Troubleshooting
Why is my mig welding excessive spatter?
Quick answer
Excessive spatter in mig welding usually means too high current for the wire, too long stick-out, or wrong polarity on gasless wire. For this process, drop voltage a step and shorten stick-out before touching anything else.
The specific fix
Drop voltage a step and shorten stick-out. The general rule: drop the voltage a step, shorten stick-out, verify polarity on the wire packet.
Process checklist
- Stick-out too long — keep 8–10 mm from nozzle to work for a stable arc
- Travel too slow on thin sheet, burning holes instead of building a bead
- Wrong wire size for the job — 0.9 mm covers most hobby work in Australia