stick/tig all in one weld, not welder, the weld

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I was on a job today and the welders needed a hand holding some parts. So I jumped in and helped them. 2*2*1/4 box tube gap from tight to 1/2". These where arms that the held a barrel. The machine shop bent them wrong so it was a "JUST cut it off and we will make longer arms" type job. This welder had a rod in one hand and a stinger with a rod in the other. OK no big deal until he lit up and started feeding that rob with his off hand and welding with his stinger. He was adding a lot of rod at 100 amps. I tipped my hat to him. He made a nice looking job out of a **** fit up. My first time seeing a stick welder burn a rod and feed another at the same time impressive to a guy that doesn't do a lot if welding.
Reply:I have nerver tried it myself but I have heard about it. Seems usefull for filling up big gaps due to bad fit up. I am not that good of a welder so I try to get the best fit up... so I don't have to fight it during my welding!Mikel
Reply:LMAO, its called mexican tiggin, we have to do it all the time at the power plants, grab ya a couple pieces of metal, fitem up 1/4 inch apart and give it a try, its a good trick to know when you have to fix someone elses screw up, (and sometimes my own screw ups)
Reply:"STIG" welding.   Here's one guy's description:Warning: poor practice, but handy, belowAn additional benefit of '10 (you can do the same thing with '18 pretty well, but it doesn't work well with '13 at all) is the ability to STIG (several other names, not an AWS approved process but, again, many of us have done it and will do it again): Carry the puddle with the stick, and feed extra filler with the other hand, like doing TIG, but using a stick instead of a TIG torch. Real nice with '10. Don't whip. Control the puddle with the additional filler. With '18, it allows you to carry a huge puddle, such as you might need for rooting a wide gap of poor fitup, and fill it quickly. The additional filler should have the flux broken off if it started life as a stick electrode, or can be TIG or MIG filler. It need not be the same material. I have used this technique to get a little stainless into a root to help control cracking as well as for bad fitup. Again, not the 'right' way, but sometimes you do what you got to do. "USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I have an old Lincoln school and farm shop welding book that shows that technique in a photo repairing a trailer fender. It's shown it an option on sheet metal when burn through is a problem and you have trouble maintaining an arc. Photo shows a drag technique with the hot stinger rod and the filler rod in the off hand trailing and angled into the weldment.Increase the amps and the arc length, it says, and the filler rod can be "welding electrode, oxy acetylene rod, or bailing wire..."  Of course it can!
Reply:After reading this thread I went out and tried this technique on some scrap metal with my AC buzzbox.  You really can carry a huge puddle.  No comments on strength as I was just running a flat bead.
Reply:I have done it a bunch through the years. It was usually on pipe fence jobs where the customer cut and fitted the pipe rails to the posts and just hired me to weld it.You can also lay a rod, minus the flux, on a seam in sheet metal that is too thin to weld with the rods you have on hand. Just weave back and forth over the rod and it makes a wide weld but will hold well and usually looks pretty good.
Reply:Originally Posted by Oldendumnot an AWS approved process