Thread: Having trouble welding a T joint

I'm about a month late, but hopefully this little trick I observed yesterday helps someone.

Watching the weld puddle, it should appear to be flat from edge to edge, or even have the visual appearance of bowing down a little. I found that if it looked even a bit bulbous, then it was only going to one surface, and leaving little hard to get at deposits of slag.

Admittedly I don't know how structurally sound this is, and what I was welding was the slightly rounded edge of some SHS to a flat plate, so when you think about it to see the puddle flat/bowing makes sense (Actually going in to fill the corner), but this did let me know when I was laying a very proud bead.

Also, using advice from my Dad, I wasn't pushing the stick in, nor pulling it out, I was just letting it sink into the lead of the puddle. I find it hard to explain, but it really feels right. No back stepping, no weaving.

And of course, stepping up the heat until things ran beautifully