Stick Welding is a slang
term commonly used for Shielded Metal Arc Welding or “SMAW”. Here Stick means Covered
Electrode, Stick Welding is most widely used of the various arc welding
processes, utilizes a fixed length electrode and an electric power source to
join a variety of different metals.
Gas welding and cutting was
introduced in the mid-1800s. It was in the 1880s that arc welding with the
carbon arc and metal arc was developed.
In 1881, French electrical
engineer Auguste De Meritens used the heat of an arc to join lead plates for
storage batteries.
His student Nikolai N.
Benardos was awarded a patent for welding. In 1890, C.L. Coffin of Detroit was
granted the first U.S. patent for an arc welding process using a metal
electrode.
Around 1900, British
inventor Strohmenger introduced a coated metal electrode. He used a thin
coating of clay or lime and noticed that it provided a more stable arc.
During the period of 1907
to 1914, Oscar Kjellberg of Sweden came up with a coated electrode which looked
like a stick. Later on, pieces of iron wire dipped in thick mixtures of
carbonates and silicates were used to make stick electrodes.
As the electrode begins to
melt, the flux coating around it creates a cloud of gases that shields the
molten metal and prevents it from oxidizing.
Stick welders have four
main components.
1. A ground lead or clamp.
2. A welding lead or stinger.
3. A constant amperage power source.
4. The electrode or welding rod to weld with.
Limitations:
Operator duty cycles are
low compared with semi-automatic and automatic processes; this makes the cost
per pound of deposited weld metal high with Stick Welding
Deposition rates are
generally lower than for other welding processes.
The process is considered
to be manual as it is not easily mechanized.
Stick Welding is not
suitable for reactive metals such as titanium, zirconium, tantalum, and
columbium because the shielding does not prevent oxygen contamination of the
weld.
