Stick Welding: Basics of SMAW Electrodes, Amperage, and Bead Feel

What the work looks like

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), better known as stick, is the oldest production arc welding process and still the workhorse of field welding: pipelines, structural iron, rigging, repair work, shipbuilding, and anywhere a power source has to be small, rugged, and run off an engine drive. Every apprentice pipefitter, pipeline welder, ironworker, millwright, and maintenance mechanic learns stick first because it teaches you to read a puddle.

The electrode has a flux coating that vaporizes during the arc, creating a shielding gas and leaving a slag that you chip after each pass. Process: strike an arc, maintain a gap of about one electrode diameter, drag the rod across the joint, feed the rod as it burns down, chip slag, wire brush, next pass.

Common electrodes:

• E6010: deep penetrating, cellulose flux, DC electrode positive. The pipeline root pass standard. Fast-freezing, forgiving of fit-up gaps.
• E6011: similar to 6010 but works on AC (for stick welders that do not have DC).
• E7018: low-hydrogen, iron-powder flux. DC electrode positive or AC. Fill and cap pass on code-quality work. Requires a rod oven to stay dry.
• E7024: iron-powder flat-position only. Fast travel, flat beads.

Job titles: Welder, Pipe Welder, Structural Welder, Ironworker, Millwright, Maintenance Welder. Pay $18 to $35 per hour at entry, $35 to $75 for certified pipe welders.

Safety and tools

Stick welding produces:

• Arc UV radiation: flash burn of the eyes (like sunburn on the cornea), permanent retinal damage over time. Shade 10 for up to 150 amps, Shade 11 to 13 for higher. Auto-darkening helmets are the norm now (Lincoln Viking, Miller T94, Optrel Crystal).
• Fumes: manganese from mild steel, hex chrome from stainless, zinc from galvanized, cadmium from plated parts (never weld cadmium without proper respiratory protection; fatal). Exhaust ventilation or a PAPR.
• Burns and fire: sparks travel 25 feet. Clear combustibles. Fire watch for 30 minutes after cutting or welding per NFPA 51B.
• Electric shock: wet conditions raise risk substantially. Dry gloves, dry ground, do not touch the electrode while welding (it is live).

PPE: welding helmet, flame-resistant jacket or long sleeves, leather gloves (stick gloves are thicker than MIG gloves), leather apron for vertical-up work, steel-toe boots, hearing protection, respirator on certain materials.

Amperage and polarity:

• 1/8 inch E6010 on 3/16 inch steel: 80 to 120 amps DC electrode positive.
• 1/8 inch E7018 on 3/16 inch steel: 110 to 150 amps DC electrode positive.
• Start low, go higher if the arc stubs. Too hot equals undercut and burn-through. Too cold equals porosity and lack of fusion.

Tools: welder (Lincoln Ranger 330 MPX engine drive, Miller XMT 350 rectifier, or small inverter like Lincoln Invertec V155-S); electrodes in a dry oven (required for E7018); chipping hammer, wire brush, angle grinder with flap disc, C-clamp, soapstone, tape measure, torpedo level.

Your first exercise

Run 10 beads on scrap plate in the flat position with 1/8 inch E6010 or E7018. Watch your arc length (too long equals spatter and porosity; too short equals stubbing). Watch travel speed (too slow equals a wide, flat bead; too fast equals a narrow, high bead with lack of fusion). Chip and inspect each bead. Your goal: consistent ripple pattern, even bead width, full fusion into the plate, no undercut.

That first 10 beads tells you if your arc control is developing. Every welder practices for hundreds of hours before a test; plate practice comes first.

Where to go next

Build on Stick Welding with Welding Fundamentals (Introduction to Welding), Pipe Welding (Introduction to Pipe Welding), Structural Welding (Introduction to Structural Welding), MIG Welding, TIG Welding, Weld Inspection (Introduction to Weld Inspection), and Blueprint Reading. Certifications: AWS D1.1 Structural Steel, ASME Section IX, API 1104. Safety: Welding Safety (AWS Z49.1), Fire Safety & Prevention, Respiratory Protection.