Maintaining Angle during Stick Welding

Although it might not seem important, the angle at which the stick electrode is held is as important as any other single factor in making a successful weld with your buzzbox welding machine. The reason for this is that the angle of the welding stick, combined with the angles of the two pieces of metal being joined, determines how much of the filler metal is deposited on each side of the joint being welded. Even distribution is crucial – having a skewed weld bead would lead to weakness and imbalance in several ways.

There are two angles which need to be kept in mind at all times – one is work angle, which is the angle of the stick electrode relative to the sides of the weld. The other is travel angle, or the angle of the electrode relative to the long axis of the weld. Each needs to be watched carefully at the same time as the electrode tip is kept within the proper arc distance of the surface so that the right temperature is maintained. The whole forms a sort of balancing act, but can be learned with a bit of practice.

Basically, travel angle is always 60˚ to 75˚ -- enough of a tilt to keep the electrode from blasting through the surface of the metal, and keep the weld pool shaped properly, since directing the arc at the weld pool vertically could cause it to move in both directions at once, an extremely undesirable result. There are a few exceptions to this travel angle, but it is the best in most circumstances.

Work angle, however, varies by the angles of the two work pieces that are to be joined. For lap joints and T-joints, it is often best to arrange the two pieces of base metal so that they are at a 45˚ angle to the table surface, allowing you to make an even weld on both sides with a 90˚ work angle (since this will be at 45˚ to both tilted pieces of metal). For completely flat joints such as butt welds, a 90˚ work angle is also appropriate. Finally, if you are welding a T-joint with one part flat on the table and the other vertical, at right angles to it, a work angle of 35˚ is best, since this will prevent excessive weld deposit on the “base plate” (the horizontal part of the workpiece).