Lay down arc welding method

The lay down arc welding method comprising the steps of placing two longitudinally disposed generally flat metal pieces to be welded together in contiguous contact with an angle less than 180.degree. therebetween to form at the junction thereof a longitudinal root of the angle adjacent the seam between the two pieces,

• disposing about a longitudinal welding electrode metal core wire of a size in the order of fifty square millimeters in cross section a flux layer surrounding at least a portion of said core wire with a part of the flux layer about said wire being thinner than the remainder thicker portion of said flux layer about said wire,
• laying down the core wire in said root of said angle with said thinner flux layer adjacent the two pieces and the thicker portion most remote from said seam, and
• connecting an arc producing voltage source between said two metal pieces and said core wire thereby to produce a shortened arc length between said electrode and the two metal pieces adjacent said seam with a decreased divergent angle from the wire core to the root of the weld thereby resulting in improved penetration of the metal deposited at said seam from the core wire to produce a weld.