[en] Disclosed is a method of welding tabs projecting outwardly from grip straps in a fuel assembly grid to a control rod guide thimble positioned in a cell in the grid including providing a weld guide having openings therein which receive dimples on the strap when the weld guide is placed in a cell adjacent to the cell containing the control rod guide thimble. The weld guide includes an opening which falls into alignment with a tab so that when a welding gun electrode is placed through the opening and into contact with a tab, the other electrode is automatically centered on its tab thus permitting accurate spot welding of the parts. To make a second spot weld on the same tab but at a point outwardly from the first spot weld, a second weld guide having an opening therein displaced a greater distance from a reference point on the weld guide, is placed in the same cell and the welding process repeated