My welds are never as good as I want them to be. They are strong enough, and I don’t worry about them breaking, but they aren’t “pretty.” They’re not ugly, but I want those smooth, even welds that factories produce.
Having said that, I know that “pretty welds” aren’t necessarily strong welds. I can lay an absolutely beautiful bead using an arc welder and a 6013 welding rod on a piece of plate steel laid on the floor. All you have to do is set the welder to do an “average” job, then strike an arc and carefully, gently, lay the handle-with-rod on the plate of steel without breaking the arc. Once you get the arc started and successfully lay the handle down, you can walk away. It will keep welding in a perfectly straight line, laying a nice, even bead, until the rod is used up. There will be no penetration because the rod is parallel to the plate of steel, but it will sure look pretty.
Anyway. I was reminded of my mediocre welding skills while working around a young guy who knows how to weld very, very well. Comparing his welding techniques to mine, I noticed several things that I need to incorporate in my welding skills. Such as:
- Patience. He takes forever to grind and clean and prep where he will weld.
- Patience. He uses scrap steel of the same thickness that he will be welding to rough-set the welder.
- Patience. Once he starts welding the actual spot he needs to weld, he stops after a few seconds and fine-tunes the welder settings again. And again. And again, if necessary.
- Patience. Every so often while welding, he stops and studies his work and makes adjustments, both of the welder’s settings and the way he’s holding the welder nozzle/stick. He’s fussy about maintaining the welding nozzle/welding rod at the same angle. He never “reaches.” As much as possible, he stays on top of where’s he’s welding.
After watching him lay some beautiful, strong beads, I determined that the reason I don’t get the welds I want is ... me.
