TIG & The Stack-O-Dimes Question

More than anything it is pleasing to the eye as well as being strong. Most times it is done in a pulsing environment. Walking the cup takes more finesse and takes well more energy from you to do it than the pulsing SOD look. I attempt to have the SOD while capping on pipelines providing I have the time.

And by the way......there are no stupid questions if you learn from it. IMO

-- "Pay peanuts.....expect monkeys."

You can get the effect 2 ways. From a regular addition of filler metal, and from a pulsed weld.

Either way it is simply giving you a visual clue as to how consistent the metal is beneath the weld.

A smaller consistent weld is often stronger than a larger inconsistent weld.

Inconsistencies in a weld lead to stress risers, and a stress riser is where a weld will fail.

For decorative work I sometimes wash a weld smooth, but I would always prefer to leave the weld rippled to show how consistent and even the weld was.

You can make a weld and then grind it smooth or wash the torch over it to smooth it. Either way what is below is now a complete mystery. I find the better a welder gets the less likely he is to smooth a weld out.

There is pride is a good bead.

Ernie Leimkuhler wrote in news:301120032041072830% snipped-for-privacy@stagesmith.com:

My limited

I've always wondered about this as well.

Whether, particularly on fancy aluminum diamond plate, the SOD actually adds anything besides *looks*, (like stress). Maybe it isn't a really big problem.

The last time I asked this question I was told that the SOD look made for a weaker weld than was possible. The SOD look was started (or so I was told) by pipeline welders as a cap to the weld. They held the stick nearly parallel to the weld to get little penetration.

As long as the bottom pit or whatever you want to call it is 1/16" above pipe wall there should not be any problem with strength. I have never had an inspector tell me I could not use this particular capping process.