Striking an Arc with a Stick Welder - 5 Tips Every Beginner Needs to Know

Опубликовано: 16 Сентябрь 2022
на канале: pete's tools

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Arc or stick welding is one of the oldest forms of welding that man has invented. Also called shielded metal arc welding, it is somewhat different from flux core welding as flux core welding requires a MIG torch and flux core wire while stick welding needs a welding rod holder and a stick welding rod.

However, if you’re a beginner with stick welding, you may find it hard to strike an arc and this video is what it is all about – teach you how to strike an arc quickly. In stick welding how to strike an arc is the most common problem that every welder wannabe wants to know. So what’s the common problem with shielded metal arc welding? It’s the sticking of the arc welding rod on the metal when trying to spark an arc.

As you’ll see in this video when I try to start an arc, the end of the rod won’t spark but instead gets stuck to the metal I am trying to weld. But because I have enough experience in stick welding, how to strike an arc is not much of a problem for me. So to help you avoid this, what you should do is follow my 5 simple steps and learn how to strike an arc with ease.

The number one tip I want to emphasize to you here on how to strike an arc quickly is by cranking up the amp on your welder to provide the right current to the electrode and heat it. Second is by bending the rod slightly in the middle so that the distance between the welding rod holder and the metal will get somewhat shorter giving you more control of the rod and avoiding wobbling.

The third tip I want to share with shielded metal arc welding to produce a continuous spark is by scratching the end of the rod right on the metal as if you’re trying to light a matchstick on the side of the matchbox. And the next tip in ensuring how to strike an arc is by holding the arc welding rod with your other hand halfway the length of the rod while wearing thick leather gloves. This is to avoid jerky movements of the end of the rod by making it stable with your other hand.

And the least I want to share with you on stick welding how to strike an arc is by cutting the length of the rod in the middle if you want a more stable and more solid control of the rod though you must ensure that you hold the end of the rod with your welding rod holder that’s without the flux.

These tips on how to strike an arc on stick welding can best be adopted by beginner welders and I can vouch to you that these will help until you can master arc welding just like a pro.