WElds. Smooth v Rippled

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HI,  I Have always  tried to make nice  Smooth stick welds,  I admire the welds I see from farm machinery Manufacturing   Look almost like they have been sanded,  I know Gas mig Can have that  nice smooth tidy appearance But difficult with stick,  I was surprised to read  some Posters prefer the Rippled look?  I can see they do give a nice effect to art work and such.  But surely the  nice smooth beads must be stronger?What does everyone think    Joe
Reply:The smooth welds are not weaved. Why would you think that was stronger?
Reply:Smooth welds without any surface texture aren't any "stronger" then a weld with ripples or that "stack of dimes" appearance.  BUT (and there's always a but) the ripples in a stack of dimes weld can be stress concentrators for welds under heavy fatigue loading.  So for welds on structures with a high fatigue loading (or high number of fatigue cycles anticipated) a smooth weld will resist cracking better; all other things being equal.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:The back(or inside) of a welded piece is the best way to judge it.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:On most welds, my shop teacher wanted as little ripple as possible.He said large ripples, under cutting and too much filler concentrated flex forces and made metal fatigue more likely.If you left large ripples,he would ask if you were having a seizure.