Patent ID: 8357876

Claim:
An arc welding apparatus comprising: a welding head having a longitudinal axis; a filler wire extending through said welding head so as to have an end portion extending outwardly therefrom, said end portion being bent at an constant obtuse angle with respect to said longitudinal axis of said welding head so as to face toward one direction relative to the welding head, said end portion having an end positioned at a constant distance from a fixed point from said welding head; a first metal piece having a surface; a second metal piece having a surface facing said surface of said first metal piece, said end portion of said filler wire and a portion of said welding head extending into a space between said surfaces of said first and second metal pieces; a translating means for moving said welding head along first pass and along a second pass in said space between said surfaces of said first and second metal pieces, said end portion of said filler wire being directed only to said surface of said first metal piece during the first pass; a rotating means for causing said end portion of said filler wire to face said surface of said second metal piece after the first pass, said translating means for moving said welding head such that said end portion of said filler wire is directed only to said surface of said second metal piece during said second pass.