Lincoln Electric Stick Welding Guide

SMAW works on carbon steel, low-alloy steel, stainless steel, cast iron, and some nickel alloys. With the correct electrode — stainless rods for stainless, nickel-based rods for cast iron — you can weld dissimilar metals in repair situations. Aluminum is not suitable for stick welding; use MIG or TIG for aluminum.

Yes — it's one of the reasons SMAW dominates pipeline and construction work. The flux coating generates its own shielding atmosphere, so wind that would blow out a MIG shielding cone doesn't stop a stick welder. Run 6010 or 6011 in conditions where MIG simply won't work.

Equipment setup is simple: clamp the ground, strike an arc, and maintain travel angle and speed. The hard part is developing the hand coordination to maintain consistent arc length as the electrode burns down. Most beginners should start with 6013 on DC — it has the most forgiving arc and easiest slag removal of any common rod.

6010, 6011, 6013, 7014, and 7018 cover 95% of stick welding applications. Lincoln's Fleetweld and Excalibur product lines are among the most widely used and tested electrodes available.

No shielding gas bottle to haul around, works on coated or contaminated metal, handles thick sections, works outdoors and in the field, and equipment is relatively low cost compared to TIG or pulse MIG setups. It's also the most portable process — pair a Lincoln inverter with a generator and you can weld anywhere.

For 1/8" (0.125") E7018, the standard starting range is 110–140A on DC+. Start at 115A and adjust based on puddle behavior: if the slag is getting ahead of the arc or the bead is too tall and ropey, increase amperage. If you're getting undercut or the puddle is too fluid to control in position, back down. Vertical-up welds typically run 10–15% lower than flat position.

Use a scratch or tap start. For scratch start: drag the electrode tip across the base metal at a shallow angle, then quickly lift to establish arc length (roughly equal to the electrode diameter). For tap start: touch and lift quickly. If the electrode sticks immediately and won't release, quickly bend it side-to-side rather than pulling straight back — that usually breaks the weld nugget at the tip. If the machine has Hot Start control (like Lincoln's Invertec series), use it — it briefly boosts OCV to prevent sticking during arc initiation.

The most common causes: amperage is set too low for the rod diameter, arc length is too short (you're burying the electrode in the puddle), or the rod is the wrong type for your machine (e.g., running 7018 on a low-OCV machine that can't maintain the arc). Check that your polarity is correct for the rod you're using. Also verify your ground connection is solid — a high-resistance ground drops effective welding voltage and causes sticking.

Using E7018-H4R as an example:

• E = electrode
• 70 = minimum tensile strength, 70,000 psi
• 1 = all-position (flat, horizontal, vertical, overhead); "2" means flat and horizontal only
• 8 = flux type and usable current (low-hydrogen, DC+/AC)
• -H4R = optional suffix: H4 means ≤4 mL/100g diffusible hydrogen; R means moisture-resistant coating

In DC+ (electrode positive / DCEP), the electrode is the positive terminal and roughly two-thirds of the arc heat concentrates at the electrode. This gives deeper penetration into the base metal and is required for 6010 and 7018. In DC− (electrode negative / DCEN), more heat goes into the base metal side — which seems counterintuitive but results in faster melt-off of the electrode, higher deposition rates, and shallower penetration. Some 6013 and 7014 applications use DCEN for speed on thin material. Check the electrode manufacturer's data sheet to confirm the recommended polarity.

For general farm and equipment repair, the Lincoln AC-225 (K1170) is the classic answer — it's a pure AC transformer that runs 6011 and 6013 rods all day at 40–225A on standard 230V single-phase power, and it's the lowest-cost entry point for serious stick welding. If you need to run 7018 for structural repairs or want DC output for a smoother arc, step up to the AC/DC 225/125. If you need portability without grid power, look at the Ranger 225 Engine Driven (K2857-1).

For 3/8" carbon steel with a code or structural requirement, use Lincoln Excalibur 7018 MR in 5/32" diameter running 140–190A on DC+. For non-code work where cosmetic finish matters less, E7014 at similar amperages runs faster. For open-root joints you'd still run Fleetweld 5P+ E6010 for the root pass, then cap and fill with 7018. If the plate has surface rust or paint, start with an E6011 root pass so the flux can burn through contaminants.

Transformer machines (like the AC-225 K1170 and Idealarc 250) are heavy, simple, and durable — no electronics to fail, they'll outlive you if you keep the windings clean and dry. Inverters (like the Invertec V155 and Invertec V276) are lighter, more power-efficient, offer Hot Start and arc-force controls, and can run on a wider range of input voltages. Pick a transformer if you weld outdoors in harsh conditions or want a machine that lasts 40+ years. Pick an inverter if you carry the machine, need multi-voltage flexibility, or want the smoothest DC arc for 7018 on structural work.

Technically yes, but it's rarely the best choice. Aluminum can be stick-welded using dedicated aluminum electrodes (E4043 or E1100 series) on a DCEP-capable machine with 200+ amps of clean DC output — the Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 or Invertec V-Series are candidates. The challenge is that aluminum conducts heat away from the weld pool very quickly, so you need high current, fast travel, and preheating on anything thicker than 1/8". For most aluminum work, TIG (GTAW) or MIG with a spool gun produces far cleaner welds. Use stick welding on aluminum only for field repair when TIG or MIG isn't available.

Technically yes, but stick welding is the wrong tool for thin-wall exhaust tubing. Standard exhaust pipe is 16–18 gauge (0.048–0.065"), and stick welding's minimum practical thickness is around 1/8" (0.125") before burn-through becomes unavoidable. If you must use SMAW, run the smallest electrode available (1/16" E6013) at the lowest stable current and use rapid stitch-welding to avoid heat buildup. For real exhaust work, MIG with 0.023" wire or TIG is dramatically better. Stick welding is appropriate for exhaust manifolds or heavier repair sections above 1/8" thick.

The basic stick welding sequence: (1) Set the machine to DCEP polarity for most electrodes, or AC if using an AC-only machine. (2) Set amperage based on electrode diameter — roughly 1 amp per 0.001" of rod diameter (a 1/8" rod runs at ~120 amps). (3) Clamp the ground close to the joint on clean bare metal. (4) Strike the arc by scratching or tapping the rod against the work, then lift to hold an arc gap roughly equal to the rod diameter. (5) Move the electrode along the joint at a steady speed, maintaining the arc gap as the rod burns down. (6) Watch the puddle, not the arc, and let the flux slag cover the weld behind you. Practice on scrap 1/4" mild steel with E6013 3/32" rods before moving to structural work.

SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding) is the formal AWS designation for what welders commonly call stick welding. It uses a consumable flux-coated electrode as both the filler metal and the shielding-gas source — the flux vaporizes when the arc strikes, creating a protective atmosphere around the molten weld pool that prevents oxidation and contamination. SMAW is the oldest arc welding process still in daily industrial use, valued for its portability (works with just a power source and cables), tolerance of dirty or rusty base metal, and ability to work outdoors in wind that would ruin MIG or TIG welds. Every AWS D1.1 structural code welder starts with SMAW certification.

A SMAW welder (also called a stick welder or arc welder) is a constant-current power source that delivers the high-amperage DC or AC needed to strike and maintain a stick-electrode arc. Modern Lincoln SMAW machines fall into three main categories: inverter-based portables (Invertec V155-S, V275-S, V276) for jobsite work; transformer machines (AC-225, Idealarc 250) for shop use and heavy plate; and engine-driven welders (Ranger 225, Ranger 250 GXT, Frontier 400X) for field welding without shore power. The key spec is amperage output — anywhere from 90 amps for light gauge to 500+ amps for pipe and structural work — and duty cycle at your typical operating current.

Arc welder is a general term that usually refers specifically to stick welders (SMAW), while MIG welder refers to gas metal arc welding (GMAW) machines. Both use an electric arc to melt metal, but SMAW uses stick electrodes with self-shielding flux coatings, while MIG feeds a continuous solid wire with external shielding gas (typically 75/25 argon-CO2 or straight CO2). MIG is faster and cleaner but requires shielding gas that gets blown away outdoors. Stick welding is more portable and wind-tolerant but slower and produces more spatter and slag cleanup.

GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding, commonly called MIG) uses a continuously-fed solid wire electrode with external shielding gas, producing fast, clean welds ideal for shop production. SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding, commonly called stick) uses individual flux-coated stick electrodes where the flux itself creates the shielding gas as it burns, making it wind-tolerant and portable. Key trade-offs: GMAW is 3–5× faster on production work but limited by shielding gas being blown away outdoors and struggles with dirty base metal. SMAW is slower and produces slag that must be chipped off, but works in wind, on rusty steel, and reaches higher amperage for thick plate. Structural welders certify in both processes.

Yes — several Lincoln inverter-based stick welders operate on standard 110V/120V household power. The most popular is the Invertec V155-S, which runs at up to 100 amps on 120V or 155 amps on 240V, letting you weld up to about 3/16" mild steel with 3/32" E6013 or E7018 electrodes from any garage outlet. The trade-off is that 110V limits you to lighter electrodes and thinner base metal — expect to run out of amperage on anything past 1/4" plate. For occasional home use or portable jobsite work off a generator, a dual-voltage 110/240V inverter is the most flexible choice.

Yes — stick welding is the process most jobsites are built around, precisely because it's so portable. A modern inverter stick welder like the Lincoln Invertec V155-S weighs under 15 lbs, runs on 110V or 240V generator power, and handles the majority of field welding tasks. For heavier structural work or where no shore power exists, engine-driven welders like the Lincoln Ranger 225 (K2857-1) and Ranger 250 GXT (K2382-4) provide 225–250 amps of clean welding output plus AC generator power for grinders and lights. The combination of wind tolerance (no shielding gas to blow away), tolerance of dirty base metal, and true field portability is why SMAW dominates construction, pipeline, and repair work.