"out of position" TIG?

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So as i have stated in the past, i work for a company that builds competetion oil pans.  alot of what i do is tacking the pans together, but i also weld all of the interior components into the pan.  a vast majority of these components require you to be way outside of the guidelines for torch and rod angles, ie, hands almost touching, torch and rod almost parallel to each other, or torch at some extreme angle so it can fit in all the crevases.  we cant weld these pieces into the pan before it is assembled because of warpage issues.  so my question is, if the welds are coming out looking just fine, and plenty strong enough for the intended purpose, what is the real importance of the torch and rod angle guidelines?  i cant remember off the top of my head what you are "supposed" to have them angled at, but i know a lot of the time i am nowhere near it haha
Reply:Real importance?  Shielding gas coverage and penetration.  Are there ways around it?  Sure.15 degrees off perpendicular is recommended for the torch.
Reply:Guidelines are just that. You try to stay within them when you can, other times you do what ever it takes to produce the desired results.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:Aluminum or Steel?Why aren't they using a resistance welder? At least to begin the process of aligning the parts to make it easier to finalize the job, their are a number of extensions available.
Reply:The guidelines are there to try to have the end product high quality without the operator having to have 25 years experience.Visibility is one major concern. Penetration is another major concern when talking about torch angle and inclination. A large number of aluminum fabricators use excessive inclination in order to speed up the welding process. I have fixed more than my fair share of aluminum oil pans and valve covers, and the most consistent problem I have seen is the exagerated "dip" look from "pedal pumping" or travel speed too fast. Some like the look, but the fact is that it is not the strongest way to have it joined. Aluminum is not fond of crevices or voids as it cracks easily in these areas. When I remove the weld to fix these items, the penetration is very shallow.One culprit is the filler rod selection. The smallest rod possible should always be used as it forces dipping the rod more often, giving tighter ripples, and offers a higher melting rate.If you "pull" TIG, and we've all done it through necessity, you have to wait longer and really watch the bead profile.Another reason for guidelines is to have the filler rod do it's job in the best possible way.When it melts off into the puddle as often happens when your hands are almost touching, it does not serve to cool the puddle and fill the crater. It simply adds material to the molten puddle. Adding the filler rod from the front of the puddle with a little push adds an element of penetration if the rod is solid when it enters the puddle. This achieves penetration with the least amount of heat input, rather than trying to just melt things to the point of falling or burning through.I'm sure you know what you are doing, but I just hope this answered the question at least a little bit. The guidelines are for newbs that don't always know what they are looking for or why it is done a certain way. Veterans can usually solve problems alot better through experience and knowledge.
Reply:Originally Posted by pistolnoonAluminum or Steel?Why aren't they using a resistance welder? At least to begin the process of aligning the parts to make it easier to finalize the job, their are a number of extensions available.