The 4 Most Common Welding Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Lake Oconee Boomers

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The 4 Most Common Welding Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

As a newly trained—or experienced—welder, it’s essential to pay close attention to mistakes welders make and learn how to keep from making them yourself. To help perfect your welding craft, here is a quick list of the four most common welding mistakes and how to avoid them.

Undercuts in Your Project

If your arc is too high or long, your welding suffers undercuts. An undercut happens when you don’t use electrodes properly or give them at an incorrect angle. If you want to avoid undercuts and leave them out altogether, always use the appropriate electrode size needed for a project to help you carefully glide your electrode at a safe distance and a slow pace.

Weakened Welds

Welders often form brittle welds that can’t hold well. A weak weld results from your using an incorrect electrode size, so prevent this from occurring by using a shielded arc electrode that can prevent you from adding an excess of material to a piece. Additionally, when working on a piece, go over the same spot several times to ensure a firm grip on the welded material.

Porosity in Welding

When weld pools absorb gases like nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, they become trapped onto welded metals when the pool sits for a long time. Over time, the welded metal can rust, and oxidation occurs and causes metal corrosion. When oxidation happens, it prevents metal from performing well. If you don’t want oxidation in your welding, use new welding consumables when working on multiple metal projects. When you have a clean nozzle on your welding device, the nozzle won’t affect your weld’s porosity.

Cracks in Welding

Cracks in welding are more common than you think, but their causes depend on how you weld the material. Cracks often occur when you’re not lining the welding onto the area correctly, which creates holes and large gaps. Bear in mind that preventing holes and cracks is easier than fixing them. The simplest way to avoid damage and spots in your welding is to spend a reasonable amount of time grinding, filing, and deburring plate edges to help them fit properly.

Welding is a fantastic field and one of the many industries in which you can learn about the four most common welding mistakes and how to avoid them to perfect your craft. Don’t let blunders get in the way of your success as a welder; mistakes will help you grow and know better for next time.