0 items in your basket
Total £ 0.00 EX VAT
Multi Process Welders
MIG Torches
TIG Torches
Welding Helmets
Welding Gloves & Clothing
MMA Electrodes
MIG Wire
Shop 55,000 Products
SERVICEDEPT.
RAPID BLOG
FEEDBACK
HIRE
Straight answers to common questions about general-purpose rutile electrodes for welding mild steel.
Rutile electrodes have a coating rich in titanium dioxide, which gives easy arc starting, a smooth arc and low spatter. They are the usual general-purpose choice for light and medium fabrication, repairs, brackets, frames and fillet welds on clean mild steel.The slag is dense and normally lifts off easily, leaving a neat, evenly rippled bead. They give moderate mechanical properties, so they suit ordinary workshop and maintenance jobs rather than demanding, high-toughness structures.
It depends on the electrode. Many rutile electrodes are made for all positions except vertical down, because their slag and weld pool do not suit running downhill, and the result can be poor fusion and trapped slag. Some rutile electrodes are designed to weld vertical down as well, so check the positions shown on the pack or data sheet.For vertical joints with a general-purpose electrode, weld upwards using a smaller electrode and a lower current than you would use flat, with a slight weave to hold the pool. Rutile electrodes are especially good on horizontal-vertical fillet welds.
Usually not on its own. Rutile electrodes give a higher weld hydrogen level than low hydrogen types, which limits them to mild steel of modest thickness, and they are not intended for structures that need high toughness or crack resistance.If a drawing, specification or welding procedure calls for a particular strength, impact toughness or hydrogen level, follow it and choose the electrode type it names. For ordinary non-critical fabrication, a rutile electrode is normally fine. When in doubt, ask the person responsible for the welding procedure.
A widely used rule of thumb is roughly 40 amps for each millimetre of electrode diameter, so a 4 mm electrode would start around 160 amps with an acceptable range either side. Always follow the current range printed on the pack, as it varies between makers.Smaller diameters suit thinner steel and out-of-position work. Too high a current overheats the electrode and can cause burn-through and spatter, and too low a current causes sticking and poor fusion. Make a short test weld on scrap of the same thickness and adjust from there.
