Can I use welding rods for oxy-acetylene welding

[pdhowell]

Good folks,

I have long used brazing rod for, well, brazing. But I would like to learn to weld with a torch. I have an abundance of old welding rods. Can they be used, or used if one scrapes off the flux?

I see the recommendations for/against old coat hangers, or I can buy rod, but the old electrodes are just going to waste.

This would be for just plain flat rolled dimension iron, nothing exotic.

Thanks,

[Hotfoot]

Heck...knock the flux off one and try it. You don't say which rods you have, but...if you're wondering...Just Go Do It!!:)

[FWI]

Coat Hangers work if you don't want to buy filler rods.

[urch55]

Coat Hangers work if you don't want to buy filler rods.

WOW what a blast from the past (metal coat hangers).:p I think most are plastic now do you thing they could be used for plastic welding.:confused: I went looking in our closets, I have five metal hangers. Hmmm I better ration them out. I could just knock the flux off some 3/32nd 6011. Naw, coat hangers have proven themselves. I do not know about their x ray quality tho.

[Roger]

Gas welding is more practical on thinner metal that coat hanger would be about correct diameter filler but not best filler alloy. Barb wire is better steel and makes ok filler. Thinner stick electrodes can also be used without flux. Gas welding thicker metal can quickly use a lot of gas, making it expensive and slow. Better to arc weld or MIG weld it.

My first bicycle, I broke the crank. Gas welding repair using coat hanger filler. I only saw plastic coat hangers at that tme in department stores.

[urch55]

Gas welding is more practical on thinner metal that coat hanger would be about correct diameter filler but not best filler alloy. Barb wire is better steel and makes ok filler.

Roger I never thought of using barb wire, let alone use it. I will agree that barb wire is a better alloy. I remember stretching it tight before stapling it to the post, seemed pretty tough.

[Roger]

Barb wire is better than coat hangers. Best to use gas welding filler rod because it is designed for welding.

[ptsideshow]

I have to agree with Hotfoot try it, problem will be that you may cause yourself problems in laying the bead while learning. As to coat hangers, the biggest drawback with them as we have come further from the 60's era the metals and alloys used in them along with their sizes (dia) have become mystery metal and smaller, then you have the paint fumes smoke. Since most are made in China, you don't know what is in the paint.

[pdhowell]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have tried welding with the rods, but they seem to melt at a higher temp than the surrounding metal and it was getting too hot and too soft.

I should have explained, this is repairing a sculpture, and it is hard to get an stick electrode smoothly into the smaller space I need to weld.

Brazing is OK, but I am looking for something stronger, and something that is the same color as the steel.

Not much barb wire around, but I will find some and try again. That may well be the solution for my project.

Thanks again