What are Welding stick electrodes?

A coated metal wire, made out of materials familiar to those metals that are being welded. These electrodes come in consumables and non-consumables types. A shield metal arc welding (SMAW) which is popularly known as a stick or electrodes are consumables that can be consumed during its use and metals with the weld. When it comes to Tungsten Inert Gas Welding (TIG) electrodes are non-consumables so that gives them a grip and does not melt and becomes a part of the weld. Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or MIG welding, electrodes are continuously fed wire. Flux-cored arc welding possesses a continuously fed consumable tubular electrode containing flux.

How to choose welding electrodes?

What's the Tensile Strength? How solid is the Ductility? Choosing an electrode is identified based on certain requirements of the welding project. A few out of the lot include Corrosion Resistance, Base Metal, Weld Position, Current, and Polarity. Your choice of welding electrodes should be based on it being either the light or the heavy side. Reason being. Light coated electrodes consist of light coating that is used with the help of brushing, dipping, spraying, wiping, or even tumbling. Heavy coated electrodes, on the other hand, are coated with extrusion or dripping. There typically involves three main kinds of heavy coatings, namely, Cellulose, Mineral, the combination of both.

Pros of Stick Welding

- Equipment needed is not very expensive

- Stick welding is powerful even when it is raining or windy

- It's less sensitive towards pain, dirt, and corrosion at the welding point and saves a lot of time on pre-welding clean-up.

- It gets way too easy in changing rods for various metals

- The ground clamps can be appended far from the welding point

- It's a no external shielding gas. This means a lot of savings on the money!

Cons of Stick Welding

- It's way more complicated and needs a welder with experience and skills in stick welding

- It is time-consuming to give away the decrement that is formed during the weld

- It gets difficult to weld thinner metals

- Stick welding is comparatively slow

- It involves excessive spatter, porosity, rough surfaces.

- The welding rods can easily be replaced with other types of welding.

Top Brands For Welding Stick Electrodes In UAE?

There are literally dozens of rod options available for you to choose from. But, how do you know which one is legit? Apart from rod types, there include different other diameters included in rod, out of which a few are better for repair work, while a lot of others are better for professionals applications like pipe welding or structural welding. Out of a lot, let's see a few brands.

Lincoln Electric 1/8″ 7018 MR Welding Rods

Rods that can easily tackle repair projects, structural steel welding, and heavy pipe welding.

Hobart 1/8″ 7018 Welding Rods

They are compatible with Lincolns and burn really effectively, being stronger than Lincoln.

Forney 1/8″ 6010 Welding Rods

These electrodes can easily weld any contaminant and can power through rust, oil. mill scale.

WeldArc Welding products by ITWS

Weldarc was introduced in 2015 as a private brand that supported and replaced different non-branded products. Has amazingly evolved during the years, they currently offer welding consumables and accessories. Weldarc 7018 comes in two products namely, 7018 and 7018-1 with basic coated low hydrogen electrode that meets structural welding stick electrodes, and fabrication.

Conclusion

Before you come across any welding task, get your checklist determined with the right type of welding rod to use. Every metal reacts to an electric arc in many ways, and there involves a wide range of electrodes, which one do you get your hands on?