Steven Robert Farnsworth

Welders of all skill levels should strive to improve their welding techniques and eliminate common weld flaws. A perfect weld every time is a lofty goal, but there are simple steps you can take and preparations you can make that will keep you from ending up with the kind of welds that need to be repaired or completely redone.

Incomplete fusion is a lack of penetration or fusion between the weld metal and the parent metal of the piece. Welds with incomplete fusion are weak and substandard welds at best (if not downright dangerous). Here are a few of the most common causes for incomplete fusion, and solutions that will help you avoid the problem.

Weld porosity is the presence of tiny cavities in a piece of welded metal. Porosity can cause all kinds of problems in your welds, so you want to fix the causes of your porosity before they affect your project. Porosity comes in two varieties. Surface porosity, as you'd guess, occurs on the surface of the metal.

Spatter is made up of little bits of metal that are sent flying away from your welding area by your welding arc. Excessive spatter can result in low-quality stick and mig welds, make your welding area messy, and cause visibility problems (especially when sparks and smoke are involved). You can't really avoid spatter completely, and it's much more common in stick and mig welding than it is in tig welding.