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I using a stick welding rod without the coating and using my tig welder.

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Who gave you this idea? Doubtful that would work under any circumstance but I suppose worth a try. I would have left the flux on it.

I've used the arc rods in an arc welder before and you have to really crank the heat, use a darker shade in your helmet and let 'er rip. There's lots of fire, sparks and noise: cheap entertainment. It's similar to a 6010 in behavior.

Otherwise, you can gas weld it with a cast iron rod and a large tip. I found moving the torch quickly and keeping the rod almost melting hot worked pretty good.