that answers my question.... wet flux.....

It was a new box of 1/8 6011 sealed from princess auto, maybe i should have gone with the name brand rod... they are 2 transformers that i rewired from large microwave ovens and outputs strung in series for 40 total output volts. damp flux that sounds kind of right ..put them in an oven perhaps?

until the rod heats up it sticks like crazy until has laid down a couple of inches of weld. 6013 no problems at all. voltage is 40 and amperage is about 110. does 6011 require more arc voltage for stability?

is that aluminium rod running on an ac stick welder?