Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey i gotta weld a project in a vertical 3g. position welding up. on 16 gauge steel does anyone know what wire speed and volts i should be using? everytime i weld 3g. up it looks awful. I know the motion, my machine is just not set up right...

Hey,

We'll need a little more info. What type of joint is it. Flux cor or solid. What kind of machine do you have.

Mick

t-joint, solid, and lincoln p. 256.... thanks

I've been doing this for many years, and my MIG 3f/3g up still looks like hammered dog sh!t.

Problem is, I'm not required to do it, so I get no practice until I decide to.

I guess that's not "advice", so much as "don't expect too much". The only people who make vertical-up MIG look good do it all day, every day.

Steve S

Hey,

I do not know about gauge sizes as we dont use them much in Australia, Research tells me that that 16g is about 1.6mm. Thin stuff. That leads me to a question, why do you have to weld verical up? V down would be suitable for such thin metal.

If it specified by a customer, for example, i also must ask, how long is each weld? If they are not to long you can get away with what i call "stop start' where the trigger is pulled in a position but not moved. Then trigger released and the wire moved up th the edge of the preceeding spot of weld. And so so forth. The result is a number of overlapping spots. This method allows you to use more heat than a continous weld, better for the thin sheet you are welding. But if the welds are long, this method would get old pretty quick.

For something that thin, the best way to go is trial and error. set your machine about as low as it can go and try a test joint.

The actual tecnique i would use would be pushing up hill abit with a flick up out of the pool then back down and pause and repeat. the actual travel comes from say flicking up 4mm and moving down 2mm to pause, ie 2 steps forward 1 step back. No side to side movement.

Verical Up may not be suitable for such thin metal because of the gravity pulling down in the pool may just burn through the sheet before a weld can form. So dont beat yourself up.....


Hope this isnt to confusing.

Mick

haha i get it thanks for the help i appriciate it.

Hey,

No worries. Let us know how you go and if you can post pics that would be awesome.

Mick

I would weld it downhill if at all possible. If it must be welded uphill then you will probably have to trigger the gun. I have a co-worker who can get a stack of dimes look by triggering the gun.

Kevin

Down hill is the answer, 3/16" and under.
Go to Jody's "WELDING PROJECTS' / part 2 plasma cutting table welding project.
He is doing a very similar weld and will even give you the settings.
I think he was using.030 solid wire but .035 won't be far off if that's what you are using,
and those are the appropriate wires for your material.
It won't take much practice to make a clean weld like that.
Clean material and a good ground will make a big difference.
Use a little spatter spray and save yourself some clean up.
This may be one of the easier welds to learn,
I think you will be smiling in no time.
Jack