I am looking to learn how to vertical/overhead weld...

admin

I am looking for some general tips/ websights to learn. I am going to be taking the test after some practice at work...Thanx
Reply:Ok, which is it vertical or over head? I have a welding video that shows when welding mig over head to use the push method and tilt the gun and a slight downward angle to help hold the puddle up.I tried this myself and did a pretty nice weld overhead.
Reply:Thanks for the reply,That is some good advise for over head welding, but i could use some on veritical up, I am going to be doing some structural welding, more with 6011/7018 stick...
Reply:Originally Posted by railman31Thanks for the reply,That is some good advise for over head welding, but i could use some on veritical up, I am going to be doing some structural welding, more with 6011/7018 stick...
Reply:Do you have any photos on vertical up for MIG?  My video stated always go down with increased heat.Thanks!
Reply:I have been taught that you go up with verticle mig and kinda treat it like stick.  The only trick that I have been taught is that start stop method to control the puddle if it starts to drip.  But for stick welding the method that I have found works best with just about any type of verticle with stick is to kinda use the weaving motion, make sure that if the plate is hot, to use the lowest amperage you can without getting stuck.
Reply:I do repair welding at work and I haven't had to do alot of vertical ups so its something I haven't quite gotten yet.  I have a problem with a the weld looking like this^ instead of being flat.  What am I doing wrong?
Reply:maybe your going too fast, kinda like when your welding flat and instead of having a nice rounded edge you kinda have a point.  Verticle up has a fine line between having a nice pretty looking bead and having icecicles all over the place
Reply:Ok so here is how I do a vertical up using E 6011. The first pass is simply a vertical whipping motion up the corner.  You start by striking an arc and holding it in the corner tight until you have a puddle.  At that point lift upward out of the puddle then back down to the puddle which should have cooled down a bit.  You return the rod slightly higher than where you left previously.  You are stacking new weld metal on the cooled puddle.The frequency of the motion is at least two per second.Once the root is formed I go up again using that triangular motion.  From the initial puddle I move upward then down to slightly above the cooled puddle but to the left side. The weld metal should roll under your arc and fill under the end of the rod.  As soon as the left has been filled then move up toward the center again and back down to the right.  This returning left and right action fuses the root bead into each side and creates a weld bead that is flat.The third bead is based on the triangular motion only now I move left and right across the face of the weld.  I start at either side and fuse the corner of my bead to the parent metal creating my puddle.  I then quickly track across to the right and fuse the right corner.  The next motion is upward then down to slightly above the cooling bead.  Hold the rod tip there until the weld metal runs under until it fills the cooled puddle.  Quickly track across the face of the weld to the left forming a puddle then upward and down to that slightly higher position.The passes after this are simply tracking back and forth across the face of the weld hesitating at each edge.  Each time you track across you go slightly higher.  Only spend enough time in the middle to carry the arc across.  If you spend too much time in the middle your weld bead wlll sag in the middle of the face of the weld.With 6011 you can use very extreme motions and mover very quickly ...  as many as three or four of these cycles a second.  the more rapid the motion the less the buildup and the finer the ripples. ...Those diagrams should help explain what I am talking about.  7018 is a bit different but not that different.
Reply:Originally Posted by malichDo you have any photos on vertical up for MIG?  My video stated always go down with increased heat.Thanks!
Reply:Originally Posted by malichDo you have any photos on vertical up for MIG?  My video stated always go down with increased heat.Thanks!
Reply:Thanks sandy!For vertical up htey look a lot better then mine.  The hardest this for me is to watch the puddle working upward.I will try turning down the heat and wire on my next try.  I always burn through.Thanks again!
Reply:I would always run a pisser pass up hill because naturally you have any kind of a gap with a  stick and it'll goober.  I asked one of the engineers at work who used to be a pipeliner and he said that I want to weave it in a zig zag pattern and put all of the heat on the sides instead of in the middle, all I was doing was making a circle weave with the stick.
Reply:Blade master's comment about spending time on the edges and not in the middle cannot be repeated too many times.  If one is a novice and practicing it is wise to try and spen too much time at the edges of the puddle until the middle of the weld is concave and the edges are overfilled.  It is almost impossible to do what I describe.Vertical up with MIG is different.  Your setting are very critical.  You do not use such radical motions.
Reply:I find that vert up and overhead welds can be quite a challenge.  I have also found that although the basic technique between mig and stick are the same, those who really know,  and for mig im only beginning to get to that point, well lets start out with saying I took a test once for flux cored mig.  Its flux core wire with a shielding gas.  The wire was 1/16" wire.  The test was uphill fillet and I failed it.  I had never welded uphill mig before, and especially not on such a wire as that.  I was acustomed to welding 7018 and the foreman identified with that almost immediately.  His pointers were that with wire you must move a lot faster.  With 7018 you get on one side for instance.  You will see it dig, then fill.  Upon filling, you want to slide over to the other side, watch it dig, then fill then move.  With the wire, it was more of a get it over, hold it to dig then move.  The theory is if you start your move during a dig cycle it will fill before your moved and then you just keep moving.  As far as setting your machine, you need less heat for uphill.  It should be elementary.  You remember from high school physics, or even from elementary school fire awareness classes, that heat rises.  Therefore as you are welding the heat from the weld tends to rise up and preheat the rest of the plate.  I have welded some flux cored wires, though I dont know the type it was 0.45 wire and with the wire settings we ran we used an everslight oscillation, and emphasis on slight , uphill and had very good results.  This was a fillet joint that actually joined a strap of AR plate to the inside of a channel.  It was for a chain run for a piece of saw mill equipment.  But generally speaking you want to run a calm puddle and keep it moving with wire, and with stick its all about holding it in on those darn sides.  If you hold it in on the sides, and keep your zig zags tight, you will develop a nice alligator back.  Heat settings are important on both machines.  And for those who arent sure, Amps on a stick welder or tig welder is your heat.  Wire feed on a wire machine is also the heat.  Voltage controls the arc, so you bring your voltage into proper range and adjust your heat with your wirespeed.  Therefore for going up, and I always do too for overhead, turn your wire or you amps down a tad.  Good luck to ya.CHRIS
Reply:Thanks Lotech & Redneck,You both gave some good fundamental info that should help me a lot----------------------IF I can remember for more than a day!!!Thanks rckcrwlr & blademaster too.