Some specific uses are high-speed removal of excess metal, gouging out old bad welds, preparing joints to be welded in position, rooting out high chrome deposits on deeper teeth, armor plates, etc. prior to hardsurfacing, removal of most unwanted metal before machining operations.

Use AC or DC straight polarity (DC-) current. After striking the arc, lay the rod as near parallel to the work as possible. Gouge as you would with a hand chisel on wood, pressing firmly on the metal and moving forward as rapidly as practical to avoid unnecessary heat concentration and assure a clean bright groove. The fast the action, the cleaner the groove. the depth of the groove on the first pass should be about 1/2 of the diameter of the coated electrode. If a deeper groove is required, repeat the procedure until the desired depth is achieved.