Reference
Welding Guides
Reference guides for the things that are not on a single electrode's page — reading welding symbols, decoding AWS electrode numbers, polarity, rod storage and welding positions.
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How to Read Welding Symbols
A welding symbol is read from the reference line outward: the arrow says which joint, the side of the reference line says which face, the shape says which weld, and the numbers around it say how big and how many.
What Welding Electrode Numbers Mean
In a stick electrode number like E7018, E means electrode, 70 means 70,000 psi tensile strength, 1 means all positions, and 8 means a low-hydrogen coating usable on AC or DCEP.
Welding Polarity: DCEP, DCEN and AC
DCEP puts the electrode positive and drives roughly two-thirds of the heat into the work for deep penetration; DCEN reverses that for shallower penetration and higher deposition; AC alternates and is required for aluminium TIG.
Welding Rod Storage and Rod Ovens
Low-hydrogen electrodes such as E7018 must be held in a rod oven at 250–300 °F once opened, while cellulosic rods like E6010 must never be baked because they need the moisture in their coating.
Welding Positions Explained: 1G to 6G and 1F to 4F
Welding positions are coded by a number for the orientation and a letter for the weld type — G for groove, F for fillet — so 3G is a vertical groove weld and 2F is a horizontal fillet.
Welding Defects: Causes and Fixes
Most weld defects trace back to four things — wrong heat, a contaminated joint, lost shielding, or bad technique — and each defect points at a specific one of them.
Shielding Gas Selection Guide
For carbon steel MIG the default is 75% argon / 25% CO2; for stainless and aluminium TIG it is pure argon; and the rest of the choices trade penetration, spatter and cost against each other.