exactly right yotaboy. ur cover gas in a mig is released all around ur wire by the gun. in an ark the gas is the coating on ur rod, known as the flux. 7018 rod should work great for strong welds, high penetration, not brittle.
If you plan on using 7018, you either have to get a welder that does DC as well, or try to fing the new 7018 that will run on AC...
