Chapter 8 Manual Welding Techniques
133
of 15°–20°. The term push angle refers to the torch being
pointed in the direction the weld progresses. This
angle allows the welder to see the weld pool, but
still provides good penetration. A larger travel angle
would create an elongated weld pool and decrease the
penetration into the joint. The welding rod is typically
held 10°–20° from the surface of the base metal. This
angle makes it easy for the welder to see the weld pool
and to feed welding rod into the weld pool as needed.
See Figure 8-7.
When making fi llet welds, the torch is generally
held at a 45° work angle and a 15°–20° travel angle.
If an inside corner joint is being welded, the tip of
the electrode is pointed directly at the joint between
the two workpieces. If a lap joint is being welded, the
tip of the electrode should be pointed slightly more
toward the surface piece than the edge piece. The
edges of a metal plate are not able to dissipate heat as
quickly as the large surfaces of the plate. As a result,
if the torch is pointed directly at the joint between the
two plates, the edge of one piece heats up faster than
the surface of the other, which can lead to undercut-
ting at the edges of the joint. Pointing the torch slightly
more toward the surface than the edge provides even
heating through the entire joint. See Figure 8-8.
When adding welding rod, the welder should grip
the rod in the fi ngers as shown in Figure 8-9. The hand
should be kept as close as possible to the arc to hold
the rod steady. The rod should be moved in conjunc-
tion with the torch movement. When additional rod is
required, it can be moved forward through the fi ngers
using a forward movement of the thumb. Too much
extension of the welding rod from the fi ngers results
in a wobbly rod end, making addition to the weld pool
very uneven. Adding rod to the pool requires steadi-
ness and concentration in order to place the correct
A
B C
Figure 8-7.
Typical welding angles for welding a butt joint in any position. A—This butt weld is in the fl at position. Note that
the torch is at a 90° work angle. The torch is tilted so the electrode is pointing in the direction the weld is progressing. This is
referred to as the travel angle. B—A butt weld in the horizontal position. C—A butt weld in the vertical position. (Mark Prosser)