How to weld with 1/16th stick rods (sorta 😅)

Thanks for stopping in. In this episode I decided to try out some 1/16th diameter 6013 and 6011 rods I had laying around forever. Not ideal for use on 1/8th thick metal, but for screwing around it’ll do. If you have ran these a bunch feel free to drop you’re settings/what you think of them in the comments 😃👍

[@johnwhite5557]

I use these 1/16th rods. I am just a home/garage shop hack. So, I don't attempt to weld Caterpillar tractors. These little rods work good for repairing tomato cages. And little jobs like that. So, for me. They are just fun to mess around with. The biggest problem is holding them in the electrode holder.

[@stovolbelinche3178]

wait to you accdently put 75 amps tru it 😂😂🤣😆 ohh amd if you do try it weld for 5 to 6 secounds hahaha😅

[@derekgreen7319]

I used those 1/16 6013 on some fence I put up not too long ago . 6013 also comes in 5/64 which I think is a little better and the rod is more steady. it's a handy size to have around. Anyway great vid!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Yeah those oddball 5/64s are way easier to use than the 1/16th rods. One of these days I need to break those 1/16th rods out again. I just get nightmares of doing auto body with them 😅

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Yeah those oddball 5/64s are way easier to use than the 1/16th rods. One of these days I need to break those 1/16th rods out again. I just get nightmares of doing auto body with them 😅

[@TorBoy9]

I find 6013 1/16" rod more difficult because it is like spaghetti, with a lot of vibration. Striking an arc can be frustrating, especially for beginners. 6013 5/64" is much easier for me to use. On sheet metal I just do multiple tack welds, as it is quite easy to blow through thin sheet metal. I can't get 6011 1/16" near me, the smallest 6011 here is 3/32". Thanks for trying 1/16" rod though, very useful for me.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

3/32 6011 is definitely to big for sheet metal lol. The 1/16th rods are doable but it’s quite the challenge. Do you have access to flux core wire at all? If you do that is so much easier to work with on thin material.

[@tsl7881]

99% of the pro welders on u tube consider 10-14ga thin metal... Like Greg said, he welded some thin sheet metal with stick and didn't do it again... We might have heard some language he uses on thin metal. Dad has about a dozen round bale feeders that his farm hands had been "bandaid patching"; 14, 16 and18ga "pipe", and some have a diaphanous metal skirt at the bottom that has been spot stitched in place. Determined to use stick, I tried 5/32 6013, since 5/32 6011 would burn through sometimes (it did smelt the rust though) and 6013: said farm repair rod too. I had trouble reattaching the skirt and the problem that Gregg had , because of the smoke , I couldn't see where I was putting the weld. Another problem is the low penetration 6013 didn't like the faded paint, oxide patina, and other crap on the metal.(is it the lack of cellulose in the flux?) So I went back to .030 flux core which does okay on slightly "dirty"metal if you can find a clean starting spot. I read where someone mentioned 5/64 rod. Piqued, i dove into the river and and dredged up some 5/64 blue demon 666013 rods suggested for: "Typical applications include General-purpose fabrication, metal buildings and structures, machine parts, shaft buildup". What kind of structural ? I liked Greg's demonstration that going high to the high end cleaned up 6013. Maybe I'll revisit this rod since I have another welder to try it on.

[@markbrandon7756]

Try Lincoln 6013 and fill egged bolt holes or fill in worn mild steel… Only avail at retail type Lowes HD etc, in plastic box like this video. You will think you have a GTA torch filling in bolt holes or filling / pad welding …. IFW

[@elgkas9928]

Another excellent video and commentary. I will try stick once I get more confident in my mig skills.

[@krperry2007]

Hi, Interesting to see. I looked at the Lincoln Welding Guide and it suggests 5/32" 6013 rod for 10 GA lap weld and 170 Amps! I suppose there are many ways to get the job done. Thanks for the demo, subscribed.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That’s pretty high lol. For a 10ga lap weld (just over 1/8th material) I would stick to 3/32 rods and 65-90 amps depending on rod lol. 10ga is a good thickness to work with to learn since it’s less likely to melt through than 1/8th. You could use a bigger rod but it will take far more skill to get it to work. You could possibly use a 5/32 rod at 170, but your travel speed would have to be lightning fast with no margin for error lol.

[@osulxa]

I have run these in various type of electrodes. They are great for thin metal applications. Mostly, just hobby projects. But they work just fine. If you clean the mil-scale off of your practice coupon they will start up better.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Having a tig welder I tend to never stick weld anything thinner than 3/16th thick. The learning curve is steep on the 1/16th rods. I did a part two video where I run some 1/16th 7018 rods and I found they run better than the 6013 rods I used in this video. Still isn’t easy, but it’s functional.

[@brnmcc01]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Where in the world did you find 1/16" 7018? All I can find around here is 3/32" in 7018.

[@nodaklojack]

I just got done testing on an empty Lincoln electrode can. I could close a burned through hole with the 6013. The 6011 just move the hole around. One thing I don't like about the 6013 is it produces a thick slag which can be sticking and difficult to remove. Plan on using a powered wire wheel or air powered 1/4” die grinder with a wire wheel.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

The 7018 mini rods I ran seem to be a bit better than 6013s, but it’s a challenge no doubt. You aren’t kidding on the hard to remove slag. I don’t think I would want to make a career of using those mini rods on thin material 😵. Rather use a torch and a coat hanger lol.

[@markbrandon7756]

Welded hundreds of holes then with a cylindrical die grinder bit saved replacing a chain drive and the flights on sweepers. Did holes in 1/4 5/16 and 1/2 plate and that 6013 Lincoln is like a GTA torch. Not that necessity but I did dry them in oven before use. Always 1 fresh plastic sq box unopened on the truck ! Farm equip bolt holes and abrasion areas it’s like new equip when your done…. Lincoln only allows retail stores the plastic box packaged rods 6013…

[@DJb-ill219]

I always did little circles with 6010 I just ordered a little buzz box and some different rods to try I believe the 1/16 6011 was the only small rod I ordered but I got 7014 and 6013 3/32 rod I did my 1 inch plate test back in the day with 7018

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I like the little 1/16th 6011s, they seem to work pretty good. The 1/16th 6013s tend to have more flux and can be harder to run. Glad to hear you picked up a variety of rods to try. I tend to use 6010 and 7018 for everything, but 7014 I find really good at welding thin material (with mini rods) and 6011 is a solid general repair rod. 6011 has less penetration that 6010 and is less likely to blow through thin material.

[@dennisyoung4631]

Those “sparklers” work good for sticking (thinnish) stuff together when all you’ve got is a questionable 110 socket… The late lamented “toaster” ran them so well it felt like cheating.

[@Nancelot13]

I was running those exact 6013 electrodes a few weeks back... On a flat strait run, they ran fine. Restarts were maddening. I just snip an eighth inch off and they lit like new. I do the same with the flux core wire. They get that ball and suck to restart. I had to run them at almost full blast on my little 110v welder... 80-90amps. Oddly, I was welding on my rusty 04 Tacoma to fix front end crash damage on bad steel from the factory. It was not fun... LMFAO

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Never thought to do that, good idea. The flux is so thin I am sure it would work great. They are definitely tricky to position when a slight movement has you arc striking 1/4inch away from where you want to weld lol. It’s too bad they don’t make a tiny stinger to go with them lol. Flux core is infinitely easier to use on thinner stuff, but 1/16th rods will get the job done.

[@johnverkler3962]

Nice video. Great teacher. You are meant to teach! You are a natural at this! Starting out with those shaky rods, would it be ok to hold onto the rod itself halfway up to get it steadier? Of course, slide your steadying hand back as needed, then let go?

[@CantKillMe]

7013 1/16th rod on DC only and have to run the welder on low amps and turn all settings off lol then it will do body work but only on 16ga or thicker. but you cant do pass you have to spot weld and have to help gide the rod or like you said it moves but its cool to see someone running these thin rods

[@jamesr.9239]

Was looking for 7018 in 1/16 diameter and boy howdy it's scarce except for Hobart and they want over $30 per pound . Guess it's gonna be 6013.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I picked up 5/64 7014 and 1/16th 7018 for a follow up video to this one. I got the 1/16th 7018 at 18$ for a pound from northern tool. Still expensive but I think it will weld better than 6013. The small 6013s seem to have a real issue with keeping the flux/slag pushed back from the weld pool. I am thinking 7018 will fix that. I will find out soon. 👍

[@mikeingeorgia1]

I got a 1 lb pack of Hobart 1/16 7018 today for $18 at Tractor Supply

[@Fakken28]

Whats going on is you start your drag angle at a 10° almost and as your rod is being consumed instead of sliding your hand back to keep that angle you are twisting your wrist to where you end up at a 90 when you finish. Keeping that 10° drag angle will push the slag back and wint let it bubble up in front of your puddle like you described.

[@mikeingeorgia1]

They do really resemble sparklers lol

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That they do lol. They put out about the same heat too lol.

[@T3glider]

You just lost the Speedway sponsorship!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

😂😂 I think your right

[@peterpiper4619]

That's s 14-gauge he'd burn right through 16 gauge. Try welding vertical it's almost impossible

[@viktor-rp7xl]

What my 6013 beads cant do any sort of joints

[@WilliamConley-jr8zi]

Like bluing a rifle barrel?

[@engjds]

Can you run 6010/6011 over slag?

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Yes and no lol. It’s common for someone to weld over poorly cleaned 6010 welds (slag in the toes) and wind up busting x-ray testing. The xray picture looks like “wagon tracks” or basically white lines down the toes of the welds where slag was entrapped. I need to do a video with a cut and etch demonstrating this 😀

[@Alimotevalian-g8i]

you "peck" it on thin to stitch weld it .. of course you need thin stick

[@stovolbelinche3178]

heres somthimg funny i got a Hair regrowth add in the video haha lol

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Haha, I need some of that 😅

[@Alimotevalian-g8i]

1/16th hardly available outside usa , thats 1.6mm .. smallest is 2.5 mm

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

If you don’t have access to the little stick rods you will miss out on welding super thin material. Don’t get me wrong, it is very difficult to weld with the 1/16th rods, but they are useable for some thin materials. We also have 5/64th rods which are somewhere around 2mm, and those are useful for thin stuff as well. Honestly though, if you have access to thin flux core wire or mig they do a better job and are far easier to run lol.

[@KevinFoley-ch1lw]

Taking the Lord's name in vain.