Welding Tips and Tricks

[/attachment]I hold mine like a pencil but a friend stopped by and he holds his with his palm up and the cup facing down. He says that your wrist contracting muscles are way stronger and steadier than the ones on the top of your arm. He said it doesn't work for all positions but sitting at a bench where life is good, it's the only way to weld and he's GOOD. Never heard of this before. Thoughts?

Depending on what I'm welding...if it's very low amps I may choke up on the torch with a few fingers on the cup for control, high amps I'll hold back on the handle.

LtBadd wrote:Depending on what I'm welding...if it's very low amps I may choke up on the torch with a few fingers on the cup for control, high amps I'll hold back on the handle.

I do the same. I am going to give this a go tomorrow. I have seen alot of welders at their craft but I have never seen one hold a torch like he does and he says it works great on pipe.

I think it really depends. I hold mine palm down, cup down, never seen it done that way but I think it really depends on what you are comfortable with. If I am fusion welding something crucial I tend to hold close to the cup and rest my arm on my elbow to keep really, REALLY steady. Other times I hold it by the handle and lean it on the cup and drag.

Different strokes for different folks.

I haven't given this any thought in a very long time. So many of my welds are in awkward to near-impossible positions that I hold the torch any way I can. Palm up, palm down, cup at my thumb, cup at my pinkie, even two fingers and thumb barely grasping the end of the barrel. I don't suppose I can say I have a preferred method other than what's the most comfortable from whatever options are possible on a given weld. When I do get to weld on the bench, I suppose I favor the palm-dowm traditional position, just out of habit (and works well with my TigFinger).

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:I haven't given this any thought in a very long time. So many of my welds are in awkward to near-impossible positions that I hold the torch any way I can. Palm up, palm down, cup at my thumb, cup at my pinkie, even two fingers and thumb barely grasping the end of the barrel. I don't suppose I can say I have a preferred method other than what's the most comfortable from whatever options are possible on a given weld. When I do get to weld on the bench, I suppose I favor the palm-dowm traditional position, just out of habit (and works well with my TigFinger).

Steve S

Most of us never think about how to hold a torch but when I saw him welding like that I had to do a double take to be sure what I was seeing. We all do what we have to do but if you think about the physical mechanics of this it makes sense. Trying to hold you hand straight in the traditional way is actually hard to do,especially after a long day but flip your hand over and it's easier. I bet a lot of guys are gonna try this.

[
Steve S[/quote]
I bet a lot of guys are gonna try this.[/quote]

I know I am

Usually I hold it like a pencil, sometimes like silverware and sometimes like a hammer, all the way out at the end where the cable goes in and propping on the cup for control .
Guess it depends on what you're welding.

LtBadd wrote:Depending on what I'm welding...if it's very low amps I may choke up on the torch with a few fingers on the cup for control, high amps I'll hold back on the handle.

This is me, too - virtually holding the torch head rather than the handle. But I will give this 'palm up' thing a shot for sure. Why not? One more thing in the human arsenal.


Kym

I took the intro to welding at my local junior college a little over a year ago. The first thing we did was oxy acetylene welding. I held the torch this way, balanced across my palm (facing up). The instructor thought I was nuts, but we were only welding 4" coupons and this was more comfortable and I had better control than trying to hold the torch in the traditional fashion. We did stick welding after oxy acetylene and I forgot about holding the torch this way.

We only did one day of MIG and one day of TIG in the class (to wet your appetite for the advanced course). I bought an AC/DC TIG machine for my garage and I never took the advanced class.

I'm going to have to try this torch holding method, it should be sort of familiar.

Dave

My attempt at the alternate torch grip. It was a little awkward but it would be easy to get used to. I was kind of welding coming toward myself so it seemed like I could weld a little further without getting out of position.1/8" 304 SS 135amps, 1/16" 316 filler blah blah blah.

I think that's a GREAT Idea, Im gonna try that ASAP.I never thought of it, Just when you think I tried everything

I actually noticed I was using that grip today, for a 3F uphill, left handed. As I said, I don't pay much attention to that stuff anymore, but since the discussion was fresh in my mind I noticed. It was done that way for the convenience of propping my hand.

Steve S

jeff
nice looking bead.
was that your first try with
that grip?
craig

motox wrote:jeff
nice looking bead.
was that your first try with
that grip?
craig

It was. I had to look at the pic to be sure I was doing it the same way my friend did. All of us have probably used that same grip when getting in odd positions but you do what you have to in those cases. I have been holding my torch like a pencil so long that it felt as awkward as switching hands but it wasn't any big deal. I wish I got to tig more often.