A Brief Overview of Stick Welding
Shielded Metal Arc Welding, also known as stick welding, is a welding process used to fuse metal together. Of the three main types of welding (MIG, TIG, and stick) this one requires the least amount of components to run.
To use this process all you need is a welder capable of doing it, a stinger to hold your rod, welding electrodes (which is the rod you're burning to fuse the metal) and a ground to clamp to the material.
There are a few different types of electrodes, two common ones used are E-6010 and E-7018. E-6010 is a deep penetrating rod. This would often be used on an open root joint because it digs away at the material and refuses itself, resulting in a solid fused weld on both the front and more importantly the inside of the joint. You have to be cautious and consistent when running an E-6010 rod though as you can blow a large hole in the joint if you go too slow, and or not get enough penetration if you go too fast.
An E-7018 rod is used after the root pass has been put in or it's a joint that doesn't have an open root. This electrode is more forgiving and easier to use because it focuses more on just melting and fusing the metal instead of burning it away.
The setup of the machine is fairly easy for this type of welding. You just have to set the amperage on the machine for how hot you want the rod to burn at. On MIG and TIG you have to set your amperage, wire feed speed if you're doing MIG, as well as the CFH (Cubic Feet per Hour) which is how much shielding gas is being used.
This process is often used on job sites or in the field because it's easily portable and again, doesn't require shielding gas to run, unlike MIG and TIG.
A great example for where this type of welding is commonly used is on a pipeline. The reason people don't use other welding processes on a pipeline is because they're outside, which means you have to deal with the weather. If it's windy outside, MIG and TIG welding would not be ideal to use because the wind would blow away the shielding gas, resulting in a porosity filled weld. Stick welding has the shielding built into the electrode. You have the actual filler metal inside the rod which is what you're melting to fuse the metal, and coating the outside is a Flux material. That coating is a substitute for shielding gas.
When running the process you'll start by scratching the rod on the joint to start the weld. Occasionally it will want to stick to the material and not light. If this happens you will want to break the arc relatively quickly because all the heat is still flowing through the rod and it will eventually melt. Once you do get the arc going you'll want to position your body in a way you can watch the puddle. If you notice that the rod is just dripping onto the joint, you need to decrease your arc length and get closer to the material, however if you get too close you will stick your rod. Dragging your electrode works best when welding sticks. With MIG and TIG you can use a push angle and still be able to weld the joint, this does not work well with a stick. If you drag the electrode it pushes the filler back into the joint and creates a more consistent and uniform weld.
Although stick welding is easy to use and doesn't require much, you do have to clean a fair amount after the weld has been laid. The flux coating on the electrode creates something called slag that rests on the weld. This protects it from other oxides or forms of contamination. Before you can see your weld you will have to chip the slag away and then take a wire brush to thoroughly clean the weld. If you notice any defects such as underfill or lack of fusion, you may need to slow down and give the puddle time to fuse into the material more.
Another common defect is porosity, which means you may need to tighten your arc length to get the flux as close as possible to the puddle. Personally I enjoy this process because it's easy to set up and I love to work outdoors. I also grew up on a farm so I appreciate it a lot as it can be easily mobilized to the field to weld up a wagon or any other machinery that may have something break on it.
