August 31, 2021
In some cases, you may also opt for the E7014. As an all-position welding rod, the 7014 is generally used for welding low and mild alloy steels with concomitant iron-powder covering. This iron powder coating usually produces a high deposition rate. The end results are smooth beads with very fine ripples. The use of E7014 is advantageous if poor fit-up exists. Moreover, you can easily remove the slag it produces, and in most cases, the slag falls off by itself.
Your choice of a welding rod usually depends on your personal preference and experience. Hence, you may sometimes prefer the deep penetrating E6010 or the mild-to-medium penetrating E6013.
What is 7014 Welding Rod?
The numbers “7014” are not randomly chosen numbers to represent a particular welding rod. Every number in the electrode’s name corresponds to a particular value or reference. The first two numbers, for example, of the E7014 corresponds to its tensile strength.
- The “70” corresponds to a tensile strength of up to 79,900 pounds per inch (psi). 7014’s yield strength is 67,700 psi, while its elongation is 2″ to 29.4% minimum.
- The third number “1” in 7014 indicates that you can use this rod in all four positions.
- The last digit of “4“, however, signifies the electrode coating and also the type of power supply that you can use for such welding rod.
The 7014 is characteristically easy to handle, and its use is easy to learn. Moreover, you can quickly make nice beads using your right hands with this type of rod. Furthermore, is not a low hydrogen electrode, the E7014 can be easily stored away and does not necessitate strict storage requirements. It is also very user-friendly and compared to the 6013, it is easier to handle and produces great deposition rate.
One characteristic of E7014 is that it is not vulnerable to moisture unlike the 7018 which if you store it in a damp place will end up not producing quality weld because the E7018 usually loses its low-hydrogen property when stored in the wet area.
Applications & Uses of the E7014
- The E7014 is very useful if you are engaged in damp projects. Moreover, you can surely store this rod even in moist areas for a long time and can still effectively use it when needed.
- As an iron powder and rutile-type of the electrode, the E7014 is designed for operation at higher speeds and produces greater deposition compared to other types of electrodes like the E6012 and E6013. It can provide a stable arc, produces slag that can be easily removed, and creates beads that have a flat and smooth appearance.
- You can use it in all four positions, and it requires a single pass and can be used to produce multilayer welds. Moreover, you can power it using AC or DC. As an all-purpose electrode, the E7014 is an excellent alternative to E6012 or E6013. It can be used in various applications like in welding ship structures, bridges, buildings’ structural steel, ornamental iron, sheet metal, auto bodies, fenders, storage tanks, machine parts, and many more.
- As an electrode that can produce strong weld, it is a favorite among folks in farms and those with home equipment. This is because of its enticing quality of producing less slag and the ease of powering it with any power source. Moreover, it does not require meticulous storing when not in use. It is easy to run when welding in flat or horizontal positions; but with V-up with 1/8 type of electrodes, you’ll find this electrode a bit tricky. Hence, it is safe to say that the E7014 is suitable for general-purpose weldings like those of the horizontal welds and the flat welds. However, it may not be the ideal electrode to use when engaging in the vertical weld.
- The E7014 is a fill-freeze powdered iron rod. It won’t penetrate just like the E7018 on DC. Moreover, it is not great to use when engaging in out-of-position welds considering that it is not fast-freezing like the E6011 and E6010. However, you can surely get a nice weld if you use the E7014 with AC, although it doesn’t penetrate that aggressively.
- The E7014 is a good fit when welding thin sheet of metal or if you are welding thin sheet on a more substantial metal. I’ve used the E7014 before on AC when engaging in flat and downhill welding. With uphill, it is easier to use than with the downhill, especially, on steel that is as thick as 3/8″ with a correct or proper v-notch. Moreover, compared to the E7018, the E7014 is more comfortable to strike or to re-strike.
7014 Welding Rod Amps & Settings
As a “fast-follow” or as a fill-freeze SMAW electrode, the E7014 is somewhat similar to the E6012 or E6013 when it comes to characteristics. Although if you are a regular user of these three electrodes, you would surely notice a tinge of difference between the E7014, E6012, and E6013. When doing vertical-up or overhead welding, based on my experience, it is better to utilize the low-end current range of around 100 to 145 amps for DCEN and 110 to 160 amps for AC.
You should increase your currents incrementally as little as possible if your current is a bit at the low end until you reach the ideal setting at 110 to 120 amps. You should be getting good results for 1/8″ diameter, especially, if you are doing vertical-up or overhead. When doing a vertical-up, it would be good to utilize a triangular weave. Start by welding a shelf at the joint’s bottom, and then, later on, add a layer over upon the layer. Avoid weaving wider than 2 1/2 or more than three times the electrode’s diameter. You would surely get the hang of it as you go on with the triangular weave.
Tips on How to Weld With 7014 Rod
- Another caveat that you should take heed of is that you should not take the electrode away from the molten pool while using this electrode because you may end up with more spatter, slag inclusions, porosity, and LOF that depress the appearance of the welding, especially, if you are used to using before the E6010 and the E7014. However, if you are familiar with welding in vertical-up position using E6012 and E6013, you would surely find the E7014 in this position straightforward to handle.
- You should also travel slow so that you can maintain the shelf sans spilling. However, you should not travel too slow so that you can avoid slag entrapment and spilling the puddle. You should also point slightly upward the electrode in order for you to control the puddle with the help of the arc force. You should also avoid moving too fast to prevent ending up with LOF and slag inclusions. Ideally, you should make a consistent progression. Moreover, you should not allow the molten puddle to be polluted by molten slag while you move upwards.
- The fill-freeze or fast-follow type of electrodes like the E7014 is ideal for use in sheet metal and when engaging in downhill or flat positions, although you can sometimes use it when doing vertical-up and overhead. It is easy to assume that since the E7014 is designed for all four positions, it can be easily used for vertical-up and overhead. You should bear in mind that “fill freeze” electrodes are designed as a compromise between “fast-fill” and “fast-freeze” electrodes. They are designed to provide medium rates of deposition and medium penetration.
- When doing overhead, however, you should not weave. Instead, you should travel fast enough to prevent spilling. You should also utilize lower portion currents, although it is also good to use slightly higher current than those you’ve been using when doing vertical-up for your root pass. Lastly, you should just keep on running stringers until you finish with the welds.