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If you are a welder, you will experience that unstable weld pools will produce a lot of sparks and spatter. Unfortunately, the spatter will scatter around the work area.
To reduce the spatter, the first thing to do do is to improve your welding process.
If this is not the solution, there are welding products like anti-spatter sprays or nozzle gels that can help you out.
Table of Contents
What is weld spatter in welding?
In a nutshell, spatter is what welders call the droplets of molten material that are created from the welding arc and which are spread around the weld pool.
Spatter, in general, is a side-product of the welding process and welders try to minimize spatter as much as possible.
back to menu ↑Why is weld spatter bad?
As you certainly know, excessive spatter results in low-quality weld seams. Also, spatter can stick to the surface of your workpiece. Most of the times, you will need additional cleaning to get rid of the spatter.
5 Top reasons why weld spatter is terrible:
- Spatter sticks to workpieces
- Spatter damages the clothing of the worker
- Additional cleaning of the environment and workpiece is required (non-productive work)
- Spatter attaches to tooling
- Loss of material from the weld pool
Reducing weld spatter will safe you time because it eliminites or reduces the need to chisel, wire brush or grind spatter after your weld job.
back to menu ↑Top products to prevent spatter
Hot Max 23000 Anti-Spatter Spray
The Hot Max Anti-Spatter Spray helps you to minimize grinding and cleaning work.
Use the anti-spatter spray on a surface you want spatters not to stick. In addition, use it on the nozzle, contact tips, workpiece or welding tools. Moreover, apply it on your welding table, and you can wipe the spatter easily off.
Hot Max 23000 Anti-Spatter Spray, Silicone Free, 16 oz
- Prevents welding spatter from sticking
- Hot Max anti-spatter spray is Silicone Free
- Will prevent sticking to nozzles, contact tips, and metal being welded
- Max RPM : 3,455
Hobart 770074 Welding Mig Accessory Nozzle Gel
Hobart 770074 Nozzle Gel avoids that spatter will clog the MIG welding nozzle.
Just clean your nozzle inside and outside and then simply apply the nozzle gel.
Do this by dipping the nozzle tip into the nozzle gel or using a small brush and swiping it inside the nozzle. As a result, your nozzle will never get clogged again.
Hobart 770074 Welding Mig Accessory Nozzle Gel
- country of origin : Taiwan
- package dimensions :3.8" L x 3.7" W x 3.7" H
- package weight :1.43lbs
- Product type :TOOLS
Radnor Anti-Spatter and Nozzle Shield
Radnors Anti Spatter and Nozzle Shield is a water based anti spatter spray.
You can apply the spray to welding nozzles, welding tips, fixtures and parts. The spray helps perfectly to prevent build-up of weld spatter.
According to Radnor, this product is non-toxic and contains no silicone. Moreover it does not consist of chlorinated solvents, is biodegradeable and environmentally safe.
The following case contains 12 cans:
Radnor 64000111 14.5 Ounce Premium Water Base Anti Spatter Spray (12 PER CASE)
- High solids formula provides a heavy-duty protective coating
- Best choice for heavy-duty manual welding applications
- Can be diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio or higher for additional cost savings
- Aerosol spray cans use dimethyl ether rather than nitrogen as the propellant to assure full product utilization
MB Industries Spatter Spatter
SPATTER SPATTER made by MB Industries is a water-based anti spatter spray that works purley with compressed air.
As a plus, you can use Spatter Spatter in all positions (also upside down).
According to the manufacturer Spatter Spatter is an environmentally safe product. It is non-toxic, contains no silicone, is non-explosive, non-poisonous, non-combustible and not carcinogenic.
The following product is a pack of 12 cans:
MB Industries Spatter Spatter 12 oz. case (12 cans per case)
- ANTI-SPATTER
- WELDERS
- SPRAY UPSIDE DOWN
- BAG ON VALVE TECHNOLOGY
- SAFE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND USER
CRC Water Based Welder’s Anti Spatter Spray
CRC Welder’s Anti Spatter spray is water based which means there is no chemical solvent needed to wipe it off.
It keeps tips and nozzles clean and prevents spatter build up.
Similar to the other spatter sprays it prevents spatter from adhering to any metal surfaces.
CRC Water Based Welder's Anti Spatter Spray Coating, 14 oz Aerosol Can, Milky White
- CRC INDUSTRIES: A market leader that offers impeccably designed chemical solutions to maintain, protect and repair different marine, heavy-duty motor vehicles, industrial-grade engines, household tools, and electrical equipment
How to choose the right anti-spatter spray
Very important for choosing the right anti-spatter spray is to think about the final surface finish.
a) Anti-Spatter spray for paint finish
If you plan to paint the surface, please make sure to use a water-based anti-spatter spray (or gel) without silicones. Silicone would prevent paint to stick on the surface, and this is why most of the sprays don’t contain any silicone anyways.
If you are using an oil-based anti-spatter spray you will need to use additional solvents to clean the surface before painting.
b) Anti-Spatter spray for grinding finish
If you plan to grind the surface anyways, there is probably no need to apply the spray. It may help in areas which are hard to reach with your grinder (small corners).
c) Anti-Spatter spray when no surface finish is planned
In case there is no further finish planned it may make sense to choose an oil based anti-spatter spray which also protects the surface from oxidation
back to menu ↑11 factors that cause (excessive) welding spatter
Several factors influence the stability of the welding arc and weld pool. In our list below, you will find typical mistakes that cause excessive weld spatter.
- Wrong machine settings: Amperage, Voltage and Electric Stick Out parameters must fit the welding process
- Incorrect wire feed speed
- Welding arc length: Too long or too short welding arcs cause spatter
- Surface contamination: You need clean surfaces. Surfaces with oil, rust, paint and material coating can cause excessive spatter
- Cheap welding machine: With a cheap welding machine its even harder to create a stable arc
- Cheap consumables: Low-quality welding rods or weld wire will increase spatter production
- Lousy shielding gas: Low quality of shielding gas, no shielding gas or wrong mixture can cause more spatter; In general, Argon is better than CO2 because it will create less spatter
- Wrong welding angle
- Transfer mode: Globular transfer mode generates the most spatter
- Bad location of grounding
- Moisture in atmosphere
Important: Please make sure that the weld area is free of the spatter spray because otherwise, it could harm more than it helps.
back to menu ↑How to reduce welding spatter?
So you wonder how to reduce spatter when MIG welding or stick welding? First of all, take a look at the list above and try to minimize the bad influence factors that increase weld spatters.
Of course, preventing 100% of spatter is impossible. But you can reduce most of the spatter by using correct machine settings and through good preparation works.
In general, a veriety of parameters and testing different settings will help you to improve spatter behavior.
back to menu ↑How to prevent spatter buildup inside the welding nozzle?
Besides that, if you have problems with weld spatter sticking to your MIG gun nozzle you can try the following:
- Clean the nozzle with your welding pliers
- Use anti-spatter spray on your MIG welding nozzle
- Use a non-stick dip (nozzle gel)
Alternatives to anti-spatter spray
Some people rely on “Pam cooking spray” (the original one) because it is not hazardous and a very cheap alternative. However, some say that it doesn’t work as good as official spatter sprays.
Pam Cooking Spray Original
- Product of United States of America
- Cooking Spray
- Fat Free
Othere people also say they use “WD-40”. However this may work as anti-stick coating for surrounding surfaces, you definitely should avoid contaminating your weld area with WD-40.
Image Credits: https://pixabay.com/photo-195834/