Basic questions: Work angle vs. travel angle

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I was reading this article from Miller  about MIG welding basics for mild steel, and it says:"Travel angle is defined as the angle relative to the gun in a perpendicular position.  Normal welding conditions in all positions call for a travel angle of 5 to 15 degrees"Then the article adds:"Work angle is the gun position relative to the angle of the welding joint, and it varies with each welding position and joint configuration (see below)."Then it says for welding in a "flat position":Butt weld (a "180-degree" joint): Hold the gun at a 90-degree angle to the workpiece, directing the filler metal straight into the joint (but don't forget to include your travel angle of 5 to 15 degrees).So when they say to weld a butt joint at 90 degrees and to include the travel angle of 5 to 15 degrees, are they talking about both the left-right axis and the and forward-backward axis?Maybe I'm making this more complicated than it has to be, but I'm confused. The tip of the gun can move in 2 different axes: You can tilt it left to right, or forward and backward, or both.If you're welding 2 same-sized pieces, you want to apply equal heat to them and hold the gun at a 90 degree angle so that it's not biased toward one piece of the other. I can also see that you'd want to tilt the gun back in order to se e the puddle as you move along the joint.This seems like really basic information here but for some reason I'm confused. The angle is the gun is critical to making strong and correct welds, so I want to be sure about this.Last edited by Ken4444; 01-03-2011 at 04:08 PM.Reason: Corrected typosMilermatic 211
Reply:Hey Ken,Your gun angle variables will be in retrospect with the type of joint, depth of penetration needed, & thickness of material. Personally, I generally run at an 85-90* angle(push w/gas, pull w/f-c) with all material over .125(1/8") & only change the angle for difficult inside corners. With material .125. If less than that, especially 16-22ga sheetmetal, you would increase the angle even more....near 25*. Try it & watch the effects with angle on sheetmetal & you will see what happens. Don't hesitate to experiment.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Also you may want to look at the effect of a round hole when steeply angled it becomes an oblong, so you can see how the effect is to your electrode and sheilding gas for whatever process.
Reply:To even complicate things more if you look at the horizontal fillets shown in your diagrams you will notice the gun is set at 45 degrees but it points a little bit low towards the flat plate.  General guidelines indicate that shift would be around one diameter of the wire or stick diameter for SMAW.  It is a very small amount but helps to prevent undercut and get a better profile.