Up to this point, the only kind of welding I had ever done before was mig (the kind I did last week), and torch welding, where you melt a rod using the open flame of a torch. I had heard of stick welding, and there were always welding rods around our house growing up, but I had never seen it done before.
To be honest, I was expecting something more complex when I first realized the rod is simply held by a clamp that looks a lot like the end of a jumper cable you would use on a car. It was a pleasant surprise however, because it made the whole setup seem a lot less intimidating. This relief didn’t last long when I found out you have to use different types of rods for different situations. Not only are there rods better suited to different types of metals, but you also need to use a particular rod based on whether you are welding flat, horizontal, vertical, or overhead. |