Stick guide
Stick Welding: The Site and Farm Standard
Stick doesn't care about wind, rust or paint, needs no gas bottle, and a $200 inverter plus a packet of rods genuinely fixes a paddock full of problems — that's why it remains the Australian site standard.
What is Stick welding?
Stick welding (MMAW/SMAW — Manual Metal Arc Welding) — a flux-coated consumable electrode burns under its own shielding gas, with slag chipped off after. It's moderate — harder to start than MIG, easier than TIG and its natural territory is outdoor and site work, thick steel, dirty or rusty metal.
Stick doesn't care about wind, rust or paint, needs no gas bottle, and a $200 inverter plus a packet of rods genuinely fixes a paddock full of problems — that's why it remains the Australian site standard.
How the process works
An electric arc between the electrode and the work delivers intense, localized heat; the molten pool is protected by no shielding gas needed — without that shield, air makes the weld porous and brittle. Beyond the physics, the operator controls heat, travel speed and position; the process rewards consistency over talent.
Settings by thickness
| Thickness | Rod | Current |
|---|---|---|
| ~2 mm | 2.0 mm | 40–70 A |
| 3–4 mm | 2.6 mm | 70–110 A |
| 6 mm | 3.2 mm | 100–140 A |
| 10 mm+ | 4.0 mm | 140–190 A |
Equipment and consumables
What you need beyond the machine: no shielding gas needed where applicable, filler matched to your material, and the safety kit that never gets discounted — helmet, gloves, ventilation. In Australia: The Australian site standard: 3.2 mm E4813/E4824-class rods at 100–140 A cover most farm and site repairs.
Rod economics and storage
Rods are cheap in Australia: 5 kg of 2.6 mm general-purpose rods costs $20–$35 and covers a year of hobby repairs. The rule that matters: rods hate moisture. Damp flux means hydrogen, porosity and cracking on anything that matters — store packets sealed and off concrete, and dry suspect rods per the packet instructions before structural work.
Technique fundamentals
- Arc length: one rod-diameter or less — 'a long arc is a wrong arc'
- Drag the rod 10–20° in the direction of travel; never push
- Slag chips easier warm; always chip and brush between passes
- If it sticks on strike: twist the rod free — don't panic-hold
Common mistakes
- Arc too long — stick wants a rod-width gap or less
- Dragging too fast, leaving thin, weak, undercut beads
- Not chipping and brushing slag between multi-passes — slag inclusions
- Storing rods in a damp shed — flux picks up moisture and welds porous
Watch: curated video walkthroughs
We curate the clearest publicly-available walkthroughs for this guide's core skills.
Frequently asked questions
How does stick welding work?
Stick welding (MMAW/SMAW — Manual Metal Arc Welding): a flux-coated consumable electrode burns under its own shielding gas, with slag chipped off after. It's the process most Australian workshops default to for general steel fabrication.
What is stick welding used for?
Stick welding is used for outdoor and site work, thick steel, dirty or rusty metal, wind and structural repairs. In Australian terms: site structural work, farm repairs and anything rusty outdoors.
How hard is stick welding to learn?
Expect a week of ugly beads before it clicks.
Why does stick welding not need gas?
Stick welding needs no bottled gas — the flux coating on the rod burns into shielding gas and slag as it welds.
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