As any contractor knows, most jobs sites are far from being clean, dry or orderly—at least for any length of time. Unfortunately, the environmental conditions on the average job site can wreak havoc on welding filler metals, and in turn on a contractor’s overall productivity and bottom line.

Damaged filler metals, whether they are stick electrodes, flux-cored wire (self-shielded or gas-shielded) or solid wire, can all cause poor weld quality, including porosity, cracking and a host of other weld discontinuities. Singularly or combined, these issues can lead to expensive and time-consuming rework. But that’s just the beginning.