Stick welding electrodes have a metal core that melts and fuses with material from a workpiece to create a weld in SMAW (shielded metal arc welding) tasks. Also known as welding rods, they have a coating that releases shielding gas as it's heated, which helps keep contaminants out of the weld pool. This means the electrodes don't require an external source of shielding gas, so they can be used in windy outdoor areas. An arc is struck between an electrode and a workpiece, and the heat from the arc melts and fuses material from the workpiece and the electrode to create a weld.