Wire Welding – Electrode Technique

Helpful Hints Basic Welding

Wire Welding – Electrode Technique

Initiating an Arc

To initiate an arc, simply position the gun close to the weld joint and depress the trigger.

Once the arc is initiated, pay close attention to the following key factors in achieving a good quality weld:

electrode stick-out
electrode angles
welding gun manipulation
travel speed

Electrode Stick-Out

Electrode stick-out is the length of unmelted wire coming out of the contact tip of the welding gun. It affects the amount of amperage drawn by the wire and is important because it can affect the outcome of your weld. Determining how much stick-out to use depends on the diameter size of your wire. For instance, a good guideline to follow is: for .024″ and .030″ wire, use 3/8″-1/2″ stick-out; for .035″ and .045″ wire, use 1/2″-5/8″.

You can make slight adjustments to the stick-out to “fine-tune” the amperage for the result you want. For instance, by lengthening the stick-out, you slightly decrease the amperage; by shortening the stick-out, you slightly increase the amperage.

Oval pattern for lap and T-welds

Electrode Angles

In wire welding, you want to be sure that you properly position the wire electrode over the weld joint for maximum coverage. This involves paying special attention to the work angle and the travel angle.

The work angle is the angle at which the wire is pointing at the weld joint. For lap and T-welds, the work angle is 45°, for butt welds, it is 90°.

The travel angle is the angle of the wire as it travels along the weld path. For most wire welding applications, this angle is 15-30°.

For home and farm welding applications, the travel angle most commonly used is called a drag angle, when the electrode is pointing in a direction that’s opposite the arc travel.

Butt weld with 90° work angle

Lap weld with 45° work angle

15°-30° drag level angle

Helpful Hint #11

While welding, be sure to keep your gun cable as straight as possible to avoid erratic arc behavior.

Welding Gun Manipulation

How you manipulate the welding gun, therefore the electrode, is another key factor in producing a good quality weld.

Oval pattern for lap and T-welds

For lap and T-welds, manipulating the gun to create a series of small ovals provides good welding coverage. Be careful not to move too far back into the weld puddle or else fusion problems may occur.

“Z” pattern for butt joints

For butt joints, manipulate the gun so that the electrode moves in a ‘Z’ pattern while traveling along the workpiece. This pattern is most effective because it produces a flatter weld, spreading the molten weld puddle evenly across the joint.

Travel Speed

Travel speed is the rate at which you weld. As you weld, watch the molten weld puddle and listen to the arc for evidence of traveling too fast or too slow. Moving at a high travel speed
or too fast causes insufficient penetration, plus you’ll hear popping sounds as the wire comes into contact with the cold metal just ahead of the puddle. Welding at low travel speeds, or moving too slow, will cause the weld metal to pile up, resulting in poor fusion. (See pages 20 and 21 for examples of good and bad welds.)