if you have gloves on you can use your hand to break the rod loose from the base of the rod rather than the stinger.
one other thing with the 6010 rods... i have noticed that if the deep red/brown flux that is used on hobart and many other versions of this rod has turned pale and got a whiteish film on them, you might as well throw the rods away. they will get like that from being left in a damp environment for too long and once that happens they are pretty well useless. the lincoln 5p+ equivalent (grey rather than red) will get the whiteish film too. and that also means 'the end'.
the rod will heat up and start steaming, sometimes if the rod is really damp you will actually see water boiling off it. once the flux dries out you break contact and then start welding.
one thing to take into consideration is that the flux gets very brittle as it dries out, and while the rod has been short circuited it effectively spot welds the end of itself to the base metal. when the rod has been dried and you go to break it loose there is resistance from the spot weld at the base of the rod... this causes the rod to flex and can cause the flux to crack. you can then run into fingernailing problems as a result. on the other hand it can get you out of a pinch, and if you have gloves on you can use your hand to break the rod loose from the base of the rod rather than the stinger.
one other thing with the 6010 rods... i have noticed that if the deep red/brown flux that is used on hobart and many other versions of this rod has turned pale and got a whiteish film on them, you might as well throw the rods away. they will get like that from being left in a damp environment for too long and once that happens they are pretty well useless. the lincoln 5p+ equivalent (grey rather than red) will get the whiteish film too. and that also means 'the end'.
