Puddle Welding [hot] Guide

Dip filler (or let the electrode burn) until the puddle swells slightly above the surface. For stick, this happens automatically — just hold still.

Break the arc cleanly. The puddle should freeze with a flat or slightly convex crown.

Hold the arc in one spot. Watch the base metal melt into a shiny liquid circle. Do not move. puddle welding

Each puddle tells a story: here the welder paused because a gust of wind hit. Here the rod stuck for a second. Here the base metal was thinner than expected. A continuous bead hides those moments. A puddle weld preserves them. Want to learn puddle welding? Forget coupons. Get a piece of 16-gauge sheet metal. Drill a ½-inch hole in it. Weld it shut with 1/16-inch 7018 at 50 amps or .030 MIG at 16 volts.

In the polished world of modern welding — where robotic arms trace flawless laser seams and certified welders chase radiographic perfection — there exists a grimy, rain-soaked cousin. It has no ISO standard. It rarely appears in textbooks. Yet it has kept tractors running, bridges standing, and pipelines flowing for nearly a century. Dip filler (or let the electrode burn) until

The name evokes something primitive: melting metal into a liquid pool and letting it be . No weaves, no stringers, no travel angle. Just a puddle. And in that puddle lies an entire philosophy of repair. Let’s clear up a core confusion. In professional welding terminology, “puddle” usually refers to the weld pool — the localized zone of molten metal during any arc or gas process. But in field slang, puddle welding means something specific: a technique for filling large, irregular holes, gaps, or worn surfaces by depositing overlapping, stationary “puddles” of weld metal, often with little to no joint preparation.

It is the most forgiving technique for contaminated metal. It requires zero joint fit-up. It can be done in any position (overhead puddle welding is an acquired skill). And it has saved thousands of dollars in parts that were “unweldable” by textbook methods. The puddle should freeze with a flat or

And that, for the people who actually do it, is more than enough.