5 Tips To Reduce Excessive MIG Welding Spatter

Ask any welder what causes spatter when MIG welding and the answer will be … MIG welding. MIG setups use electrode wire that bonds with the metal to form the weld, and spatter is the excess molten wire that bonds with everything else.

In this article we will discuss:

• Why you should be cautious of too much spatter
• Tips to reduce excessive spatter

Let’s dive in!

What is Spatter?

Have you ever seen those tiny metal balls melted around a piece of welded metal? That’s spatter. As the name suggests, it is when molten metal is spat all over.

These liquid metal blobs, also referred to as bbs, can stick to your project or worse your skin.

Why is Spatter a Problem?

Too much spatter can lead to downtime for cleanup and wasted materials. And, if it bonds with your workpiece it can be especially painful.

When the spatter cools and solidifies it can make it very hard to clean up. Sometimes it can even lead to you having to throw out a project because you can’t remove the blobs.

Not only do they leave a mess that you then have to take time to clean up but they can burn when it hits your skin. Ouch!

In addition, it can clog your torch head and cause it to short-circuit.

5 Tips to Reduce Excessive MIG Welding Spatter

In MIG welding, there’s no “how to avoid welding spatter.” But if you’re having trouble with excessive spatter when MIG welding and it is ruining your work, this checklist can help you reduce it.

1. Incorrect Parameters

First, inspect your machine parameters to make sure they’re running at the right settings for your application.

Amperage & Voltage:

The correct amperage will be determined by the speed of your wire. If your amperage is too high, it will cause spatter. Oppositely, a voltage that’s too low will also lead to the same result. Your gun’s manual should give you a suggestion on the correct voltage.

To troubleshoot, reduce the amperage by slowing down the wire, or increase the voltage – or find a balance between the two. (Alternate between fine-tuning your settings and running test welds until you notice less spatter.)

Polarity:

Be sure it’s correct. If you’ve recently switched from solid wire to flux-core, this one is easy to overlook.

Stick-out:

Too much stick-out can dig into the weld and cause spatter (along with a host of other issues). Too little, and you may develop an erratic arc. For MIG welding, we recommend using the shortest allowable wire stick-out for the application.

2. Erratic Arc

Incorrect wire stick-out isn’t the only cause of erratic arc. It can also stem from incorrect drive-roll tension, bad ground, a dirty liner, the wrong-sized contact tip… the list is long. If your arc starts to sputter or crackle, you’ll want to troubleshoot right away to avoid spatter buildup.

RELATED: Fixing an Erratic Arc

3. User Error

Is dragging or pushing the proper technique for MIG welding? It’s a hot debate, and mostly a personal preference. But whichever way works best for you, proper technique is essential to keeping spatter at a minimum.

Optimally, you should hold the MIG gun at no more than 15 degrees from vertical. A deviation away from this can cause the shielding gas to cover the weld unevenly.

Additionally, a wide gun angle can lead to an imbalance in the shielding gas causing it all to go to one side leaving the other side exposed.

4. Dirt

Dirty surfaces anywhere from the workpiece to the gun liner can lead to excess spatter. Check your wire and liner for rust or dirt, and your workpiece for mill-scale, oil, rust, paint, grease, or other contaminants.

It’s better in the long run to prep your welding surfaces well before you begin so that you can avoid do-overs and having to scrape off spatter later. Additionally, we suggest storing your wire spool in a clean environment as well.

RELATED: Why Durable Equipment Matters

5. Low-Quality or Incorrect Consumables

Quality consumables aren’t necessarily the most expensive, but they’re reputable, long-lasting, consistent, and most importantly the right quality for your specific application. Low-quality wire can vary in diameter as it feeds through the gun at different wire speeds, a less-than-optimal contact tip or liner can clog more quickly.

And, as always, make sure that your consumables are properly sized — wire to the liner, to contact, tip, to the nozzle. Using the correct quality parts can go a long way toward preventing excess spatter and many other issues.

American Torch Tip

Need help reducing spatter? From guiding you on the right high-quality consumables to select to helping you determine the right size contact tip, we are here to answer all your questions!

With over 80 years of experience we know exactly what it takes to reduce excessive spatter when MIG welding and help our customers save time and make more money! Our welding experts are just one call away!

For even more tips and tricks, you can also download our free MIG Troubleshooting Guide.