weld direction

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i have a 3*3 piece square tubing thats 1/8 thick im gonna weld it to 3.5 ft square piece of 1/4 plate. im using a lincoln 180 mig welder with 75/25 and .035 wire. im trying some new welding positions i could lay this down and run flat but was wanting to run it vertical. for strenth is there a preffered direction for this weld? vertical up vertical down? or is it simply welder's choice? and am i going to get a better apearance in either direction. was hoping for some recomendations. if its personakl preferance i got 8 of these to do and will try both ways but if one directiona is actually better id rather do that and not screw this up. anyway thanks and fire away!
Reply:uhh update currently where i work we use a pallet on a forklift to get up to high stuff in the shop so im gonna make a safety cage. and im trying to improve my welding abilities at the same time with the above question.
Reply:vert up is stronger
Reply:Originally Posted by dyrvale im trying some new welding positions i could lay this down and run flat but was wanting to run it vertical. ...  id rather do that and not screw this up. anyway thanks and fire away!....  and im trying to improve my welding abilities at the same time with the above question.
Reply:Find a similar piece of scrap to practice uphill first. If it doesn't matter, just weld things in the flat position. Watch this video. No affiliation, just a decent video for beginning uphill practice.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxAHPJL_crU[/ame]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:ok i know it dont matter if it is up or down hill welding.... if you get 100% penetration and a great uniform weld it would be strong no matter what direction it is.Lincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R
Reply:yeah i got some scrap pieces i can practice on so ill work the kinks out first. probably best unless of course my boss wants the first ride in the safety cage!!! lol!
Reply:Vertical up allows more heat input to the metal, greater penetration and better fusion than vertical down.  Up is the primary direction in heavier structual welding, whereas down is the primary direction in light gauge and sheet metal welding, for the above-mentioned reasons.I agree that if you are practiced and confident with the flat/horizontal position, stick to that for this project.  Do your vert-up/down and overhead practicing on scrap, before welding an important project with those positions.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op