Troubleshooting
Why is my stick welding excessive spatter?
Quick answer
Excessive spatter in stick welding usually means too high current for the wire, too long stick-out, or wrong polarity on gasless wire. For this process, set amps to the rod class, shorten the arc before touching anything else.
The specific fix
Set amps to the rod class, shorten the arc. The general rule: drop the voltage a step, shorten stick-out, verify polarity on the wire packet.
Process checklist
- Arc too long — stick wants a rod-width gap or less
- Dragging too fast, leaving thin, weak, undercut beads
- Not chipping and brushing slag between multi-passes — slag inclusions