Choking the stinger!

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From the very first day I started to learn how to weld I've always held the electrode holder at the very top..like I'm holding a pencil nearly!My teacher always tells me to hold at the bottom of the stinger..but whenever I try my weld goes to ****..I just get wobbly..do I go back to holding at the top..or choking it in other words!I've always felt very controlled this way..then I use my other hand to brace myself again a work piece or a table or what not! I've always welded with 1 hand!So my question is do any of u welders weld like this? Is this a habit I should get out of ASAP!Will choking the holder affect me when I go on to welding pipe?Or is it as the saying goes..'different strokes for different fokes' and just weld how im comfortable!
Reply:Just do whatever works for you. I do not believe ther is any set rule that states how to hold a stinger. Get comfortable and fly at it.
Reply:If I understand this correctly, your hand would be between the stinger (under it) and the material being welded? Many people learn to gas weld this way - is that what you did?Dave J.Last edited by MinnesotaDave; 04-03-2013 at 09:38 AM.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I often grip the stinger near the electrode and wrap a finger over the electrode.  Also, are you welding with 2 hands and/or you braced against something? Even if a knee is touching something , then I am more stable.
Reply:The only thing that would possibly, maybe, even marginally concern me about that method of holding the stick would be if you had wet gloves (or no gloves) and you touched the unfluxed part of the rod or the metal part of the stinger clamp itself...and then touched the workpiece with the other wet glove or ungloved hand, and got a shock. Also, doesn't your stinger hand get awful HOT by the time you burn down a stick or ten?Otherwise ... have at it! Whatever works!
Reply:You might like this type of stinger then: Attached Images
Reply:This is the stinger I use..I literally wrap my tumb and top 2 fingers around the head of it..black top part!!I don't touch the electrode..then I use my other hand to brace against workpiece.I have a feeling holding the stinger like this will catch me out when I have to adjust the rod angle for pipeLast edited by Paddypower; 04-03-2013 at 10:51 AM.
Reply:I think you will find that holding it like a hammer will be more versatile for vertical, and other random out-of-position welds.Just lock the rod in and bend it to the angle you need. Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:About 40 years ago an old pipe fitter told me this about how to be steady while welding."Boy, never stand up to weld if you can sit and never sit or crouch to weld if you can lie down."I have always remembered his words and would add that back them days I did not think they were any type of gospel.But now that I am about the age he was at the time I have a better appreciation of what he spoke.Though I seldom have the option of following his advice verbatim...........I do try to at least brace myself against a solid object and that is usually enough to stead up my hand/arm.As far as where you hold the stinger, hold it where it works best for you in each set of circumstances.Another bit of advice passed to me from one of my early welding instructors about learning to develop good control of the electrode motion down at the arc is to use an ordinary pencil gripped in the jaws of a stinger.This instructor had come up with a simulated stinger made from a short wooden dowel about 1" diameter and 8" long.He drilled 5/16" holes near one end of the dowel at 90 and 45 degree angles. On the other end he drilled a hole straight in at 0 degrees.We would mount a pencil in the "stinger" by inserting it into the desired angle hole and secure it by pushing a toothpick "wedge" in next to the pencil.With this "electrode" we would practice our weaving motions on a sheet of paper in our notebooks ("old school" notebooks, not today's electronic version).We had to draw out 2 parallel lines about 1/2" to 5/8" apart and then practice connecting the 2 lines together by "stitches" laid down with the pencil in the stinger.His reasoning was that it was a cheap, effective way to develop good muscle control and could be done any time, anywhere the student had a free moment outside the class room. He encouraged us to practice "outside" the class but required us to do this in class a few times a week for about 5 to 10 minutes.  I guess he was smart enough to know that young males would probably not find much free time outside the class room due to Raging Hormone Syndrome and pursuit of the cure.Last edited by walkerweld; 04-03-2013 at 11:23 AM.
Reply:by the time it get hot it is much shorter and not as flexible.  Once the too much heat gets into the insulated glove it can be annoying.  If you allow yourself to get burned then it must have been real important to finish that electrode/weld without moving your finger.  Sometimes what you are working might be moving or you might be moving.  Steadying the rod is eliminating one variable.I guess size of electrode and volume of straight welding will also determine how you hold the stinger, too.