the dreaded vertical up, help me please!!!

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Alrighty fellas, i need any and all tips and pointers you guys have for me. Im having one hell of a time trying to do some mig vertical welding. I had a few guys try and explain it to me to no avail. i turned the machine down to around 16 volts and wfs to 160 still to no avail. just turned into a mess i cant even get a bead going. any tips, videos or anything? id appreciate the help
Reply:For T joints I usually suggest an inverted V. Pause for just a bit on each side to fill and then move quickly up over the top and back down to the other side steping up a bit each time. Usually you pause for twice the time it takes to go up and over the top. Basically you are soing very short horizontal welds, stacking them on the one below if that makes sense.The big key is to see the puddle, no matter how you decide to run the bead. If you can't see the puddle you will have issues. Most new welders focus on the arc not the puddle. I spent the last two night classes working with one student on vertical up. Finally I had him stand to one side and watch as I ran a lap joint on 1/8" with a very slight side to side weave. I told him to closely watch the edge of the top plate and see if he could spot the edge melt and the puddle form as I washed the puddle up from the lower plate. Once he could see that, he had one of those "AH HA!" moments as he realised what I'd been trying to explain to him for I don't know how many times. After that his welds improved dramatically..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:hmmm i cant see the puddle at all the gun is the way haha.
Reply:welding tips and tricks has a video on just that discipline It helped me alot I still suck at it but not nearly as much, now it is just a mater of practice and a lot of it.Here it is !and another[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg9O7GhCc7A&feature=player_embedded[/ame]Hope this helps.Last edited by Ram48; 11-24-2010 at 10:01 PM.Reason: more information
Reply:Originally Posted by DroptHiluxhmmm i cant see the puddle at all the gun is the way haha.
Reply:Gravity, what a concept.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxAHPJL_crU[/ame]That video really touched on a decent method for solid wire, I like it.Last edited by tanglediver; 11-25-2010 at 12:03 AM.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:i haven't been doing it for very long but i got good at doing sort of a flicking motion across the leading edge of the puddle and pausing on either side for a split second, the trick is depositing a minimal amount of material in the middle and keeping on the leading edge of the puddle, not ahead, and not in the middle of the puddle.
Reply:anymore tips? im gonna need all i can get
Reply:The two youtube videos should help alot. You should not be directly behind the gun or nozzle, because the nozzle will block your view of the puddle. If you're right handed, watch the puddle from the 10 o'clock postion. That way you can see the puddle, the torch angle and the stick-out all at once. What gas are you using? The gas will affect puddle shape & freezing. If your stick-out changes too much while you're welding, the machine will become "unsyncronized" and the wire won't melt off correctly. Stick-out should be 3/8 to 1/2 inch for solid wire up to .045". I'm assuming at 16v your using .030 or .035 wire.Weldtek