7018 welding rod
It is considered as the backbone of the structural welding industry. It runs smoother and easier when compared to other rods. It is also known as “low-hydrogen” rod in the field. The rod has a flux that contains no hydrogen and it produces smoother and stronger welds that can be molded easily.
It is a versatile rod. This rod should be dragged across the metal when performing a welding operation. Along With dragging, a welder can weave it back and forth or oscillate it to tie it on both sides.
Top picks
In this article, we have listed the top 4 picks of the 7018 welding rods that include,
Forney 30705 E7018 Welding Rod
This rod is made of mild steel and it uses low hydrogen to produce quality results on AC welders with high amperage and Dc welders with low amperage. It is suitable for welding in all positions on hard enabled steels without preheating. It can also be used on cold steels without preheating. The cold rolled steel give best results as it does not react with well with the conventional rod. The low hydrogen usage helps in reduction of cracks and peeling of the weld material. The rod is sized with 3/32” diameter and weighs about 5.2 pounds. It has a tensile strength of 70,000 PSI and amperage of 75-105 amps. It can run on DCEP reverse or AC. It is not recommended to use it with low open-circuit-voltage OCV power sources. It is beneficial for tack welding and out of the position welding. It ranges up to $ 22.Check the exact price.
Hobart 770479 7018 Stick
This product is a low hydrogen electrode type. It is suitable for using in all positions. It can be used on low, medium, and high carbon steels. It benefits for tack welding and out of position welding. It follows arc welding process of installation. It has a tensile strength of 70,000 PSI. It runs on AC or DCEP(reverse) polarity. It is not good to use it with low-voltage AC welders. The rod is sized with 1/8” diameter and weighs about 10 pounds. It costs around $ 26.Check the exact price.
Stick Elect., 7018 MR
The electrodes are made of mild steel. It is sized by 1/8” diameter. It is compatible with all hydrogen devices. It follows the MIG-welding method of installation. It has a tensile strength of 70 PSI and it weighs about 10.6 lbs. The product costs up to $ 40.Check the exact price.
US Forge Welding Electrode E7018
The electrode is low hydrogen which helps in producing weld deposits of X-Ray quality. It is suitable for out of position welding as it has a smooth stable arc and an easy to control weld pool. It can be used for welding in all positions. With the low hydrogen characteristic, it reduces the danger of underbead cracking on medium carbon and low alloy steels and also in thick sections. The deposited slag is easily removable. It uses arc welding method of installation and weighs about 10 pounds. It costs up to $25.Check the exact price here.
The 7018 rods proves beneficial if used properly. Upon opening the wrong end of the box or by throwing the boxes around during storage the flux of the rods tends to break. So, use it with care to work better.
