A Complete Guide on Stick Welding Tips and Safety Measures
Introduction:
Stick Welding or Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is a versatile and one of the most popular outdoor welding process. Unlike other types of welding like MIG and TIG, SMAW doesn’t require a gas cylinder. Rather it uses electricity for burning the stick like an electrode, and thus, wind can’t hinder your welding works. We offer you a complete guide on various aspects of stick welding. Let’s look into it!!
What is Stick Welding?
In stick welding, electricity passes through the metal electrode & the workpiece and high temperature melts the electrode down into the workpiece and it forms a weld pool. There is a flux layer cover around the electrode stick. Like shielding gas in TIG and MIG, this layer protects the weld pool from contamination of the environment. After the welding is over, you will find a layer of slag created by the flux on top of the weld head. So, you need to chip off and brush the slag down for a better output.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Stick Welding:
Advantages Disadvantages
1. Stick welding is economical since the electrode and the electricity used don’t incur any costs.
2. It is a portable solution as it doesn’t require any fire feeder or gas cylinder.
3. It is best for outdoor conditions.
4. If your workpiece is rusty, you can still weld on it.
5. Mastering stick welding is easier than other conventional methods.
1. You have to operate it manually. There is no option for running mechanically or automatically.
2. The rate of deposited weld metal could be very high.
3. You need to be more skillful in comparison to its counterparts.
4. Huge spatter and slag require higher cleanup time and thereby decrease the efficiency.
5. It may not give you a quality output as TIG does.
Process of Stick Welding:
Stick welding is a famous and highly used technique in the industry. Its plain vanilla method has led the way to be the number one choice. It is feasible and favorable for a good number of applications. Particularly, for repair and maintenance works, stick welding is the perfect solution. You will find lots of use of SMAW for fabrication of metals like nickel, copper, steel, and chrome.
In the process of passing electricity, stick welding generates a high level of heat that melts both the metal surface and the electrode and later becomes a joint when gets cooled. Soon after getting the electricity, flux of the electrode starts to erupt from the surface. It creates a layer of slag to cover the melted pool.
Usually, stick welding requires a range of 15-40 volts. But depending on how much flux is getting used, you can fix the voltage level. For the smooth operation, you will require relatively 30-500 amperes of power. Irrespective of the range, you must a digital or regular control on the power source so that you can adjust the voltages to synchronize with the environment or requirement of the metal.
What Do You need to Start Stick Welding?
Safety Equipment:
Although welding is very important, you must prioritize your safety. Use the welding helmet, safety glasses, welding jacket, welding gloves, leather apron, denim pants, and leather shoes, etc. that will protect you from heat, sparks, and ultraviolet rays. You need to ensure adequate ventilation or an exhaust system to remove the fumes emitted when you work indoor.
Stick Welder:
To fulfilling your welding need, you must have a welder. Depending on your nature of use ad budget, you choose either a multipurpose welder or a normal stick welder that is much cheaper and easy to use.
Ground Clamp:
It is available with the welder and helps to clamp the stick welder and the workpiece.
Slag Removing Tools:
Stick welding produces slag after the flux around the electrode gets melted. To smoothen the welded surface, you can use a hammer to chip off the slag and then use a wired brush to scrub this up.
Electrode:
The electrode is one of the most vital parts of stick welding. Each electrode contains a four-digit number. The first two digits represent the minimum tensile strength, third digit indicates which position suits the electrode for welding, and the fourth digit tells about the type of coating used and the level of current required. For working on mild steel, E60 or E70 electrode should serve your purpose with strong weld. On the other hand, 6013 is a great choice for beginners.
Digit Type of Coating Weld Current
0 Cellulose Sodium DCEP
1 Cellulose Potassium AC, DCEP, DCEN
2 Titania Sodium AC, DCEN
3 Titania Potassium AC, DCEP, DCEN
4 Iron Powder Titania AC, DCEP, DCEN
5 Low Hydrogen Sodium DCEP
6 Low Hydrogen Potassium AC, DCEP
7 Iron Powder Iron Oxide AC, DCEP
8 Iron Powder Low Hydrogen AC, DCEP, DCEN
Safety Measures for Dealing With Common Mistakes in Stick Welding:
Moderation in Voltage:
The shape of the weld might get changed for the variation in voltage and amperes required. With a high current, you would experience a wider bead and distortion along the wed line for the spatter. With the low current, you would get a narrow bead and an inadequate penetration.
Weld Speed:
Weld speed is an important factor to keep in mind for getting an expected outcome. Higher speed may lead to irregular structure, and lower speed may cause a convex-shaped bead.
Slag and Weld Angle:
If the weld angle is not as per the recommended standard practice, it will disturb the slag for which you may not get the expected result. If you can remove the slag easily, it means a smooth and perfect completion of the welding process.
The Arc Length:
Arc length plays a crucial role in obtaining sound metallurgical structure and determining the quality of the weld bead. Increasing length leads to a higher voltage that results in widen weld and spatter. Lower length leads to lower voltage that causes a convex-shaped bead.
Conclusion:
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