Straight or swirls?

[Jay4200]

I've owned welders and done DIY welding for years for the occasional project, but my welding hasn't really improved a whole ton. I've never had anyone show me what too fast or too slow or too cold or too hot looks like, so I'm having a tough time diagnosing what I'm doing wrong (or right). Sometimes my welds look absolutely great - with the whole stack of dimes thing, but other times they look like poo - holes and blobs and splatter...and I swear I'm doing the exact same thing with the same setup all the time. I'm trying to whittle down the variables...so bear with me if these are stupid questions.

When making a weld with either a coil fed (I use flux-core) or a stick, and ignoring any kind of fancy applications, are you generally supposed to run straight up the weld or weave the stick/gun back n' forth or around in little circles as you go?

Also, when running a stick weld, do you kinda press the rod into the metal as you go (or drag it against the surface) and let the arc do its thing for inherent distance, or do you actively try to hold the stick some fraction of an inch away from the weld?

 

[CNC Dan]

I've owned welders and done DIY welding for years for the occasional project, but my welding hasn't really improved a whole ton. I've never had anyone show me what too fast or too slow or too cold or too hot looks like, so I'm having a tough time diagnosing what I'm doing wrong (or right). Sometimes my welds look absolutely great - with the whole stack of dimes thing, but other times they look like poo - holes and blobs and splatter...and I swear I'm doing the exact same thing with the same setup all the time. I'm trying to whittle down the variables...so bear with me if these are stupid questions.

When making a weld with either a coil fed (I use flux-core) or a stick, and ignoring any kind of fancy applications, are you generally supposed to run straight up the weld or weave the stick/gun back n' forth or around in little circles as you go?

Yes. That is either way.
Look for welding videos on youtube from someone called "weldingtipsandtricks" He has the best welding videos on the internet.
And he shows many ways to move the gun and explains why.

Also, when running a stick weld, do you kinda press the rod into the metal as you go (or drag it against the surface) and let the arc do its thing for inherent distance, or do you actively try to hold the stick some fraction of an inch away from the weld?

Some you can/should drag the flux coating on the workpiece, others you hold them just above the puddle.

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

I'll second going to weldingtipsandtricks.
His video page is a little easier to find stuff welding-tv.com

Here is a fairly recent one:
MIG Welding Basics: Part 4 - welding-tv.com | welding-tv.com

 

[CNC Dan]

I also got some good DVDs from a place called Wall Mountain.

I got the two stick welding DVDs, and they are great. I imagine the MIG welding ones are just as good.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I cant think of any type of welding that uses swirls. A back and forth stepping motion or side to side zig-zag or U shaped motion stepping up a bit each U is about the only motion I can think of that wont trap slag or result in an un-uniform weld.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Well after posting I did think of one swirl motion but it is used with acetylene welding, not arc welding.

 

[FarmDad]

The whip and pause used with 6010 could easily be seen as a swirl .
ChuckE 2009 or Lanse as he is known on some forum has some pretty good educational vids in plain language . here is the playlist for stick welding
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_P7k0CDx5cWK1dJBI2EOyEq7bHN_YdCI

and here is mig welding
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_P7k0CDx5cWywuZRYRd3HDZuvy7mTH0k

Poke around on his channel and there is lots of information presented in a learning friendly fashion

 

[Reverser]

I've seen a few guys use a small circular motion while using 6010/6011 when welding flat/horizontal, if that's what the OP means as "swirl".
My welding teacher in high school used the circular method. Other instructors and most welders I've been around, used the side to side technique in that position.

 

[Arc weld]

Some people go in circles when MIG welding.

 

[mfreund]

Was the metal all the same? I would think splatter and such is caused by contamination. Oil, paint, dirt all cause havoc on welds. Might not be just technique.