MIG Nozzle Touching the Steel

Laughablefusion · Tue Jul 07, 2015 5:48 pm

Okay, take a deep breath, I'm really green in this welding knowledge.

I've been welding for a whole week as a hobby welder having only watched videos for instruction until my first class. I know that if the MIG "tip" touches the metal your working on, it will short. My question is, can the "nozzle" touch the metal your working on, and use it to steady your hand for better welds? I saw a TIG technique in one of the videos called, "walking the cup," and wondered if a variation of that could be done with a MIG?

Thanks

dkwflight · Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:00 pm

Hi
MIG nozzles (Wire guide tip is hot) when trigger is pulled.
The outer nozzle(Large gas guide) is insulated.

plain ol Bill · Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:23 pm

MIG is a fast filler metal deposition process versus TIG (where you see walking the cup). Not saying you cannot do it w? MIG but you better be quick. The MIG nozzle is insulated (you are using hard wire and not flux core aren't you?) and actually touching the weld area with it should not be a problem, but it is not a good practice. Use two hands, brace yourself against something to steady your hands - practice - practice - practice. After you have burned up a trailer load of filler wire you will be a pretty fair hand at the process.

Laughablefusion · Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:38 pm

Thanks, I am using solid wire with shielding gas 75/25, appreciate your recommendation. I guess I'll get another trailer load of wire sent to the house!

Tue Jul 07, 2015 8:30 pm

Laughablefusion wrote:Okay, take a deep breath, I'm really green in this welding knowledge.

I've been welding for a whole week as a hobby welder having only watched videos for instruction until my first class. I know that if the MIG "tip" touches the metal your working on, it will short. My question is, can the "nozzle" touch the metal your working on, and use it to steady your hand for better welds? I saw a TIG technique in one of the videos called, "walking the cup," and wondered if a variation of that could be done with a MIG?

Thanks

Laughablefusion, take a deep breath of your own, and exhale slowly... Repeat to yourself, "This is not one of THOSE forums..."

We get questions like, "I just plugged it in. Now, what?"
Every question gets the same respect, here, and always will. That's a promise from the "team".

In direct answer to your question; Yes, the nozzle is "supposed" to be insulated, and can be dragged in a corner to hold a specific stick-out. In practice, this is bad for two reasons... It teaches a lazy technique where you are relying on the nozzle to hold your distance, AND, it sometimes fails, because spatter can build in the nozzle and short it to the tip.

You're better off to teach yourself to hold the nozzle a bit off the work and put the control on your hands. You'll be more skilled for it, and have fewer "oops" moments.

Steve S

Superiorwelding · Wed Jul 08, 2015 11:28 am

Laughablefusion,
I can agree with everyone on both the "welcome, no question is a dumb one" and the answers to your question. To directly answer the walking the cup with mig, I do not recommend that, especially as a beginner. It is hard to do and you have to have everything set up right and there is no real practical purpose of it. Actually, in my mind it promotes lack of fusion, depending on gun angle.
-Jonathan

xryan · Thu Jul 09, 2015 11:19 pm

I've burned a trailer load of hard wire. But like Otto said, bad idea. Yes the nozzle is "SUPPOSED" to be insulated. I can show you lots of my nozzles that shorted to the tip from spatter. They have a chunk that blew off when trying to "weld upside down backwards in a mirror." Spatter happens.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Fri Jul 10, 2015 1:13 am

Otto Nobedder wrote: ...Every question gets the same respect, here, and always will. That's a promise from the "team"...

When I re-read that, I realized I never gave credit where it's due. It's the members who keep this forum respectful, not the "team". Great bunch of people from all over the world.

Steve S

danielbuck · Fri Jul 10, 2015 2:52 pm

I keep large diameter gas nozzles around for when I'm going to be doing lots of tack welding, I rest the edge of the nozzle on the work piece to tack weld. Particularly handy if you're trying to tack with just one hand.

Not sure if this technique is frowned upon or not among professional welders, but I'm no pro, just a guy in his garage

Captainbeaky · Wed Jul 15, 2015 1:06 pm

I also prop the nozzle on the job for tacking.
Especially when I was using a normal dark filter.

Occasionally, I would prop the nozzle on the job when space was very limited, like on some car panels, where the panel join is in a corner, and it's a long run that you have to weld.
But it's not a great habit - the nozzle does get blocked and shorts eventually.

A pair of mig pliers are very good to help clear this out.

My preference is to prop with a good welding glove, this actually gives you better control of the torch.

Time in the saddle as always.

Wed Jul 15, 2015 7:35 pm

danielbuck wrote:I keep large diameter gas nozzles around for when I'm going to be doing lots of tack welding, I rest the edge of the nozzle on the work piece to tack weld. Particularly handy if you're trying to tack with just one hand.

Not sure if this technique is frowned upon or not among professional welders, but I'm no pro, just a guy in his garage

I have done this for years. Relying on the nozzle to hold both position and distance to make a tack is very common practice. No hood required, shield it with your glove, and stick it together.

This differs quite a bit from welding a bead.

Steve S