FCAW 4GF help

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so I've been practicing for an upcoming FCAW CWB test I'm doing.  I've done  practice plates in all 4 positions and they all went smoothly and all passed.My only issue is on my over head. I'm getting little molten globs of metal drip down on me and/or the nozzle, effecting the feed at times. It looks as if the wire turns molten before it contacts the bead and drips off. Absolutely no effect on the weld, just annoying. By the time I'm done running a bead there will be a little ball of metal about the size of a pea on the nozzle from the build up.Its a 3/8" plate 4GF position, One plate I did it at about 23V @ 229, another plate I did at 23.8V @ 239. Wire stick out is about 1/2" with a slight drag angle. 100% CO2any pointers?
Reply:I had that happen once.  Turned up the wire speed and that solved it.Anyone else have a solution?Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:What wire are you running?
Reply:100% CO2 FCAW wires are notorious for dripping/spattering; at least in my experience.  Suggest you upgrade to leathers, and learn to love spatter burns.  On a slightly more serious note; shorter stickout might help, as well using little or no drag angle.  But, you'll probably need to stop more often to clean the nozzle if you do either of these things.Last hope is that your employer qualifies a wire and procedure with mixed gas for overhead welding.  75/25 Ar/CO2 compatible FCAW wires are much friendlier to weld overhead than their 100% CO2 counterparts.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:we are using E71T-1  0.045" wire.Its not through my employer. I'm in school for my C ticket and i finished the course a few months early so I'm using some of the time to practice and to take the FCAW and SMAW CWB tests. That way i come out of school with my C ticket and both CWB's.Im going to try bumping my wire speed up a bit on Monday and see what happens.And I'll have to check with our instructor about using the Argon/CO2 mix. I agree it's a lot nicer.Ill post some pictures on Monday of my completed practice plates to get some feedback.Thanks!.
Reply:Changing gas changes the test.  Most local shops use straight CO2.  Mixed gas has an effect on impact strength which is critical for structures in winter or in an earthquake zone.  Sometimes the UTS also goes up with mixed gases so one must be careful.   Congrats on passing your practice pieces.  I just check my nozzle on every pass when doing out of position.  Try to find a position where the edge of the nozzle is not directly beneath the puddle so that stuff falling does not hit the nozzle.  I know you are running overhead but really you are running on the left of the groove or the right of the groove.  If your nozzle is angled to reflect left or right you might get out of that bad drop zone.
Reply:No experience with FCAW, but for 4G GMAW, while I found "high voltage" seemed to help keep the weld "up there",  I actually had to turn down the voltage a bit to get out of the "globular transfer" zone (what a mess!). Apparently, the transfer mode depends upon position (I'm not sure why) but once I figured that out, this fix worked for meXMT304 (school)SP125+ (home)HF 4x6 BandsawGood judgement comes from experience and much of that comes from bad judgement.
Reply:Well I finished 4 positions today,Ii think it turned out pretty good.Had my settings at 23.8V and 244 wire speed. Seemed to work pretty well. For over head I increased my travel speed a bit which helped with reducing the splatter as well. I also found out i can use a 75/25 Argon/CO2 mix, I tried it on some scrap it it stopped excessive splatter which was nice but it wasn't get the penetration I liked. So i think for the bend tests i will be sticking with straight CO2 to be safe.top left 1GF, top right 2GF, bottom left 3GF, bottom right 4GFsorry for crappy picture Attached Images
Reply:I'm glad it's starting to get better for you - keep at it Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Tests look good but did you do one giant weave on your 3G test? I wouldnt recommend that, most places frown upon making a giant weave.  Split it into multiple beads.
Reply:They actually prefer if we do a single weave.
Reply:For some reason local schools push wide caps.  Keep it in mind and ask when you are working.  I have saw a new guy put in a wide cap then get chewed out by foreman.  Keep it in mind and ask what they want in the shop you are working in.
Reply:Very interesting, I thought everyone did multiple passes. I guess thats just what I'm used to doing and assumed everywhere else was the same!
Reply:When I used to drive propane trucks, the company that did the tank mounting used a wide single weave as the cover pass after multi pass welds on the sub frames.  All wire feed.Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by fsisnerosVery interesting, I thought everyone did multiple passes. I guess thats just what I'm used to doing and assumed everywhere else was the same!
Reply:I heard Jody on a weldingtipsandtricks video say something like, if you want to make yourself crazy, google weave vs stringer on the internet LOLOne welding textbook says that some companys like a "wide wash bead" as the last pass.  Must be one of those deals that can go either way depending on specs.  Some of the liquid propane lines I used to work on had wide caps at least an inch across.Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.