Spatter

Weld spatter is the small droplets of molten metal that are generated during MIG or MMA welding, at or near the welding arc.

Most welders will be familiar with spatter in welding.

Not only does it create a messy and hard-to-clean welding area, it can waste precious welding material and can even cause burns if the right PPE isn’t worn.

In this guide we explain the causes of weld spatter, and the steps you can take to avoid it.

What causes spatter in welding?

There are a number of causes of spatter when MIG welding:

Incorrect settings for your amperage, voltage and electrical stick out

Your amperage is determined by your wire feed speed. If it’s too high, it will result in spatter, while a low voltage will do the same.
Incorrect torch angle

If your torch angle is too steep, you’ll risk generating a lot of spatter
Erratic wire feeding

When wire is fed at an erratic speed it will create fluctuations in amperage and, in turn, create a lot of spatter.

Poor quality consumables

Correctly matching MIG wire to the parent metal is critical. Poor quality wire or rods, or incorrectly positioned wire, can cause excessive spatter.
Poor choice of shielding gas

Low quality shielding gases and high levels of carbon dioxide can create a lot of spatter.
Surface contaminants

Rust, oil, paint and other surface contaminants will cause the weld arc to spatter.

How can spatter be prevented?

Spatter is almost impossible to entirely eliminate, but there is a lot that can be done to reduce it.

Fine tune your welding settings

The amperage of your weld is determined by your wire feed speed. Try adjusting your wire feed in small increments until you achieve a smooth arc. If this doesn’t work, do the same with your voltage.
Clean your surfaces

Time spent preparing your surfaces is time saved in re-welding. Make sure there is no rust, paint, scale, grease or other contaminants in your working area.
Use spray transfer

On thicker material, spray transfer is more effective than short arc or globular transfer for keeping spatter to a minimum.
Ensure a smooth wire feed

If your wire feed is erratic, check for dirt and ensure you are using the correct wire liner, contact tip and wire that is right for the job. Make sure your spool tension/brake is adjusted correctly and check there are no loops in your torch cables.

Assess your shielding gas mix

One hundred per cent CO₂ is cheaper, shields well and achieves good penetration, but is well known for producing much more spatter than argon based shielding gases. An argon carbon dioxide, argon carbon dioxide/oxygen mixture like BOC’s ARGOSHIELD® is best.
Purchase the very best wire for the job

Cheaper wires can include components unrelated to welding, so ensure the composition of your wire is right, and that it matches your parent metal.
Work on your welding technique

Get the angle of your torch right; anything above 15° is likely to cause spatter. Try to be consistent with your weld speed and line, and make sure you are using the right pushing or pulling technique for your weld. Solid wires should be pushed and flux-cored wires pulled or dragged.
Beware using anti-spatter spray

Some anti-spatter sprays can make spatter generation worse due to the resistance created between the liquid and welding arc.

Choosing the right shielding gas for MIG/MAG welding

Are you MIG/MAG welding carbon or low-alloy steels?

By using the right shielding gas, you can actually reduce the risk of distortion. Take a look at some of our most popular gases.

ARGOSHIELD Universal

Easy to use, Argoshield Universal is ideal for semi-automatic, automatic and robotic applications. It produces smooth, flat welds with good penetration and sidewall fusion, and creates less spatter. Because welding speeds are kept high over a wide range of welding conditions, it’s particularly effective at keeping distortion to a minimum.

Buy ARGOSHIELD Universal online

ARGOSHIELD Light

Argoshield Light is designed for welding thinner materials. Because it can be used at faster welding speeds on a lower heat, welding distortion is reduced, but it also contains oxygen, meaning the arc is stabilised for less spatter. It’s a great choice for welding components that are painted or powder coated after welding. Welding different metals? View our extensive range of shielding gases.

Buy ARGOSHIELD Light online