If you want decent penetration, don't ask the welder to do more…

If you want decent penetration, don't ask the welder to do more than it can. Going slow just piles up a big bead, it doesn't get you any deeper. This is about the maximum capacity of this 110V welder. Run long beads when you can, the more often you stop the more cold starts you'll be grinding the backside of and re-welding. With this gap and bead size, I was only getting full penetration all the way through the backside after about 2" of travel, once the plate got some localized heat in it. You obviously have to be prepared to compensate for this with your joint design and method.

Owner caption March 2006 · Photo 167 of 362