Stick Welding tight spaces

by sean Lord
(Australia)

Hey All i would imagine that most of you boilies may have a laugh but if you get stuck and theres no other way, try shaping the rod... most coatings are flexible enough to shape like for round objects tight spaces you have to take the earth off to see if you can get the rod in just bend the rod to the shape and style of weld technique you like turn it on and weld it you can bend stainless rods to a certain degree some cast iron electrodes can be a pain.

i like BHOLER cast iron so smooth also a good preheating technique if you dont have a rod heater is just strike the steel and hold it (NO ARC Length) till the rod preheats but be warned not all electrodes like to come off again if you dont have a file especially for LOW HYDROGEN electrodes (thats the one that gives you a plastic looking slag coating) you can just tap the end of the electrode on the concrete if your in the dirt have a brick handy that will save you bashing the life out of the eletrode to get it to start again

mig vs stick

is mig harder or easier than stick welding?

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most people will say mig is easier.

for general non critical welding, mig is a bit easier to learn...its also easier to fail a welding certification test with mig.

the reason mig is considered easier is because the wire that feeds thru the torch eliminates the need to constantly maintain the arc length that is required with stick welding.

if you learn stick first, mig is pretty easy to learn....but it is not necessary to learn stick in order to mig weld.