Welding Tips and Tricks

Not much seat time today, but 3/16 steel. Ran it at 145 amps, I know this is low but was using my 17 torch. I think my issue all along was trying to pass go before building my puddle. So focusing on that. Even on the 1/8 steel, it ran better. The filler feeds better after my initial puddle is built. One question is, once establishing my puddle should I begin moving the puddle before adding filler or slightly advance before adding any filler?
145 amps
3/16 steel
14 cfh
2% lanthanated

Puddle. Dab. Move.

Movement of the torch "drags the puddle" forward. When you have moved the correct distance (roughly equal to filler diameter) you pause, add filler, then move again.

cj737 wrote:Puddle. Dab. Move.

Movement of the torch "drags the puddle" forward. When you have moved the correct distance (roughly equal to filler diameter) you pause, add filler, then move again.

Thanks CJ, I will try to incorporate that. I am using 3/32 filler so I likely will increase the amount of dabs and the speed of my dab, but the pause will help as well. I was not pausing and that would help in getting a slightly wider bead profile. I am out of argon for now, and won’t be able to swap tanks at my LWS until Thursday. This is becoming more enjoyable compared to my first few days.

The only "critique" I will make about your beads is to avoid the crater at the end.

Despite how small it is, it is evidence of improper technique and can lead to cracks later when it matters. Right before you end, begin tapering the heat (maybe 2 dabs early) and on the last bead, swirl the torch and add a single dab once more to finish the weld. This will leave a high spot instead of a crater. It does not need to be Mt Everest high, just flush to slightly convex. Never concave.

Snapping out of the weld (immediate termination of the arc) causes these craters and it might come back to haunt you. Certainly will on aluminum. So get the habit down now and embed the correct process into your muscle memory.

cj737 wrote:The only "critique" I will make about your beads is to avoid the crater at the end.

Despite how small it is, it is evidence of improper technique and can lead to cracks later when it matters. Right before you end, begin tapering the heat (maybe 2 dabs early) and on the last bead, swirl the torch and add a single dab once more to finish the weld. This will leave a high spot instead of a crater. It does not need to be Mt Everest high, just flush to slightly convex. Never concave.

Snapping out of the weld (immediate termination of the arc) causes these craters and it might come back to haunt you. Certainly will on aluminum. So get the habit down now and embed the correct process into your muscle memory.

Thanks CJ, that's a good tip, I was tapering off the pedal, but not adding the filler at the end. Will add this to my practice technique. Thanks again for the help.