[How-To] Technique

[dworthy17]

So I know we’re all machinist here but we also share much other mechanical qualities like welding. For technique what is your guy preference for laying down the perfect weld. For example weaving, dime, half circle technique depending on your setting on the machine and so forth. Thoughts for good technique practices ?


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[brino]

Sure, I'll have a go...........

For technique what is your guy preference for laying down the perfect weld.

One word answer; Practice.

Everything else after that.
Practice goes way better with knowledge.

The long answer is there are many, many dependencies....
base metal types
metal thickness
weld process; MIG, TIG, stick (SMAW) O/A
requirements (strength, just best looking?, fluid proof?, etc.)
fit-up (big gaps, chamfer for better penetration, etc.)
position (horizontal, vertical, etc.)

I don't weld often enough (or have too small of brain!) to remember settings, techniques, etc.
Therefore I have two main techniques to help
1) cheat-sheets, short notes with hints about the processes (for TIG things like 1Amp per thou of thickness, etc.)
2) always have extra scrap practice material to work out your process before you start the parts that count

-brino

 

[erikmannie]

If I have to make a pretty bead:

TIG: lay wire and pulse (with consistent torch angle & travel speed)
MIG: push with backwards cursive “e”’s (i.e. circular puddle manipulation) as large as I can make the circles without having the weld wire even start to solidify at the root
stick (always dragging): 7018 et al: cursive “e”’s as above (as large as I can make the circles without solidification of the weld rod at the root), 6010 et al: whip and pause (consistent travel distances & travel speed)
oxyacetylene: try to stack dimes (consistent travel and torch angle, rhythmic addition of filler rod, 90 degree angle between the filler rod & the torch).

With the exception of E6010 & E6011, base material should be bright shiny metal for beautiful beads.

I like to keep the arc to a minimum; I like to weld hot & fast. If the weldment gets too hot, take a break & let it cool.

But, yeah, practice and patience.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

I have only laid down one perfect weld.
it was overhead 4G welding aluminum with a pulse tig, for class credit (bragging rights mostly)

mig and FCAW welding, i use a C pattern, stringers, and half circle pattern mostly- never weld vertical down- always vertical up (unless you are doing very thin sheetmetal work or you learned welding from a carpenter)

SMAW- each rod has a technique
7018- stringers and weave
7014,7024,7032- drag rods- they do the work themselves, you just hold the stinger- no real motion
7010,6010,6011- whip and pause, & small circles
308,309,312 very small circles, stringers

 

[matthewsx]

Reminds me of the old joke -

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice, Practice, Practice


John

 

[DavidR8]

I just finished building a welding cart so probably laid down about 3 ft worth of MIG beads.
It was .065 wall tubing and I was blowing through too much because I didn't understand the relationship between the voltage and wire feed speed.
I made a chart that gets my wire feed speed in the range required for the metal thickness. I also measured my welding voltages so I had some clue about what voltage my welder (an old Millermatic 130) was putting out at the four voltage settings.

I also discovered that I could not see what I was doing so I bought a new Esab A40 Savage helmet and put an LED light on the chin.
Between getting the settings right for the material and situation and being able to see the weld puddle I was able to finally draw cursive 'e's and get some decent looking beads.

 

[AGCB97]

put an LED light on the chin. >being able to see the weld puddle

I've looked at vids of putting a light on welding helmet so I'd like to see a picture of yours if possible. When the shade is set for comfort I loose perspective of my line of travel and sometimes overshoot the end.
Thanks
Aaron

 

[Lo-Fi]

Forget any of the technical stuff if you're a beginner. Dimes, weaves, etc etc. Most hobbyists don't need to get in that far anyway.

1: get comfortable. Body position, hood shade, arms able to freely move the torch the length of the bead.

2: get close. You won't see a pro welder standing up while welding something at waist height if they can possibly help it. Get close in so you can get the best view you can. I have a little saddle stool I use at my welding bench.

3: get everything clean. This means mill scale or rust as well as dirt, grease, paint or anything else. If it isn't bright and spanking clean, you're going to have a bad time. There are certain things you should not do too, like using a high speed flap wheel on ali.

4: Watch weld.com, Welding Tips and Tricks and The Fabrication Series YouTube's. They'll help guide you in technique and setup.

5: practice running consistent beads. Not perfect: consistent. Three major things go wrong with welds: machine setup, torch technique, material prep. Pretty much everything falls into those categories. You can find machine setup rules of thumb anywhere. Amps, feed, filler, gas. That's an easy one. Material prep similarly in those YouTube channels. Torch technique is the bit you can only really learn by practice, and once you've mastered making consistent beads you can move on to finessing them with improved technique and tweaking settings.

The perfect weld is different for every single direction, orientation, joint type and material. This is why welding qualifications state which angle and direction the test pieces were produced in. Laying a bead on a lap joint flat on a bench is an order of magnitude less difficult than a vertical butt joint running the bead upwards and requires an entirely different technique.

 

[addertooth]

The problem with asking the question from experienced welders is... you get experienced answers.
If you are a novice, ask what critical things did someone learn at the mid-level. The old salts at
welding do things automatically, and without thought, which are critical to a good weld. Those
experienced welders are unaware of the things they are doing to get a good weld, it just feels right.

Distance between your stick/gun and the metal is critical. Your EARS will tell you what is going on
even if your auto-darkening helmet has it's "shade" (darkening) mal-adjusted. Hint Read the manual
on that shiny new hood, and learn what the shade setting should be for your type of welding.
I have seen many novices have the shade cranked up too high, and can't see the puddle-point
they are welding at. For flux-core wire welding, I normally run shade at about a 9 or 10 on a Hobart
Inventor series hood. If you cannot see the metal going in from your gun (or stick), you will likely
have interrupted and lumpy/inconsistent beads. The old salts have the hand motions down, I suspect
some of them could lay beautiful beads without looking (their experience has taught them what
"feels right"). For the novice welder, he is like the novice Car Driver. A novice car driver is has to
constantly check his lane (position), and his speed (feed). An experienced driver does it automatically without
Conscious thought. Or, as others have said, practice. When you can do those things without conscious
thought, you will be like the experienced car driver.

Keep in mind most novices will be doing flux wire or stick welding, as said earlier, you get a specific
SOUND when you are at the right distance, current, wire-feed-rate. Hint: bright and crackly sounds are
generally NOT what you are going for. Inconsistent and "stuttery" sounds are bad too, a smooth bead makes a
smooth sound when it is being welded. An instructor in a welding school can Hear when a student is having
problems, without even looking at his work.

 

[brino]

An instructor in a welding school can Hear when a student is having problems, without even looking at his work.

yeah.........that and all the swearing!