Arc Blow - How Often?

[Krunch]

OK, total newbie here, but I bought a copy of the Lincoln Electric book "Procedure Book of Arc Welding," and read the section on Arc Blow, and it sounds like it's a fairly common problem, at least for you boys pushing 250A and above.

The book also offers a lot of ways to counteract arc blow, or to use it to your advantage when welding, and the whole thing made me curious about how often you professional SMAW welders have to move your ground clamp, or change the angle of your rod, or put in tack welds, or wrap your ground clamp lead around the work, to counteract arc blow ... or to switch to AC and be done with the mess.

Is it a common thing that, if you're a fulltime SMAW welder, you have to deal with on a daily basis? Or is it just something that you kind of get used to, and change your arc length and electrode angle, etc., to try to fight?

The Lincoln book showed several situations where they said arc blow could be a problem, and they looked like situations a skyscraper welder (for example) would deal with every day.

Thanks for any info,

Jeff

[Rocky D]

It's not like every time you strike an arc you'll run into arc blow...but when it happens you do everything you can to overcome it. A major PIA.

[Mr Meck]

You can experience it for yourself. Here is how. Take a three foot chunk of 3 in 1/4 angle iron. Put your ground on one end. Now at the other end tack two pieces of 1/2 inch square plates to fit inside the angle spaced 1 inch apart. Then chuck up some 1/8 7018 and weld the plates all around. Won't be to bad till you get to the inside 1 inch space. To get rid of the arc blow place clamp in the 1 inch space on the angle iron.

[Sberry]

I rarely run into it, if so it usually takes a couple tacks to get things right. It gets a lot of press but just isnt an issue except on rare occasions for the DIY crowd.

[B_C]

What is it?

[usmcpop]

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/arcblow.asp