You know what is called scientifically when the electrode sticks. This is called the electrode freezes. When I heard this at school, I was surprised - an unusual comparison. But over time, when I started working as a welder, I realized that this is the correct name for such a problem. I also realized that there are only 2 main reasons for this phenomenon. We will analyze them further so that beginners have this problem less often.
We bring the tip of the electrode to the piece of iron and strike or knock. The arc ignites, a small flame appears, but then it goes out and the electrode sticks. The electrode is frozen.
Imagine these icicles on the roof, but they suddenly turned upside down. The same process took place in our case. The iron icicle quickly grew from the metal being welded towards the tip of the electrode. And connected the metal and the electrode. This is how it happens, if in simple words.
The discharge has passed and a welding arc has formed. But the metal is still cold at this moment, it takes time for the weld pool to form. It's such a red spot, a small oval lake of molten metal. It would be this lake, the electrode would not stick, the metal icicle would not be able to form.
Therefore, after the first sparks from the electrode, it is necessary to sharply raise it from the metal by a few millimeters. In this position, it will not be possible to quickly weld the tip of the electrode to the metal. And this time is just enough for the formation of a weld pool. And the welding will go right. But there is one condition - sufficient welding current.
If the current is low, the weld pool will not form stably. There will not be enough energy to constantly melt the metal while the electrode moves along the edges of the pieces of iron to be welded. So the electrode will stick and freeze every now and then. At the end of the article I will leave a link on the topic of how to select the welding current.
The second variant of this problem is that we lead the electrode too quickly along the edges to be welded. And here again there will be the same process. The bath of liquid metal simply won't keep up with the tip of the electrode. The arc from the electrode will strike the metal rather than the liquid weld pool.
A metal icicle can instantly grow and connect the metal and the tip of the electrode. We will post this information on how to guide the electrode at the same speed on the channel in the near future. Subscribe, come in.
If the electrode is stuck, the most important thing is not to pull it towards you. It is necessary to sharply tilt the electrode with the holder from side to side, as if quickly shaking. If this does not help, then the electrode is seriously frozen. Quickly disconnect the grip from the electrode, let it cool slightly and easily break it off the metal.
Promised-link to article HOW TO SET UP THE WELDING CURRENT