How to preserve the welding rod
Preservation of the welding rod is especially important to ensure the quality of the weld. When necessary, re-vacuum the welding rod according to the manufacturer’s instructions before use.
Store low-hydrogen base electrodes
This is a type of stick that does not contain organic substances and water components. Normally, this type of sticks are used in fully sealed plastic containers. After being used, the sticks must be dried before use.
Preservation of other welding rods
Usually contained in cassettes or plastic boxes but not completely closed.
They have a shelf life of 6 months and may last up to 2 years.
Drying mode of some types of welding rods
Some points to note when drying and preserving the solder:
☀ The same type of desiccant is not commonly used for low-hydrogen welding electrodes and other electrodes, due to their different drying temperatures.
☀ If the low-grade hydrogen sticks belong to different strength groups being dried in the same oven, the highest drying temperature should be chosen. However, for convenience and savings, it is advisable to use different kilns for different types of sticks to ensure correct drying and avoid confusion.
It is advisable to avoid drying for more than 2 hours at temperatures above 350 ° C or more than 1 hour at temperatures above 400 ° C, as metal casing in the sheath may be oxidized and the sheath is crushed excessively. In addition, the concentration of oxygen in the weld metal increases as the amount of silicon and manganese is reduced.
☀ Do not exceed the time limit for re-drying as the coating strength may be reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to have storing sticks while transporting them over time limits. There is no time limit for storing the stick at 150oC
☀ Frequent opening and closing of the kiln to get a dry solder and inserting a new rod into the kiln can cause the electrodes to not be properly dried and should therefore be avoided. Therefore, it is advisable to use storerooms to regularly remove dried sticks for later use.
☀ Avoid drying the welding rods immediately at high temperatures. In order to avoid breakage of the sheath, the solder must be dried at 100 ° C for about half an hour before being placed in the oven.
☀ Do not use welding stove for other purposes.
In order to ensure the quality of the weld, it is necessary to control the time of storage of less hydrogen in the air after drying in the kiln or after being removed from the furnace until they are soldered. You can refer to the mode in the following table:
Storage time of base electrodes at storage temperature after drying, before welding
(Source: Sai of India )
