Process for welding a weld stud onto a workpiece by means of a drawn arc, in which the weld stud is placed onto the workpiece and, with performance of a welding stroke, is removed from the workpiece in a return stroke, igniting a pilot arc, and is advanced toward the workpiece again in a forward stroke during the combustion of a connected welding arc. The welding arc is divided by pulse-wise current reduction to a minimum value into a sequence of current pulses and the last of these current pulses is extended in time by at least about 1.5 times relative to the preceding current pulses. This extended current pulse lasts substantially to the end of the forward stroke.