Ok, maybe not slippery, but at least a little better.

Many people still call arc welding arc welding. So instead of going against the trend, I’ll go with the flow and use both terms.

1. The first thing you need to know to be a good stick welder is that you need a decent arc welding machine. It’s not a great machine, just a decent arc welding machine. Such as a Lincoln 225 A/C tombstone arc welder, or a Miller Thunderbolt Stick welding machine. Both can be purchased on eBay or Craigslist for around $200.

2. The second thing you need is a decent auto-darkening welding helmet.$50 will get you a decent auto-darkening welding helmet if you know where to look. A decent auto-darkening helmet darkens in 1/20000 of a second, can be adjusted from 9 to 12 shades, and has sensitivity and delay adjustments.

Why do you need one? Because when you’re scratching in the dark, you can stray an inch or more and you’ll get arc hits all over the place. With an auto darkening helmet, you can see exactly where your arc is hitting and that will only make you a better stick welder.

3. The third thing to know is that polarity is important. If you buy a welding machine for air conditioning only then you need to get stick welding rods that are designed for welding in air conditioning.

Not all welding rods work with air conditioning. That’s why grandpa only had 6013 welding rods lying around.

6011, 6013, and 7018 will weld on A/C, but 6010 will not. If you like to weld with 6010, please buy A/C and DC stick welding machine. You can usually get one for only about $100 more than you’d pay for a humming air conditioner. Another advantage of buying a stick welder that also welds with DC is that you can hook up a scratch start TIG torch later if you want to venture into TIG welding.

4. Finally, learn to keep a tight arc. This is the most important advice I can give. If your wand sticks when holding close arc length then you need more amperage or you need to use a smaller diameter wand. Maintaining a tight arc will not only help you establish the correct amperage, it will also help metal and sparks stay where they are supposed to stay on the weld and not just on you.