3 pass Mig verticle T joint

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One of our welds we have to complete for class - which im having a hell of a time for some reason - my initial pass is usually to large (as my teacher wants us to use a side(hold)-up-down to other side(hold) technique, then 2nd and third pass are simple, just side to side all the way up.. My left hand gets way to hot, i put a second glove just wrapped around it ( no one else seems to have to do that) - i usually do it sitting, as its most comfortable, however trying standing up seemed to work better. any tips or anything for this would be awsome, i will try them next week in class! thankyou..Evan
Reply:If your hand is too hot try one of these. http://jtillman.com/products/accesso...hand-pads/554/You could also try holding the gun sideways or hold a different angle to keep your hand away from the steel.Stand up so you can move around to see the puddle as you progress up the joint.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Hello and welcome.Picts would help. One big issue I find with a lot of new guys who have issues with beads too big on vertical is they are going too slow and their motions are too large. Lets say as you go bottom to top you need to go 6". For each inch of vertical travel you do 4 "cycles". Each cycle takes up 1/4". To get the piece to fill correctly on the sides, your weld ends up moderately wide. If instead you do say 8 cycles, each cycle moves you forward 1/8" vs 1/4" and you don't have to go as wide to get the sides to fill. Go to 16 cycles and you've reduced your fill even more. This is easier to show than explain, so I hope this makes sense.My motions are very "tight" and small. My side to side motion is almost a wiggle. If I need more width, I just move side to side more, but my vertical travel is still fairly small. Instead of the figure 8 look many get doing this mine look like a series of tight lines.I'm not a fan of being a slave to "patterns". I do all sorts of motions and can get the same results many times. Inverted V or U, standard V or U, figure 8, straight left to right, C  or Z pattern... they almost all come out looking the same. The key is I can read the puddle and react to it vs being locked in to a pattern. I find if you can't read the puddle you seldom do well with vertical..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Very true, i think maybe my main problem is going side to side to wide each time, causeing to large of a initial bead, and it only gets larger..
Reply:Purchased something very similar to that just now actually.. and i havnt mastered my hand no not move if i were to stand while sitting.. maybe ill try though, thats what schoosl for i guess . free metal and electrodes
Reply:Don't sit. Just stand the whole time you are welding the joint. Find a way to brace yourself. Could be your back/shoulder/elbow/hips, anything that will help you stay steady. If you get to tig welding you should still try welding while standing, even if using a foot pedal. You can't always reach things while in your chair.Be careful mig/stick welding while sitting, its really easy to have spatter land in your lap.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWHello and welcome.Picts would help. One big issue I find with a lot of new guys who have issues with beads too big on vertical is they are going too slow and their motions are too large. Lets say as you go bottom to top you need to go 6". For each inch of vertical travel you do 4 "cycles". Each cycle takes up 1/4". To get the piece to fill correctly on the sides, your weld ends up moderately wide. If instead you do say 8 cycles, each cycle moves you forward 1/8" vs 1/4" and you don't have to go as wide to get the sides to fill. Go to 16 cycles and you've reduced your fill even more. This is easier to show than explain, so I hope this makes sense.My motions are very "tight" and small. My side to side motion is almost a wiggle. If I need more width, I just move side to side more, but my vertical travel is still fairly small. Instead of the figure 8 look many get doing this mine look like a series of tight lines.I'm not a fan of being a slave to "patterns". I do all sorts of motions and can get the same results many times. Inverted V or U, standard V or U, figure 8, straight left to right, C  or Z pattern... they almost all come out looking the same. The key is I can read the puddle and react to it vs being locked in to a pattern. I find if you can't read the puddle you seldom do well with vertical.
Reply:I've played with Jody's technique, works well for making small flat welds for like testing on V-butt plates. Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Two things.1. Don't sit down. In the field you will rarely have an opportunity to sit down and weld (unless you end up in the combine shop or something  ).2. Learn to hold the gun with your free hand either underneath or behind your trigger hand. At least somewhere away from the neck of the gun. You will lose some stability at first until you get adjusted, but when/if you end up welding FCAW in long stretches, you will save yourself A LOT of burned and/or bleeding knuckles.