Stick Electrodes

Coating types

According to the European Norm DIN EN ISO 2560, there are a total of eight different types of coated stick electrodes for arc welding of unalloyed steels and fine-grained steel. The four main types are named after their main components:

• C (Cellulose) cellulose electrodes
• A (Acid) acid electrodes*
• R (Rutile) rutile electrodes
• B (Basic) basic electrodes

Acid electrodes can hardly be found anymore and have been almost completely replaced by rutile electrodes.

These coating types are a very important differentiator for the unalloyed stick electrodes. Stick electrodes for high strength, creep resistant or high-alloyed steels according to the other EN standards are mostly coated with rutile or basic coating elements.

Cellulose-coated stick electrodes
Due to the high level of cellulose in the coating, they have excellent properties for out-of-position welding, but poor properties for horizontal welding. They are therefore mainly used for vertical-down welding on large pipes.

Rutile-coated stick electrodes
These electrodes are very popular due to their good welding properties. The welding arc is stable and calm and is easy to reignite, the seams are finely rippled, and most of the slag comes off by itself. Rutile-coated electrodes have sufficient toughness properties, but are only suitable for out-of-position welding to a limited extent (high-alloy). BÖHLER electrodes for under water welding are a special type namely rutile acid (RA). They have a special sealing to protect against the water.

Basic-coated stick electrodes
The main advantages of basic electrodes are the outstanding toughness properties of the weld metal and its resistance to hot and cold cracks. Basic-coated electrodes have a coarse droplet material transfer, can be used to weld in all positions and have somewhat coarsely rippled seams. The slag can be relatively easily removed, but not as easily as with rutile-coated electrodes.