A foundational career and technical education welding curriculum for high school beginners. Students advance from personal protective equipment and shop safety to shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and oxy-fuel thermal cutting.
Scenario B: The Unattended Grinding Spark Shower
Fire Hazard
While prepping a steel plate with an angle grinder, sparks spray toward an open wooden scrap bin 12 feet away. The student finishes grinding and leaves for lunch without inspecting the area. State the safety violation and the required 30-minute protocol.
Student Corrective Action & Explanation:
Scenario C: The Unannounced Arc Strike
Eye Injury Risk
You are setting your amperage on the welding machine when a peer in the next booth strikes an arc without shouting a warning. What immediate physiological injury are you at risk of developing, and how could it have been prevented?
Student Corrective Action & Explanation:
Arc Academy Student Safety Pledge
I promise to wear all required PPE at all times in the shop, shout "COVER!" before striking an arc, verify the 35-ft hot work zone, keep my head out of the plume, and never operate any equipment without instructor permission. I understand that safety infractions result in immediate shop suspension.
Student Signature
Instructor Clearance Signature & Date
Arc Academy Welding Technology • Career Readiness Assessment Page 2 of 2
Striking the Arc Without Freezing
1
The Scratch Technique
Strike the electrode across the steel surface like striking a giant wooden match. As sparks erupt, lift the electrode 1/8 inch off the plate to establish the arc.
Best for beginners and rough electrodes like E6010.
2
The Tapping Technique
Bring the electrode straight down to tap the plate lightly, then immediately withdraw it 1/8 inch. Keep wrist relaxed to prevent the electrode from welding itself fast.
Required for starting inside narrow bevel joints and fillet corners.
If the rod freezes (sticks): Instantly twist the wrist or release the stinger clamp to prevent transformer coil burnout.
Gouge grooves melted into the base metal edges without filler. Excessive BB-sized spatter balls across plate.
Low Current
Overlap & High Crown
Bead sits tall like a rope on top of plate without melting in. Edges roll over cold without fusion.
Long Arc
Porosity Bubbles
Voltage spikes, flux shielding gas blows away, atmosphere dissolves into pool leaving Swiss-cheese pinholes.
Always chip slag with chipping hammer and wire brush prior to visual inspection.
Chip slag completely and wire brush before inspecting bead and running parallel pass.
Turn page over to record pad passes and submit for AWS visual inspection Page 1 of 2
Arc Academy • Practical Lab
Pad of Beads Shop Practice Record
5-Pass Coupon Target
Target Bead Profile & Overlap Standard
Each subsequent bead must overlap the prior bead by 50% (half width) to form a solid, flat, unified build-up pad without valleys.
Bead Height 1/16"–1/8"
Five-Pass Bead Quality Data Log
Pass
Electrode
Amps
Observed Arc Sound / Stability
Defects Present?
Self Score
#1
E7018 1/8"
____ A
Undercut / Overlap / Clean
/ 4
#2
E7018 1/8"
____ A
Undercut / Overlap / Clean
/ 4
#3
E7018 1/8"
____ A
Undercut / Overlap / Clean
/ 4
#4
E7018 1/8"
____ A
Undercut / Overlap / Clean
/ 4
#5
E7018 1/8"
____ A
Undercut / Overlap / Clean
/ 4
Operator Self-Diagnostic Analysis
Which single CLAMS variable gave you the most difficulty today (Current, Length, Angle, Manipulation, Speed)? State exactly what defect occurred and the physical adjustment you will make on your next weld plate:
Instructor Verification Checkpoint Visual Quality Criteria: No cracks, <1/32" undercut
Total Points
____ / 20
Plate Qualification
[ Pass / Redo ]
Instructor Signature
Arc Academy Welding Technology • Shielded Metal Arc Welding I Page 2 of 2
Tip: Rest your non-dominant gloved hand on the table as a steady guide.
Initiating the Cut
1. Hold preheat cones on the plate edge until it glows bright cherry red.
2. Slowly depress the high-pressure cutting lever.
3. As sparks spray down through the bottom, begin steady travel across the cut line.
Travel angle: Keep torch perpendicular (90°) or angled 5°–10° forward in direction of travel.
Cut Quality Inspection
Reading Cut Drag Lines
Perfect Cut
Vertical Drag Lines
Cut face has nearly vertical drag lines (<10% lag). Sharp top and bottom corners. Slag drops off cleanly with light tap.
Too Fast
Heavy Drag Lag
Drag lines curve heavily backward. Cutting stream cannot penetrate bottom of plate; cut loses severance and stops.
Too Slow
Melted Top Edge & Slag
Top corner melts into rounded bead. Deep gouges on cut face. Heavy tenacious slag welds itself to the bottom plate.
Shutdown Sequence: 1. Close torch oxygen valve → 2. Close torch fuel valve → 3. Bleed cylinders.
Safety Standard
Optimal travel speed & pressure
Maintain steady speed and stand-off distance (1/8").
