How to Overlap Stinger Beads in Welding

If you have a large area to fill or need to do a surface weld to wearface a piece of equipment and extend its life, you need to use the welding technique for overlapping stringer beads. When you use overlapping stringer beads to fill in large areas, you make multiple passes.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Welder
• Metal practice piece
• Wire brush

1. Use overlapping beads when you need to make a big weld. You need to use multiple rows of them. When you weld overlapping stringer beads, you create the cleanest way to fill in large areas.

2. Run a stringer bead on the metal. Use the proper methods of starts and stops. Do the first few rows the right direction. If you're right-handed, begin on the left hand side of the plate so you can watch the puddle easily. Don't forget to end the weld properly by going backward about 1/4 inch to fill in the end.

3. Chip off the slag from welding the first stringer bead and clean it off. Use a wire brush to finish cleaning after you chipped the slag is off. Remember that slag melts at a higher temperature and if the slag isn't clean, the weld traps it.

4. Begin on next row of stringer beads. You need to start the second row of welding stringer beads so that it overlaps the first row. It should cover about 50 percent of the first row bead and continue that all the way across.

5. Practice this on a piece of scrap metal before you do an actual project. Practice moving the arc in the normal forward pattern. Once you feel accomplished that way, do another sheet using the opposite. If you're left-handed, do the first plate from right to left and the second from left to right.

[Nexus]

on 6/26/2008 Good article. Not to be pedantic, but the title says stinger beads instead of stringer.