Welding Steel

Steel is basically Iron and Carbon with small amounts of other stuff like manganese. Low Carbon Steel has .3 percent carbon. Not 3 percent but 0.3 percent or point 3 percent. That’s not much. For comparison sake, Cast iron has a full 3 percent and sometimes more. That’s why cast iron is such a pain to weld and also why low carbon steel is the easiest metal to weld… low carbon steel is also the cheapest metal to buy. Low Carbon Steel is what we use to learn to weld and low Carbon steel is what we compare all other metals to when we study metals. Why? Well it’s easier to understand stuff if we can compare it to something we already know and understand. How you gonna weld anything else if you haven't learned welding steel?

Stick Welding steel

Stick welding uses stick electrodes with flux baked on them. Stick welding is used on the farm, and on construction sites and in the field like on a pipeline. It still rules as the most commonly used type of welding in the world. Its portable, the equipment is simple and cheap, and windy conditions don’t much matter because the flux on the rod turns into slag that protects the weld from air.In the hands of a craftsman, stick welding can produce some high quality welds. Its easy to change from carbon steel to stainless steel…all you do is change rods.I have actually had folks ask me: Does anyone really still use stick welding? Then I explain to them that the arc they see from a distance on a high rise construction job, is most likely stick welding.All you need to know about stick welding rods is 6011 and 7018. They both run on a/c or dc reverse so a 225 amp Lincoln buzz box from home depot is all you really need for a whole lot of hobby welding.
6011 penetrates deeper and can weld downhill. 7018 will look better but they suck for downhill. A 7018 bead done by a good welder looks good and is ductile and strong.