With regards to storing used rods I keep mine in an old micro wave oven (not working of course) and or old fridges anything that will keep the rods at a slightly different temperature to the outside temp
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Hello from the old goat again.
If you want to store electrodes for extended periods I have found lengths of down pipe fitted with screw on caps best, or mums plastiware. You have to limit the atmosphere exchange as temp changes.
By lead and lag angle I refer to the electrode contact in relation to the holder. With stick rods the electrode tip lags the hand piece. With mig wire the wire tip leads the torch unless using flux cored wire.
Hi iron powder electrodes typically give recovery rates between 135-145% but can suffer more from magnetic arc blow than GP's.
If you can find it on the web a good guide for mig welding is the Liquid Arc Mig/Mag Welding Guide. Document number C4.200LA . It was a Lincoln company here in Aus.
Regards
BC
Easy striking is largely due to rod brands I've found: Gemini rods are a bugger, as are the cheap Chinese rods. Lincoln and Michigan, I've found are excellent. If using hard to strike rods you must have a strike plate next to the piece to be welded and strike while the rod is still red hot.