MIG welding is a quick, strong way to weld metal and it works well for beginners to experts. One downside to MIG welding is that it produces a lot of sparks and spatter that can tend to stick to surrounding metal and clog the gas nozzle on your MIG welder torch. Read below as we show how to keep spatter from clogging your nozzle and from sticking to surrounding metal.
Eastwood Anti-Spatter comes in aerosol form and we suggest to apply it to the nozzle of the MIG torch to avoid it getting clogged quickly. Some welding joints and positions will throw sparks and spatter back onto the nozzle and will quickly clog it. Overhead welding is one of the worst and you should liberally apply anti-spatter. You can either thread or pull your gas nozzle off and apply anti-spatter to the inside or you can carefully apply it to the entire end of the torch. Before welding simply cut your wire to the correct stick out and begin welding after giving the anti-spatter a few minutes to dry.
For surrounding metal that you don’t want to have spatter sticking to you can also coat it with anti-spatter. Anti-Spatter offered by Eastwood doesn’t contain silicone and is safe for areas that will be painted when done. Be careful when choosing anti-spatters as some brands DO include silicone and may cause issues when coating the metal with paint or primer. Once the area has been coated in anti-spatter you can weld like normal and you will see the spatter will bounce off of the surface and can be wiped off with your hand. This is nice because you don’t need to grind or chip the spatter off of the metal like an unprotected surface.
You can simply spray the metal down with PRE or Acetone and wipe it off with a rag to remove the anti-spatter. If the area is to be coated with a paint, primer, or clear we suggest following up with a clean, lint-free rag and another coat of PRE.