[TheForge] Welding Rod- 6013?

[Mike Porter]

I didn't want to get involved in this discussion, but can see that a
dissenting voice is now desperately needed. In about 35 years spent as a
multi-certified weldor (this was originally the correct spelling when
referring to the operator instead of the equipment) I've heard a lot of
prejudice passing for wisdom. When it comes to welding rods, tunnel vision
seems to narrow down close to a pin-point. Certified welders (not to
overheat Spellchecker) are the prime carriers of this particular disease,
but shouldn't be blamed for it. 

You see, no matter how good a welder may be, if he/she doesn't certify for
some particular project, or if any of his/her work doesn't meet quality
standards--for any reason whatsoever--he/she turns instantly from
grudgingly-put-up-with-necessary-evil to unemployed BUM. This naturally
promotes paranoia, leading to antisocial demeanor, thus ending in social
segregation, which promotes...well, you all get the idea. So narrow
mindedness is constantly reinforced, and chance taking is--often
severely--discouraged.

Thus, we may have devolved to the point where only retired welders can
overcome combative attitudes well enough to admit that, the rules apply when
they work, but are often quite successfully broken. I have used 7018 so old
and exposed to the elements that it would completely crumble off the rod if
I didn't make a perfect start. It welded just fine, and was infinitely
better than the alternate (no rod at all). I have also used 6013 5/32" and
3/16" with the amperage turned way up, in order to mimic the performance of
7024, while welding deck cleats through standing water, paint, and tar, on a
barge deck; if this had not worked as well as it looked to, I would have
been fired by that company some time during the following two years that the
barge hauled cargo back and forth through Alaskan storms.

I paid for welding school in the first place by running 5/32" 7018, in all
positions, using an AC 'cracker box'. Was I really that good? No, but it was
1971 in Seattle (remember "last person out of the city; turn of the
lights"?), and the boat owner told me it was his way or the highway.
Desperation is a wonderful helpmate when trying the supposedly "impossible."

The moral of this story is, all those rules are very precious to engineers,
but welders who work in exotic places find out very quickly that "whatever
works is what goes"! In other words, take all the rules as the mere
guidelines they were intended to be; welding is a craft--not a religion. Any
AWS members in good standing might as well know that I'm retired and
couldn't care less about your disapproval.
Mikey  	 

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dan Tull
Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 9:09 AM
To: Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Welding Rod- 6013?


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gladish Family" <gladish at cnw.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 10:07 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Welding Rod- 6013?
> Now, I hear 6013 called "hobby rod". Does that mean it doesn't work? Seems

> like a good compromise for those of us who don't work on big enough 
> projects to need full boxes of 7018.

Why would you ever buy a 7018 box of rods that you have to keep away from 
AIR?
Get any pipeline or tank welder to tell you what they did w/ 7018 at the end

of the day.
They either tossed them in the dumpster, or took them home for some poor 
unsustecting blacksmith to struggle with.
Why would you associate "hobbiest" with don't work? 


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