Before you get started welding – and this is very important – get comfortable, use two hands to hold the handle, and brace yourself in any and every possible way to make sure you are in a comfortable position. This is one of the biggest secrets journeyman welders use all of the time. I had to go to a very expensive welding school to learn this. I was originally thought to weld with one hand and all that means for you is less control. Control is the biggest factor when it comes to welding technique!

Getting the arc started is easier said than done. In the beginning, you will find that the rod sticks and the flux will likely chip off and ruin a small part of the rod. It’s almost unavoidable and you have to take it like learning to ride a bike. Even the best welders have this happen now and then. To help with striking the arc, if you are wearing the proper welding gloves that are dry, you can lean the rod on the other hand almost like a pool stick and strike it. Once the arc starts you put that hand with the other one on the welding handle.

To fix any chipped flux, take a piece of scrap metal and strike an arc holding the rod about a ¼ of an inch away from the metal till it burns to a complete and undamaged part of the rod. This is the only time you will want a long arc like that. After you have a good rod again, I find removing the rod from the holder and scraping it on something to remove the used flux helps with restarting the arc later. It gives the metal inside the rod a good contact to strike an arc with much less effort.

There are a few ways to move the rod and see the puddle of metal in the crater. In stick welding, you normally drag the rod in MIG and in TIG you push the torch with only a few exceptions. If you are right handed, you will point the rod toward your left side and strike it like a match to the right or bounce it lightly off of the metal. It may take a few tries to get the arc started but once you do you want to keep the arc as short as possible while scraping the metal with the edge of the rod on your movements. If your arc is too far from the metal the shield of gas protecting the arc from oxygen will not be able to do so. This will result in a porous weld that looks like Swiss cheese on the inside. That means the weld is not very strong. The welding rod should stay ahead of the puddle to avoid trapping slag in the weld. Your eyes should also focus mostly on the size if the puddle behind the rod to determine the size of the weld.

With most welding rods you can use the same techniques in most positions, but there are certain patterns welders favor for good reason. The most common techniques for a E6011 are:

• Whipping the rod, a moving it back and forth motion.
• Circles to fuse the metal in a circular motion.
• Weaving a side to side motion (for wider welds).

Then there are others, like myself, who have no real pattern. We only see the size of the puddle and adapt to what the fill needs of the joint are. When I was learning, circles worked for me. It all comes down to what you feel comfortable doing and gives you the best results! In the beginning, pick a pattern and stick to it until the weld is good. The rest will come in time!

Basic welding guidelines are that for 6010 and 6011you whip the rod. For low hydrogen rods like a 7018 or 7024 you do circles or just hold a steady position and wait for the rod to fill the gap. With low hydrogen rods or any rods that have a lot of flux you want to avoid whipping because the flux that protects it also can cause problems by getting trapped in the weld. Technically this is called a slag inclusion. Don’t forget that the weld should twice the width of the rod.

Welding technique for thinner metals should be whipped; it keeps the rod from burning a hole in the metal. For metals slightly thicker than the rod, do circles or whip depending how wide you want the weld. Finally, for thicker metals after you complete the first pass using one of the above techniques, you should start weaving using a side-to-side motion and concentrating on holding onto the sides for the most part. The best example I can give on weaving technique is to actually count out loud the number 1001 while holding on one side and then weaving over to the other side and then repeating. It produces a very consistent pattern which produces a solid weld with excellent penetration.

Welding in different position changes what you do and how hot you set your machine. Flat or 1G /1F as it is called is the easiest. Horizontal or 2G /2F is a bit harder.

Vertical welding means you can be welding from bottom to top or top to bottom. There is vertical down which is pretty easy but is not very strong. Vertical down works great on thinner metals. Then there us vertical up. The direction of a vertical weld changes the amount of penetration and overall strength. Think of a water hose aimed at a mound of dirt. If you spray from the top down you only succeed in carving into the mound a little. But if you spray from the bottom up you gouge a deeper grove. Vertical up is a very strong weld but much harder to do.

Most welding shops require a vertical up or 3G welding certification or better.

Finally there is overhead or 4G / 4F welding. Literally meaning welding over your head. It’s just like welding flat or horizontal, but with way more sparks hitting you!

Typically, setting your machine for flat will allow you to weld flat, horizontal, vertical down, and overhead depending on the rod type. Vertical up usually required less amperage. What happens with vertical up is that when you weld, the rods arc gouges a crater into the metal and then fills the joint with filler metal. That is why the weld is so strong even though the setting are lower.

Welding position basics rod angles are as follows and are just a guideline. These are not set in stone!

• Flat or 1G you drag the rod between 10 to 30 degrees in the direction of your movement. Use either a whip or circular motion.
• Horizontal or 2G you point the rod upward at 45 degrees and drag it toward your direction of travel with a side tilt of 10 to 30 degrees. Also use a whip or circular motion.
• Vertical up or 3G point the rod up at 45 degrees and use a tight side to side motion or a weave depending on the width of the weld you need.
• Over head or 4G is the same as flat or 1G except the rod is pointed up.