Identify welding rod!

[mcostello]

Been given 1000 lbs of stick welding rod. Some old but taken care of, no numbers just various colored dots. Any way to identify?

[Rocky D]

Unfortunately, color coding is by manufacturer, and they are not all the same..If you know who the mfgr is, you can get the codes. What are the colors?
end? dot? band1? band2? The industry doesn't use color coding anymore, so these must be old rods. As I recall a single brown dot is 6013,...blue and yellow bands were 308L, I think.

[enlpck]

I have the color code system in a book somewhere-- Might be AWS Welding Handbook, of one of the Lincoln books. It was a standard system for AWS rod types, but outside of those types.....

If I remember when I get home from work, I'll look it up.

[Zrexxer]

The Complete Book of Welding by Gower Kennedy, 1974, says that electrode color codes were a National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) convention, but doesn't decipher what the colors mean. Still, NEMA might be a place to start looking.

[TozziWelding]

I have the chart in an old (1970's) book, I will post it later when I find it.

[Rocky D]

This from AWS:
Electrode Labeling and Marking

When electrodes were first classified, packaging was labeled with the AWS specification and classification, but individual covered electrodes were not labeled. A series of color codes were used to mark the grip end of the electrode and these colors corresponded to the AWS classification. About 30 years ago, the U.S. Navy insisted that the alphanumeric electrode classification be marked on the covering within two inches of the grip end on each electrode. This has since become the AWS and ASME code requirement and has thereby replaced color coding in most areas.

[TozziWelding]

Here you go, right out of the 1973 Lincoln Electric "Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding"
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...trodeID002.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...trodeID001.jpg
I hope this helps you out.

[mcostello]

Thank you very much, now for some quality time sorting and wrapping!