Looking Ahead of Weld.

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I seem to be having problems running welds because I am not always able to see where I need to go with the weld.  I run into most of my problem when welding pipe.I have been reading and searching and cannot find an answer as to what to do.I mean is there a rule to be sure you can see where to continue with a weld while watching the bead?  Or do you ust learn to know where you are and where your going without having to look?I switched from innershield to mig because the smoke would get in my way a lot.  Not I am trying to weld some notched pipe joints and still having problem actually seeing my path.Thanks in advance for your help.Mike
Reply:Are you welding pipe for a cert.test ?The best way i can explain it is allways watch where you are going ,not where you have been. get in a position to see the weld puddle and look ahead .bring the weld to you not push it away from you.this way you can see the pipe joint and the puddle and keep it where it should be.it takes a lot of practice to weld pipe correctly.i have never migged pipe ,allways stick welded it.
Reply:I am putting a roll cage in my car.  The problem is some of the welds are overhead and vertical.  I have been reading that vertical welds should go up not down because of penetration.Also the 220V Mig sends the wire out pretty fast and make it hard to take your time, you need to be moving.  I tried flux core but the smoke blocks my vision and I can not produce real good welds.Build a Barstool Racer at BarFlyRacers.com!
Reply:sounds like your angle is all wrong to straight as boilerman says dont push it when welding pipe with mig you hahe to be carefull at the top of the pipe or the pool just falls away from you causing cold lapping . havent done a lot of it just a few test pieces for the oil industry and in the end they reverted back to stick and tig
Reply:Vertical up is really only important for penetration.  For roll cages, you are using relatively thin material where penetration should not be an issue.  Also, you should assemble as much of the roll cage outside the car as is possible, so you can eliminate the out-of-position welds.  If you could make, say 3 pieces (maybe, two sides and the cross member at top and back) that would fit into the car (assuming hard top), you could practically eliminate having to weld overhead or vertical inside the car.Last edited by smithboy; 10-25-2005 at 01:11 PM.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:If you figure out anything, please post it...But I am going to say it just comes with practice, and that is probably years and years of practice.I'm doing the same thing right now,  I have instaled a S&W cage in my old mustang with a mig and it wasn't that bad.  Just spend more time of fit-up and cleaning than you do on actual welding.  If the cage is mild steel, v groove the joints and they will look a lot better when done.The cage I am doing now is the first one I have ever bent up myself, also it is moly and I am tigging it in.  Did I mention I have only had my tig welder for a couple months.  So far t is kicking my but, but practice, practice, practice.LaterRandy
Reply:Hey Malich,What I read is that verticle up/down, horizontal, flat, overhead really isn't the issue, seeing your path ahead of the bead is. That is a common problem, especially like you are doing, moving around a lot, small welds, the light conditions change with the roll of your head, lot of joints aren't even V'd out to give any clear line.................... Frustrating sometimes. It gets bad when you have a lot of light straight behind your hood but there is not always able to do anything about that. Personally I think an adjustable shade lens/helmet would help a lot. I don't have one but it's on the wish list. Try this if you haven't been; If you are dragging the bead, try keeping the gun angle darn near perpendicular (straight up), or even try a push instead of a pull (drag). On that tubing the penetration profile of push vs pull shouldn't have a significant impact. If you remember from your vert-up when you push you at least get to see that tiny little keyhole as an indication you are on line. Also make try making at least a teeny bit of a weave if you aren't. The varying light will help visibility and help wet the bead out for wider fusion. If dragging (pulling), lot of times I'll drag towards where my head/eyes are. Let's say right-to-left with my head on the left. I'll hold a little longer stickout and get down and look under the nozzle somewhat.Last edited by Sandy; 10-25-2005 at 09:43 PM.