Lincoln R60 Welding rod coil cores mandatory? Alternatives?

[Woody]

Hey y'all,

Living in a smaller town can have it's drawbacks. One of them is finding all the stuff we need. Our local welding supply place only had RG45 or RG70 in the 1/16th inch copper coated welding rods. None of the Lincoln R60 at all. So the "R" in R60 means that the rod is made for gas welding. The 60 indicates 60 psi tensile strength. As best I can tell, the differences are minor. The basics that seem to matter for making coil cores are small diameter, mild steel, and copper coated. The other things present in the various numbered rods are pretty specific to things a welder who is actually going to weld with these rods would need to know.

I bought the RG45 rods, but thought to get a discussion going on possible alternatives to the Lincoln R60 rods for when folks can't get them. Also, if there is something that makes any other rods completely out of the question for our purposes, perhaps someone who knows can post their experiences with that.

Does my analysis sound correct?

Thanks,

-Woody

[Tom C]

yup, I went thru a fairly scrupulous analysis with my local arigas dealer. RG 40 or RG 45 are real close, it really has to so with the weld you are doing. I use 45.
Tom C

[Forrest]

Hi woody, John B has mentioned before that rusty wire works just as good if not better for the core material. I have tried using old rusty reinforcing fencing and it works just as good. Just thought I would give you the info for what it is worth.

Bud

[Dutchswitch]

Hy all,

ESAB OK Gasrod 98.70 has the same specs as the Lincoln rods.

Greetings, Dutchswitch

[wrtner]

[QUOTE=Forrest;2133 I have tried using old rusty reinforcing fencing and it works just as good.
[/QUOTE]
Old fencing material can be iron instead of steel. This may be why it might be good.

Paul-R

Beware of some so-called wrought iron. Actually, it can be wrought steel.

[John_Koorn]

Guys, save yourself some time and money and just get Lincoln R60 welding rods. If you want to get the same results as the inventor, get what the inventor uses.

John K.

[wrtner]

Guys, save yourself some time and money and just get Lincoln R60 welding rods. If you want to get the same results as the inventor, get what the inventor uses.

John K.

That's fine if you live in the US. Lincoln have no dealers in the UK. We would have to go to Calais.
Do you have another manufacturer and part number that is equivalent?

[Gary Hammond]

Hi,

Lincoln isn't the only manufacturer who makes R60 rod. The R60 is a particular grade (alloy) of rod that meets the American Welding Society (AWS) Specification of AWS A 5.2. It is a Moly alloyed, high strength, oxyacetylene gas welding rod for low carbon and low alloy steels used where high tensile strength is required. It is high in both Silicon and Manganese and is used without flux with a neutral flame. Most welding supply stores should be able to get it. I got mine from MSC. Their current pricing is $10.62 for a 1 Lb tube of rod. Here's a link to it at MSC. Welding Filler Metals - TIG Welding & Brazing Rods | MSCDirect.com

And here's another link to Airgas. http://www.airgas.com/browse/product...ct=RAD64001577

And another link http://weldingsupply.securesites.net...16-36||1|505||

[Bill Sherwood]

Hello All,
I live in the not so great "Greater Houston, Texas" area and have not been successful in locating the copper coated Lincoln R60 1/16 diameter wire. Where can I purchase this wire either in the area or on-line?
Thanks,
Bill

[wrtner]

That's fine if you live in the US. Lincoln have no dealers in the UK. We would have to go to Calais.
Do you have another manufacturer and part number that is equivalent?

I have this wrong. They are in Sheffield.
sales@lincolnwelding.co.uk

Also, BOC do R60 rods.

[Gary Hammond]

Hi All,

I sent an inquiry to Lincoln Electric about their 1/16" R60 rod and received the following answer. It is NLA!

Thank you for your inquiry through our website. We know that you have a choice
when selecting
welding products and we are glad you have chosen Lincoln Electric®.

Dear Mr. Hammond:

This rod is no longer available through The Lincoln Electric Company, but I
think that you can buy it through Harris Products Corporation, located in
Mason, Ohio. Their telephone number is 1-800-733-4043.

I am sure that Harris Products will have a local distributor close to you.

Hope this helps.

Yours very truly,
Michael F. Hall
The Lincoln Electric Company
Cleveland, Ohio
Telephone: 216-383-4779

http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/e...-OXY-FUEL.aspx

[wrtner]

Can we use transformer cores?

Since transformer cores carry a magnetic field quite happily, is it satisfactory to
angle grind transformer cores to shape? (I have plenty of them).

[Fraulein]

Hello! I just finish building my SSG motor and it is working. I am currently doing tests. So far I am very please with it since I do not have an electronic background, I have a lot of learning to do.

Living in the country side, I do not have access to a good welding supply store inside an hour of driving. So I used farming electric fence wire. It is 18 gauge. It cost $25 for a half of a mile spool. It is cover with zinc. I did some search and zinc is not magnetic, so I guess it will do a good job of preventing the propagation of the magnetic eddys that are formed in the steel during the magnetization of the core and which decrease its efficiency.

[wrtner]

So I used farming electric fence wire. It is 18 gauge. It cost $25 for a half of a mile spool. It is cover with zinc. I did some search and zinc is not magnetic

The point is that the core needs to become magnetic, and at the right time, get rid of
that magnetism VERY QUICKLY. This is what iron is good for and steel is less good for.

If you can find fence wire which is old, going back to the 1940s or so, there is a possibility
that it is iron. Old farmyard metalwork can be iron. I suspect that a piece of old iron
(unwanted), filed down into iron filings and glued into shape with a resin glue, might make a
very good core.

[Dave Wing]

Hi all,

When it comes to core material you want something that loses all magnetism fast. John Bedini talks about using core materials of soft iron and or cast iron core material. As you will be able to see in the first link of the ferris wheel thread, page 16, post numbers 458 to 459.

http://www.energeticforum.com/renewable-energy/6786-bedini-ferris-wheel-regauging-motor-16.html

With the link below John Bedini talks about the welding rod made today retaining a magnetic bias... Not good. It is found in post #623 on page 21 of the ferris wheel thread.

Bedini Ferris Wheel Regauging Motor - Page 21

For soft iron I would recommend bale or mechanics wire for core material or try ordering 3/4" cast iron rod from McMaster-Carr, Found here McMaster-Carr This cast iron 3/4" rod can also be had at GRAINGER APPROVED VENDOR Rod, Cast Iron, CL 40, 1 3/4 In Dia x 1 Ft - Cast Iron Rod Stock - 2JGD9|2JGD9 - Grainger Industrial Supply


Peter Lindemann is speaking about utilizing black sand magnetite (Fe3O4, etc.) core materials. Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4NBR...e_gdata_player


If you are really serious about your experementation then perhaps try straight magnetite or cast iron filings from an automotive brake shop, that resurfaces brake drums or discs on a brake lathe, gather the filings and epoxy them into 3/4" cores you may also want to even try a mixture of magnetite / cast iron filings... Compare all the results of the various materials listed in this post, that is the only way to know for sure what works best... If that is your goal.

Hope this helps.

Dave Wing