An invention to overcome this beam is to the use of clad materials in laser welding techniques wherein a highly reflective base metal to be welded is clad with a laser of selected low reflectivity metal of a thickness greater than about 0.0005 inch , which low reflectivity metal,in addition to being of low reflectivity to promote absorption of the laser energy ,must not vaporize to an appreciable degree during the welding operation,and also must from an alloy with the metal over a wide composition rang