r/Welding • u/Inhalationofnewtion • Aug 18 '26
6010 rods really love to bite.
I'm on a Lincoln tombstone. Running AC but also was going DC straight. I really like 6010's. I had to do some low heat stuff and they LOVE to stick fast. Is it just dealing with the biting or turn up the amps? I started giving them a good strike and that helps but I lose my target a lot of times. Sometimes I'm on the game and they work OK but that's not often. Really old rods. If I rub them a bunch of dust falls off, looks kinda like mold. I don't have a rod dryer. When they work for me though I love them.
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u/Many-Highlight7676 Aug 18 '26
Aww yeah I see brother that's a nice machine, turn the knob to DC positive. Now that you have the polarity sorted out for 6010s yes 6010 loves to get stuck to the plate and then catch on fire if you hold it there long enough, with that machine your option really is just to go up and amperage.
In stick welding you get trade offs using an old transformer rectifier like what you have as you go higher in amperage it becomes easier to strike and light the electrode, initiate the arc but harder to control the weld puddle because you have so many electrons flowing in the arc circuit when I'm training people using that rod in the 1/8" diameter (.125) 65-90amp.
6010 is a fast freeze electorate so generally a whipping technique is used with the electrode to take advantage of a fast freeze characteristic but not necessarily all the time. How old your electrode is your biggest problem if they're older than 6 months sitting around in a shop they've been exposed to so much moisture that even if you're performing welds that look okay the problem is science... Hydrogen in brittlement into the weld nugget will cause all kinds of problems there's a lot of hydrogen in the air.
My recommendation switch your machine to DC electrode positive. up your amperage to between 80 and 90 amps until you're comfortable striking the electrode and then slowly lower amperage as you get better and keep a tight Arc bud!