Harbor Freight Welding Rod.

If you have welded with Harbor Freight welding rods,  please let us know how well it worked.

One of these years when I’ve got nothing better to do and I think of it, I’m going to learn about welder DESIGN. I certainly get the general idea, but I wanna know intimate details! I’m probably never going to get around to it….and if I do I’ll probably be too electrically dumb to understand, but dang it!

Jay’s comment about his old buzz box being fussy. Guess mine is too! I’ve got a Miller M-180. I would guess dad bought it in the late 60’s, but I don’t know for sure. I had a big project that needed good welding. Based on Jay and others advice I bought some 7018 rod. I had brand new rod, kept warm and dry until the last possible instant before getting placed in the stinger. I ground a fresh shiny groove to weld into. Shined up the ground clamp and the metal I clamped it to. Also cleaned the cable clamp side of it. Preheated the work area and was ready to weld like a pro with this highly recommended 7018. I could NOT get an ARC to flow to save my life!   Mmmtht mmmtht mmmtht….current up, current down, current up so far I should have blown electrons to the neighbors house….mmmmmtht!     Switched to two different rods, welded like a dream. I don’t get it! Rod was bought from Tractor Supply. But so were the other two types.

It was AC rod. I really don’t know what the heck else I could have tried that day. I used both 6011 and 6013 that same day, easy peasy. I used 6011 for deep penetration, then covered it with 6013 to pretty it up some. The project turned out pretty good that day, given what it was!

I’d love to try a good DC welder. Like to find an old working one for cheap. Hard to justify a lot of money for one because I only weld a few hours a year really.

90% of my welding is done wit 3/32" 7018 on a Milled DC stick welder.. I have been a "well above average" welder for 30 years... I have been buying economy rod on e-bay for the past 10 years.. About  $25- 30. for a 10 pound box.. as long as it MEETS THE SPEC i have had great luck... No problems......I buy a box every 4-5 months..... buying 2# boxes is not economical... The 1/8 inch rod is too big for many of my jobs, but i can use the 3/32 on them and also larger jobs..

Edited by steve(ill) - 19 Mar 2024 at 9:04am

Codger wrote: In reality, 7018AC is a compromise to make the rod work on AC. 7018, (any variant) always forms an insulating ball on the end of the electrode when you let go of the arc making restarting extremely difficult at times. I have a rough piece of serrated steel plate I bang the end of the rod on to break this off. Even on new rod that is not fresh out of the can this is beneficial to do as the flux on the rods readily absorbs moisture causing the rod end to oxidize/rust. I don't use a lot of 7018 but the leftovers from a job are kept in a rod oven that maintains temperature so they stay good. Usually break open a new tin, (don't purchase plastic, or cardboard cased 7018) as it's moisture sealed and if any left over, it's kept in the rod oven for projects without much merit, or value.

All this sounds like such good advice. I left off the fact that I put a handful of that rod in the oven on warm for a couple hours before I used it. I tried everything I’ve ever heard of!

Then you see Steve’s post right below, buying cheap rod in a plastic container

Yeah. Sigh.

Edited by Tbone95 - 19 Mar 2024 at 11:35am

good clean spec rod sure helps... But a Quality DC machine and having a bunch of training / practice makes a BIG DIFFERENCE...... I can let my son try to weld with the same rod / same machine... and it looks like crap... so TRAINING is a big input.

changed over to 6011 rather than 6013 , and 7018 for other work . have used 7024 for welding rousers onto dozer track 
Used a Miller 180 AC since 1964 and still have it but gave up and bought a Pow - Con unit with wire feed around 1980 or so . Can stick weld DC either polarity , wire feed with .035 wire and Argon /25% CO2 as well as straight Argon . Wire feed 70S wire and 304 SS wire .
  Cast iron welding Allstate #8 for most or butter material with SS rod and then 7018 filler 
 Do some TIG work also but Pow-Con was scratch start and hard on tungsten . 
2003 when I closed down company I was millwright at I bought some shop equipment , lathe, vertical mill , 60" band saw , power hacksaw (band saw) but best deal was the Miller 304 welder with water cooled TIG and high frequency and foot control .
  Son has used it for the last 20 years making his skid loaded attachments and untold number of rolls of wire have been burned through it .
 He bought 3 more Miller 304 units from a fabricator who went out of business .
He also has 2 Thermo Arc units - they bought out Pow-Con which later was bought by Miller 

steve(ill) wrote: good clean spec rod sure helps... But a Quality DC machine and having a bunch of training / practice makes a BIG DIFFERENCE...... I can let my son try to weld with the same rod / same machine... and it looks like crap... so TRAINING is a big input.

I would have loved to see some strike an arc that day. Steaks and beers on me for sure !

5 P was what used in shop at work as the old square Lincoln DC welder was main unit they had as it was all fitters would use for pipe welding  , then brought in those Lincoln vertical Torpedo welder and hooked to high frequency for welding stainless and titanium tanks we had .
  Had a sales buy come in selling Certanium Co welding rods said we only needed his rod and could do away with any other rod we stocked as it would replace every rod on our shelves - 1970 price was $18 a pound  in 20 pound pack - heck that was beyond the price of full supply we kept for 20 pounds of rod . 
  His selling point was welding a file to some mild steel and opposite side of flat file to a piece of stainless . Just told him next time I needed to weld a file to something I would order a pound from him 

Edited by Coke-in-MN - 20 Mar 2024 at 1:45am

I buy the rods in a plastic box just throw them on the rack with the welder. Neither the old miller or the new China welder seam to care what rods I'm using.the new welder has both hotstart and high frequency star so it'll start anything I've been using old rods that have been in the shop for years. My shop is heated and air conditioned so there really isn't any temp fluxuation.