What causes excessive spatter and how can I fix it?

Excessive spatter can be caused by wire feed speed that is too high, voltage that is too high, electrode extension that is too long, a dirty workpiece, insufficient shielding gas, dirty welding wire, or incorrect polarity. Corrective actions include reducing wire feed speed and voltage, cleaning the base metal of grease, oil, rust, and paint, increasing shielding gas flow, and verifying polarity per Section 3-5. (Page 39)