How do you fix a hole caused by too much heat

[Puff]

This has happened to me several times especially on a hot stick weld and thin metal but happens occasionally with thin metal either mig or stick. With the mig, it pops a hole into the point under the contact tip and the the feeding wire pokes it out bigger. I know I can let it cool, weld around the edge and eventually close the hole and grind it flat. If I really screw it up the hole can be big enough to pass a pencil through it.

It there a better way to fix these? Or even better...prevent it from happening?

[Rodcrafter]

It is always vertical or overhead where this stuff happens to me.
But, since I know that I prepare for it so it doesn't. With a mig turn the amps down and the wire up and the hole can be patched right quick. It isn't going to be x-rayed anyway. A stick you don't have that luxury it won't burn right cold so I just fill a little stop wait a couple seconds fill a bit more and repeat.

[Puff]

Hey thank you RC... Yep vertical ....3 times in the same 18". Then I feel the wire feeder pushing the gun away at times. I will try this tomorrow after work . Besides you're right...it isn't going to be x-rayed.

Got 3 sides and the top installed...door and bottom left to go. Do you feel that the .023 wire is a better use for 16-20 gauge stuff?

Here's another....the contact tips: sometimes I weld the wire to the tip so with a file or flap disc, it plane it downGENTLY until it runs free....bad idea?

[Pete Mazz]

My first pass welding the .0435 SS sheet goods was ugly, to say the least. I burnt thru so much that I had to grind most of it off and used 1/8" round stock and made passes on each side of it to fill everything. This suggestion was given to me by an ironworker friend.... after much snickering on his part.

[Rodcrafter]

Puff, yes smaller wire is better for thinner steel. You know you don't have to hold the button down the whole time while mig welding right. You can stack dimes with each trigger pull if you need to. These machines are designed to pull the trigger as often as you want so you can make a puddle going up hill stop and 1 second later start again repeat the process until you get to the top. This is only needed with very thin and very thick metal, thin because you will blow holes and thick because your machine is set so high the puddle will roll down the hill.

I'm sure everyone has some input on what they do.

[Puff]

AH ! Makes a bit too much sense now that I think about it in those terms.... As Ross Perot would say " Problem Solved!"
( You don't think that last comment is too political do you ?)

[Rodcrafter]

Lol

[Super B]

Anytime I am on thin metal i try to push the wire in direction of the weld rather than pull it in the direction. I use mainly .035, but can weld 16 ga without holes, but you will definitely need to stop at times. If you keep your wire right on the leading edge of the puddle you can push for a bit then let off for a sec then go again. When you cut really bad like i use to you learn to fill some huge gaps!! Yrs ago when i was welding as a teenager i knocked many a flux off of rods and laid them in the gap too!!

[Puff]

Now THAT' s a gap

[mazdaparts]

On thin metal I like to tack it several places and keep tacking in different spots a couple of inches apart so I don't warp a panel or anything. You can usually get away with a higher amperage setting for a better weld penetration too. Just spread out the tacks to prevent too much heat build up in one area.