You will find an array of welding wires and electrodes but usually welding electrodes are referred to as a “welding rod”.

In the field of Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), they are also termed as “Stick Welding”.

Stick welding normally done for steel supply Houston with bare welding rod was very difficult, hence could be used only in flat position. If you have ever stuck rod having flux on it, you can just imagine the number of times they will get stuck!

In case, the rod gets very close to the base metal then it will reduce the voltage causing arc to reduce.

Sticking your welding rod instead of melting sticks to its base metal. There will not be sufficient current for melting it, but can stick. By jerking rod immediately from base metal can be one way to get it loose.

In case that does not work, you need to unclamp this rod, and then try to break it off.

Usually, during the learning stage, everyone will stick welding rods and even experienced people too sometimes stick it once in a while. That’s why it is called stick electrode.

In case, you jerk electrode holder that is called stringer, quick enough then you can break this rod off of its base metal and again strike your arc. However, if it stays too long there and becomes too hot, then it will stick again easily and must be put down to get it cooled down.

Often while it sticks, in the jerking away or by breaking loose the rod, it will cause the flux to come out of the end. Then it will make it really hard to strike or arc again without sticking. It is little frustrating to stick the rod.

One can use a punching bag particularly while learning the welding technique to acquire good coordination of eye and hand, but it is also a way for them to let off little steam while they need to.

One easy and quick fix for this will be long-arc the welding, then burn bare metal off till it reaches the flux. It may help to turn on the machine till warp 10 while burning it off. In case you do not do that, then it will almost stick again to bare rod that you are trying to fix.

That is one of the reasons why you need to keep really your welding rods, particularly 7018 low-hydrogen rods, inside rod ovens. In case, you do not do it, then besides getting little moisture in your flux that causes porosity, or certain worm holes, then the flux may become brittle and finally flake off.