TIG Welding Rod Question

[Don Z.]

OK, so I know little about welding, but did see a welding supply store in town.

I stopped in and asked for TIG welding rod, so that I could use it instead of cotter pins or rings, as seen in the Apprentice.

When I got home and looked at my treasure, instead of seeing bright stainless "wire rod", the rod seems to be coated with some sort of flux.

After a few minutes with Google, I think he gave me Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) rod instead of the requested TIG rod. Am I right in assuming TIG rod can be used "as is"?

As I see it right now, my two options are to (a) Return and ask for the "right stuff" (preferred) or (b) knock all the flux off and use what I have.

I am assuming the store will take the return, as I asked for "Stainless Steel TIG welding rod", and that's not what he gave me. Did I ask for the wrong thing? Is there something else I should have said?

Thanks,

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
I am emphatically not a welder, but I haven't had trouble communicating what type of rod I needed. You definitely don't want flux, and since I don't know what other properties the coated version might have, I recommend exchanging it.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[Don Z.]

Returned and refunded. Apparently, it was the only stainless rod he had, he didn't even check to see if they were SMAW or TIG. One more place in town to check out, then on to Amazon...

[k7cej]

Don:
I am a welder of only modest experience, but have a TIG machine and can address your issue. TIG rod is bright and uncoated and commonly would come in one pound tubes of 3' (?) pieces. The salesman you worked with was either very inexperienced, lazy, or dishonest.

Common sizes that might be of interest to you are 1/16", 3/32", and 1/8". A tube of 3/32" will have maybe 15 pieces, only 8 in the 1/8" size. TIG rod comes in various alloys, most commonly 304 and 316, but also 308, 309, an many others. You should specify 316 for most boating applications.

I have used it for one piece turnbuckle cotters and it works fine. My preferred solution for turnbuckles, though, is a cotter (not bent) hand-stitched to a piece of bisexual velcro, which can be quickly removed and installed.and won;t snag sheets. The two-sided velcro only lasts for a year or two in the sun, though.
Craig

[Ian McColgin]

"Bisexual velcro". Now there's a term. Well done.