Q&A topic

Stick welding: 10 questions answered

• 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 s…

• 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 ter…

• 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.…

• What thickness can you weld with stick welding?

  A 250 A stick inverter welds 10 mm+ plate with 4 mm rods and multi-pass; a 120 A entry unit tops out around 4–5 mm with 2.6 mm rod…

• Common stick welding mistakes and how to fix them

  The most common stick welding mistakes: arc too long; dragging too fast, leaving thin, weak, undercut beads; not chipping and brus…

• Can you do stick welding outdoors?

  Yes — that's stick's superpower. The rod's flux generates its own shield right at the arc, so wind, rust and paint barely matter. …

• What angle should the torch be for stick welding?

  Drag the rod, holding an arc length about one rod-diameter or less, tilted 10–20° in the direction of travel. 'If you're pushing s…

• What settings for 3 mm steel on Stick?

  For 3 mm mild steel on Stick: a 2.6 mm rod at 70–110 A, or a 3.2 mm rod at 100–140 A if your machine has the headroom — the 3.2 mm…

• How to weld vertical-up with Stick

  Vertical-up stick welding: drop 10–20% current, point slightly upward into the pool, and use a weave or triangle pattern to let ea…