Stick Welding: How to Read the Puddle

Let's look at what to look at when you're stick welding.
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***Additional Description***
Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), also known as stick welding or rod welding is a great process because of its simplicity. Once you have learned to run a basic weld bead, knowing how to watch the puddle and respond to the clues it's giving you will help you to lay down a nice consistent bead.
Intro: 0:00
Puddle vs electrode type: 0:38
Where to put your head: 1:22
How the puddle should look: 2:42
Improper angle: 2:59
Travel speed matters: 3:59
Arc length overkill: 4:37

[@TimWelds]

You can learn to weld. I'll show you exactly what to do in my affordable online welding courses at courses.timwelds.com.

[@fucksusan420]

Online welding courses are a waste of money (obviously), if you arent physically doing the thing in welding, you can watch all the videos and read about it all you want, youll never be able to do it irl

[@289hipo]

I'm a little older than you (63), and my stick welding "chops" were made 40yrs ago in a truck shop....had about 1 month of training during my h/s tech school truck mechanic course. It's encouraging to know my self taught techniques turned out to be correct. I didn't have the prettiest beads sometimes, but I made sure nothing ever came apart. Great vid man

[@Gargeler]

The likes and the response on this video translates on how Crystal you discussed the topic. Im a beginner and a student, so ill say Thank you sir

[@christalw7437]

I'm a welding student, and I watch your videos before class (and sometimes after) to give myself a better understanding. Thank you for these videos, they're very appreciated. 🙏

[@pavelvago540]

Same here 👌 Hope you've completed your welding school successfully man.. 😊

[@user-ul4hv8nk7o]

I’m in my first year of welding so I’m trying to get everything down my junior year the be good my senior year

[@zacharyzambrana9360]

You welding ?

[@dannylg5707]

Man, I never get over your trait of being a naturally good instructor. Tone of voice, explanations, demonstrations. Great vids man!

[@TimWelds]

I appreciate that! Thank you!

[@ValutDweller]

@@TimWelds Tim, I cannot agree more with Danny LG. I'm a beginner, everything I know about welding is from the Internet and your videos are top notch when it comes to explanation and demonstration part. Great job.

[@sean.g4516]

@@TimWelds I didn't get what you mean at the about too long of a arc length. You mean the stick being too long??

[@moosetracks656]

Very accurate

[@uzii4k]

@@sean.g4516it means the end of the electrode is a little too far away from the metal, so just push it a little closer

[@CraigHollabaugh]

Tim, you're doing great with these videos. They're simple, short, to the point and well produced with excellent weld pool camera lighting, editing and audio. Every time I watch one one at home, I want to head over to my shop and apply what you've taught me.

[@TimWelds]

Wow, thanks!

[@RichardSmith-ms6hh]

Another spot -on video making what's real the highlighted subject. It's so good seeing exactly what you know as a commercial welder. I've just been running lots of pad-weld exactly to get back that weld-pool control. Make it automatic. After a two year break. So for anyone reading - from all I know doing heavy structures on projects to Billions of US$ - Tim is not only showing you how it's done but also what's most important.

[@ironmain433]

Teaching, same as welding... IS AN, ART!! Not everyone can do it. I appreciate that you do them BOTH very well. Thanks bro! 👍👍

[@TimWelds]

Thank you so much!

[@rustybritches6747]

I love how welding is such an art form and the more I do it the better I get! it's like learning an instrument! if you understand music theory you're automatically going to have the upper hand when it comes to grasping the basic concept and welding is the same damn thing!

[@SeldomFales]

One of the very best welding videos I’ve watched as a journeyman welder since 1970. Seldom if ever do instructors tell students to not only watch the puddle but learn to understand the puddle no matter what the welding process!

[@juanverrette1308]

✌️ Tim,I’m a true beginner in the field. However,your videos are well articulated and has assisted me much!! ALL PRAISE BE TO THE CREATOR!!!!!! 🤜🏼🤛🏿🙏🏿☝️✌️

[@bushcraftnorthof6012]

I’ve really gotta work on my speed and arc length. Perfect timing with this video. Thanks!

[@user-hn9qg5qm3o]

E7018 can be ran well by lightly dragging the flux (outer covering) at the end of the rod against the plate as you move down the length of the bead. The end of the rod will slowly burn back and shorten, which is why it's good to keep a very very light pressure on the rod in order to keep the flux touching the plate at all times throughout the length of the bead. Just allow the flux to gently scrape across the plate as you move down the length of the bead.

[@thechronicgeneralist]

Where was this video when I started messing around with this stuff... GREAT content!!

[@TimWelds]

Thank you so much!

[@TheManamba]

Happy new year to you sir. I've been welding for 3 years now, as a hobbyist / artist. I have developed an intuitive grasp of the different factors affecting the welding. I've watched any number of youtube tutorials, which have all been very instructive. What distinguishes your videos is that you fill perfectly the gap where I stand : no longer beginner - still far from professional. Your pragmatic advice is precious because immediately applicable. Thank you very much.

[@rickardo5027]

I just wanted to say that I have taken instruction, read books and watched videos, but after reviewing your videos and running a few practice beads following your guides, I finally found the keys that I needed to actually take my welding to the next level. Up to this point I have been welding inconsistently and the angle grinder was my best friend. Thanks for doing a great job of making these informative videos. Keep up the good work!!

[@waiakalulu2472]

One of the best explained arc pool videos I've ever seen. You should be real proud of what you did here. Appreciate you dropping scholarship on the subject and helping those of us just starting out.

[@thespartan8403]

I’m glad I found your channel. I’ve been working as a welders helper the past month for an oil field company. Weldings something I’ve recently been taking an interest in. I’ve only ran a little bit of mig but the guy I was with said I did pretty well never having done it before. Being a welders helper and watching the things you teach here make me think I’m getting a pretty good head start before trying for an apprenticeship. Thanks for the help I’ve gotten some pretty good pointers off you

[@tjrassat]

I can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge. I've been learning/practicing stick welding and it's one thing to look at my splatterfest and try different things, but you're a huge help in helping me understand what I'm actually screwing up and what things are worth trying. Thank you!

[@samcoote9653]

Awesome video man, I'm glad to see of all the welding videos all over youtube of nice welds etc. this one actually goes into how things look and why when something is wrong. Too many channels say set amps to this, hold like this, arc length here, don't shake, do a whip, and then they show this perfect weld and say "there, easy, you try it" without showing how a bad weld looks and what is causing it. Your other stick welding vids have helped me heaps already so far, and I'm currently doing a small project with some fillet welds at 90 degree joins like these, and this video is going to be invaluable, going to get on it first thing after work tomorrow, thanks so much. You're an awesome teacher!

[@amangoduses]

Love it. I bought a Welding kit earlier this year for my birthday basically because of your channel. I never had the opportunity to learn Welding in high school, so I always thought Welding was expensive and complicated. Thanks for the tips, they do make a difference for the people who feel like they're flying blind

[@TimWelds]

Thanks so much! I like to keep it simple as much as possible.

[@philthyphil3324]

It is expensive and complicated,, but its worth it.

[@ezza88ster]

Of all the welding teachers on You Tube, you're the one who actually joins the ideas together. Just what beginners like me need most I think. Great stuff.

[@MrSF247]

Fortunate to be in a training program at work to become a pipe fitter and pipe welder. Almost finished with my first week. Practically zero welding experience before this. So far, from searching for videos on YT for help in the welding aspect, yours are the most thorough and really break down the concepts well. Thank you so much!

[@voxmansilungan9020]

Just started welding classes and your videos have been a great help. Thorough and concise!

[@brandonmarples568]

Keep up the great videos man! Your content is NOT going to waste! I've just bought me a Miller thunderbolt three weeks ago, so I'm slowly trying to get the hang of it! I've used a mig welder for close to 15 years, but I've gotta start at the bottom with this Arc, really appreciate the instructional vids man!!

[@sabdielvaldez594]

Glad to see you growing man! I can tell you’ve been getting a lot better in front of the camera! Keep it up brother! You’re a big help!

[@andrebartels1690]

That's a great explanation here. I've seen in my work all the mistakes you'd show in the video, and now I know how to fix them. Thank you so much! 👍👍👍

[@Weld702]

I’ve been watching all your videos for the past 3 days, I got pushed farther into the smaller pool of people for a welding job involving getting my own welding rig from them , but never stick welded 😂. I’ve been MIGHT welding 4 years and got extremely good at it, so I’m sure I can pick this up easy, since I also already know all the book knowledge for it, my instructor gave us run downs every day on stick welding after our daily classroom time before we’d weld.

[@michellemora5766]

Thanks for the tips ,you explain things so simply and real. I am a beginner and benefits so much from your videos.

[@SuddenSpark]

Great to see a video which is more about the subject than the presenter. Neat. Factual. To the point. Liked & Recommended!

[@trenttruelove4478]

I just started welding school at mti on Monday and my 3 biggest struggles are arc length, travel speed, and watching the puddle size/ maintaining my puddle size. I've been watching your videos for a few days now sir and I applaud you for your indepth explanation 🙏🏻

[@maxasaurus3008]

Yeah good info, it’s really helpful seeing a good example next to a bad one. Keep that up.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! Will do!

[@juniorwilliams2071]

This is the best welding video for a beginner...👏👏

[@MrViper452]

I just got myself a DC welder and wow you are a great teacher. Great videos, thanks for sharing.

[@cbmech2563]

I took a community College welding class when I was 19, the instructor was a retired welder and he started us on bare rod. He said that way we would be able to see and understand the puddle without the distraction of the slag. And if you can run bare rod you can run anything.

[@robvanza]

Should've found your channel years ago, my welding has improved by leaps and bounds in a week!! Great content, keep it up!!

[@bobhunt3197]

I'm passing your videos on to my friends granddaughter who wants to be a welder, she practices in my shop, but your the teacher. I weld but can't teach, thanks.

[@MikeCraigSLP]

Thank you. I'm learning stick welding as a hobby and your videos have been helpful.

[@kurtilingus]

I'm **very** new to welding (hobbyist) but have done lots of due diligence so far in trying to educate myself in trying to go about this process & welding in general as properly as I can (meaning keeping my half-assing to a respectable minimum), so after having watched countless hours of YT instructional vids on welding at this point: this is the FIRST video I've found dealing **exclusively** with the thing I am both *entirely* putting my attention towards improving while simultaneously lacking the supplemental guidance to help me not only improve, but what all I'm looking at in the first place! Very frustrating since I know I've put at least as much effort into sourcing quality educational material in order approach what a student at a good welding school would have available to them as a reference base in the absence of an instructor, so this is very much appreciated!!! You're definitely setting your instructional material as a cut above your contemporaries' offerings by "zooming in" on aspects like this, as this is a perfect example of how people learning a skill like this need to "learn how to crawl" before tackling other rudimentary basics that any master welder instructor could easily lump in with too many other things when a particular aspect deserves it's own dedicated lesson purely to that one specific thing, just like you've done here. Apologies for a rambly-comment, but I figure there's a usually a decent chance that people in the business of helping others learn benefit from and/or prefer some granular detail in their feedback. Anyway, thanks again!

[@carloseduardoperez5333]

as soon as i start to do a weld the first thing that comes to my mind is "reed the puddel" as you teach, it has been very helpful for me, thanks Tim

[@jeffreyjantzen7382]

Great video! Clear image of the weld and a simple explanation! Well done!

[@NACHO.F.BUILDS]

Thanks for the great tips Tim

[@TimWelds]

You bet! Thanks for watching!

[@torpliv8759]

Thank you a lot for this video! I am learning to stickweld at home by myself and your videos helps a lot!

[@genefenning6772]

I really enjoy your welding video, really easy to follow and understand! Exactly what I am trying to master right now in my welding class. Thank you!

[@ayrton6627]

Thanks a bunch for this vid. Really helped me improve my stick welding. I can finally run a consistent bead!

[@boundforwonderland]

Thank you so much! I have been looking for a video of what the weld pool is supposed to look like for a while now. Just knowing how it should look helps a lot.

[@zane770]

thank you for this. its such an important aspect of learning this skill that i feel few others accurately convey.

[@duanedorow3981]

"The weldpool becomes the weld." Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. I'm just getting started with stick and after doing some practice sessions over the past couple weeks, I'm finally able to step back and feel like I can see more. Like the subtleties of the weld pool. I got some scrap pieces and am ready to practice this weekend. Thanks for the motivating video.

[@RichardSmith-ms6hh]

"the weldpool becomes the weld" - obvious in-retrospect having had this pointed-out - but Tim has the all-round vision to explain this on your way forward.

[@amdvideos3610]

I was looking for a video like this before. The best advice made easier for welding.

[@TimWelds]

Cool, thanks!

[@larrybrown9594]

thank you. I'm a welding instructor.your videos make it easier forme t explain to my students. it gets really fustratingsomeimes!

[@ia6980]

Thank you for all these amazing tutorials, learning about stick welding and your videos are great! Thank you

[@EternalCitizen]

I recommend this channel to beginners, great interactions

[@carlosrobles2048]

Probably the most informative, professional video I've ever seen. It So clearly laid out for the beginner. Thank you sir I will sub

[@comingtofull-ageinchrist6736]

i always had a problem with undercut on vertical welds back when I was 15 in welding school. I injured my eye with slag in that stage of my training and never went back. Now at 56 I've been getting back into welding. I remember I had to master braze welding before I could move on to stick welding, and then I had to practice over and over on a flat piece of metal running a lot of beads next to one another until I had perfect uniform beads with no undercut before I started welding angles and then onto vertical welds, which I never completed. For some reason the desire to pick back up on welding has motivate me to get a cheap welder to mig weld with, so I'll probably upgrade and get a multiprocessing welder that is AC/DC and I can stick weld, Mig weld or Tig weld aluminum or steel. I've seen Miller out there a lot and am leaning toward going with Miller. I haven't really made up my mind yet.

[@yarasingh4040]

You teach in the perfect way, making great welders.

[@hamable1995]

im in welding school rn so hopefully these videos help me out

[@bluedemonweld]

Fantastic video Tim!

[@skepticalobserver7484]

Very good info! Exactly what I needed to see.

[@Axestothesky]

Thanks Tim, I really appreciate your videos!

[@petrovivan4989]

The best video for beginners! Thank you from Russia!

[@edgarmachado6008]

Wish you were my instructor when I attended a welding academy earlier Jan 2022. One thing an instructor should have is excellent communion skills free of jargon and slang. You have that in spades. I just subscribed. I look forward to learning with you.

[@pg981]

As a beginner , I appreciate these vids !

[@alinemer1271]

these are the best and very easy tutorial I might tell my welding teacher about you

[@osbornebay944]

Short and sweet show for what is a good weld pool, super.

[@melgross]

Very good. The weld photography is really good. Nice to see the sub numbers coming up so quickly.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks Mel! Great to hear from you!

[@skimark8275]

Excellent as usual, I really learn a lot from your movies. But you do look like the guy that would be teaching me to fix my computer not welding. Thanks so much

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I'm a desk jockey for my 9-5 these days, which makes my side hustle shop twice as fun.

[@pondacres]

Thank you Tim, awesome pointers!

[@ogfrom7099]

Great video, this helps understand a lot!

[@ig4a]

Thank you for your videos. Very helpful.

[@stevetobias4890]

Your very good with your tips. Explain things very well.

[@peteg78901234]

Best video I’ve seen yet Great instructor thanks

[@snort455]

Fantastic tutorial!

[@jusswild]

Dude I needed this tip so bad thanks a lot

[@philiptamasese1559]

Thanks for making these videos! AWESOME!

[@badrinair]

TOp tips sir. thank you very much. I am going to try them this evening .

[@soulsharts]

We were doing fillet welds in school last week with stick welding and what I found was that the flux coating on your rod is thick enough that you essentially keep it rested it in the crevice of the 2 pieces of metal you're welding together. Keeps the arc short and directed, and also easier to split your weld to both pieces. At least, that's what I did, and it worked out great.

[@thegoat626]

I did the same thing at work and got cussed out when boss came over to watch me 😂😂

[@soulsharts]

@@thegoat626 well that sucks to hear. The way I see it is if your welds are coming out acceptable and with good appearance, why should the process be made arbitrarily more difficult than it has to be if you're getting the same results? My teacher wasn't watching me weld because there's like 23 students, but I got the approval sign off on my first try, (we have to get at least 4 good welds before sign offs for each particular weld) so this method can't be bad. Should be less spatter, too.

[@gonzaloacampbellg]

Great explanations and videos, thanks for sharing ..!!!

[@philgoogle1535]

Another great video Tim👍

[@Brazylizsek]

Thank you. That's exactly what I needed.

[@ant_6.2_SS]

This is a really good video!

[@getsmart3701]

Thanks mate, that was a great explanation and I think it'll really help me not destroy my workpieces in the shop tomorrow:-). I'm subed and belled and currently working my way through your video catalogue. Thank you again.

[@zacharysmith5947]

Very Helpful video. Thank you!

[@luckykainth9537]

BEST EVER VIDEO anyone can see on youtube, simple, straightforward, very professional, great camara work too. thank you so much seriously thank you for this video. 🙏

[@stewedapple]

Excellent video, really really helpful! Thank you.

[@TimWelds]

Glad it was helpful!

[@chrispowers40]

I have never welded lol newbie here lol I like your videos man it's breaking alot of it down for me and showing me how. Alot to learn laying a weld takes time and practice I guess lol . But thanks for the videos man I like them.

[@jokarpo6723]

Thank you buddy this helped me so much

[@payco1000]

Tim ANOTHER ... MIT welding quality lesson as far Im concerned.. THANK YOU. 🥁🥂💯🥃

[@johnmacmillan627]

Always helpful. Thx

[@jackburton9214]

Where has this video been all my life?

[@Cst-dh7hn]

I enjoy your videos and instruction. Helps a lot.

[@TimWelds]

Glad to hear it!

[@Mediocre0]

Bro this video kicks ass .

[@ralphfrench2924]

Great video,thank you 👍🏼👍🏼

[@ronburg6914]

great tips thank you so much

[@johnsmith-sp6yl]

to the point and you aren't trying to sell me something. excellent video

[@reapergnome666]

Good training video.

[@matildaansah4739]

Thanks for this video.

[@learnwelding]

Crystal clear explanation My Friend 😎💥👍

[@TimWelds]

Thanks so much!

[@cowabungask8r]

You’re great man! Thank you!

[@flightographist]

Pro welders already know this but amateur me has to say this, new 1-1-1-1- clarity lens tech really improved my game, I can see clearly now, the green haze is gone, a clear view of the puddle is Zen-like.

[@danielchambers1958]

Tim, if you are ever in East TX, let me know . . . I will provide the 30 x 40 shop, welding machine, scrap metal, steak dinner, and the student . . . a BIG thank you for this video . . . may call in sick today so I can go practice . . .:)

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I'll definitely take you up on that if I'm ever down that way. I would love to have a shop that big, I'm in the front of a one car wide garage, but it works for me (fun fact: I have to push a broken '61 volkswagen out of the way when I go out to weld).

[@danielchambers1958]

@@TimWelds If you keep putting out great content like this video, your YT income will pay for the shop . . .lol. Wish I still had my 68 VW Beetle . . . no expiration on the invite Sir!!!

[@woodycrabtree5096]

Brilliant video thank you

[@cantsolvesudokus]

Can you talk about heat treatment of welds for internal stress relief in a feature video? I really like your way of teaching stuff! Well done!

[@TimWelds]

I could talk about that until the cows come home...I totally nerd out on that stuff, but I'm always afraid of a video getting boring when I get technical. Thanks!