Puddle In Welding
The arc is your tool; the puddle is your product. A welder who masters puddle control can weld any joint, in any position, on any material.
| Problem | Visual Cue | Root Cause | Correction | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Drooping bottom, convex bead. | Excessive heat or slow travel speed. | Increase travel speed or reduce voltage/amperage. | | Puddle too small / ropey | Narrow, tall bead with poor wetting. | Insufficient heat or fast travel. | Slow down or increase heat input. | | Undercut | Groove melted into base metal next to puddle. | Travel speed too fast, or arc too long. | Slow down, shorten arc length, pause slightly at edges. | | Porosity (pinholes) | Bubbles freezing on puddle surface. | Contamination (oil, rust, moisture) or gas loss (GMAW/GTAW). | Clean metal; check gas flow (20-30 CFH typical). | | Slag covering puddle (SMAW/FCAW) | Puddle hidden under liquid slag. | Normal for these processes. | Watch the slag-puddle interface —the solidifying line at the rear. | puddle in welding
Each process has its own techniques for striking an arc, maintaining travel speed, and controlling the weld puddle. In welding tra... nats.ca Fab Times | When Gas Goes Bad, So Do Quality Welds The absence of a protective barrier allows atmospheric gases to contaminate the weld. Contaminants, like oxygen and nitrogen, caus... Schuette Metals Weld pool – Knowledge and References - Taylor & Francis A weld pool is a molten mixture of metal drops from a consumable electrode and melted parent material that is created by the heat ... taylorandfrancis.com Stick Welding: How to Read the Puddle Jun 19, 2021 — The arc is your tool; the puddle is your product
Different welding processes require different ways of moving the puddle: | Excessive heat or slow travel speed
: In processes like TIG, the puddle should look like a clean, shiny pool of liquid silver. If it looks "cloudy" or has swirling black specks, you likely have contamination (e.g., dipping your tungsten into the pool). Techniques for Puddle Control Stick Welding: How to Read the Puddle
The puddle is the "birthplace" of the weld. Its behavior directly determines:
To control the puddle, you must first understand what you are looking at. Through your welding helmet, a healthy puddle typically displays three distinct characteristics:
