Puddle Welding -

Place the next puddle so that it covers 30-50% of the previous one. For a hole, start at the edge and spiral inward.

A continuous weld creates a long, rigid line of shrinkage stress. Multiple small puddles create many tiny stress zones that cancel each other out. For cast iron, this is critical: a single long bead can pull the part apart; puddle welding (often called “stitch welding” or “cold welding” in cast iron repair) keeps interpass temperatures below 200°F. 4. The Technique: How to Weld a Puddle (Badly, Then Well) A beginner’s puddle weld looks like a BB gun target practice. An expert’s looks like art. puddle welding

Break the arc cleanly. The puddle should freeze with a flat or slightly convex crown. Place the next puddle so that it covers

You will blow through. You will curse. You will grind off the bird droppings. Multiple small puddles create many tiny stress zones

Hold the arc in one spot. Watch the base metal melt into a shiny liquid circle. Do not move.

It is the most forgiving technique for contaminated metal. It requires zero joint fit-up. It can be done in any position (overhead puddle welding is an acquired skill). And it has saved thousands of dollars in parts that were “unweldable” by textbook methods.

If you have a ½-inch hole in 1/8-inch steel, a continuous bead would fall through. But by building overlapping puddles from the edges inward — like a spider weaving a web — you can “cap” the hole. The first puddles freeze to the edge; subsequent puddles freeze to those puddles. After 20 or 30 deposits, the hole is solid.