Vertical welding - what's your technique???

[Ruark]

I have a Lincoln 3200 HD 110V wire welder I use for just about everything 1/4" and under, with .035 flux core. I'm curious what approach you would use for vertical welding with one of these:

1. Go up, with tip pointed up.
2. Go up, with tip pointed down.
3. Go down, with tip pointed up.
4. Go down, with tip pointed down.

As far as patterns, some use a sort of zig-zag. Others use a small loop. I'm still trying to get the hang of vertical welding; hwo do you do it? Remember, this is 110V flux core wire.

 

[tripleBfarms]

I have a Lincoln 3200 HD 110V wire welder I use for just about everything 1/4" and under, with .035 flux core. I'm curious what approach you would use for vertical welding with one of these:

1. Go up, with tip pointed up.
2. Go up, with tip pointed down.
3. Go down, with tip pointed up.
4. Go down, with tip pointed down.

As far as patterns, some use a sort of zig-zag. Others use a small loop. I'm still trying to get the hang of vertical welding; hwo do you do it? Remember, this is 110V flux core wire.

Work your way up making the letter U, right to left, then left to right, hold wire perpendicular to the weld.

 

[wbvs58]

Go down with tip pointed up.
No zigzag just steady straight down. If rt angle join hold nozzle against both sides and just pull trigger and move slowly down, gives perfect weld and one of easiest to do. I was taught this way at a short college course. Works well for me.
Ken

 

[dun]

First of all you need the right kind of rod. Like the equivelent of 6011, 6013, etc. Then run your beed from the bottom to the top with just a little side to side weave.

 

[tytower]

Hope more people post here
I always have trouble with these and for me it is a matter of trying to get the speed right .
Tried the "U" or sideways figure 8 approach but it always runs. Does a huge weld though with moving upwards and tip pointed down.

Now I go down with tip pointed up as quickly as feels right for a root weld then lay a slightly larger bead a bit slower over right and left of it still pointed up.
It must be up to push the weld pool against gravity .Pointing down won't work unless you build somewhere for the pool to sit first

 

[Ruark]

Down with tip up - 2
Up with tip perpendicular - 1 (with "U" pattern)
Dun goes up, but he's talking about stick, not wire. Need some coffee there, buddy? ;-)

 

[dun]

Down with tip up - 2
Up with tip perpendicular - 1 (with "U" pattern)
Dun goes up, but he's talking about stick, not wire. Need some coffee there, buddy? ;-)

Doesn;t wire come in different types like stick? The only time I used a wire welder I quit after about the 3rd time it shut off because of the duty cycle deal.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I weld down with wire with tip SLIGHTLY up and in a small Arc pattern
for a better weld you need a little side to side motion to blend both materials that you are welding instead of just filling in between

 

[Ruark]

Doesn;t wire come in different types like stick? The only time I used a wire welder I quit after about the 3rd time it shut off because of the duty cycle deal.

For straightforward, gasless welding out in the open, you use flux-core wire. That's about it. There are other types of wire, but they're for welding with gas (MIG/TIG).

 

[Kingfisher]

Dun a fellow told me the other day they have new wire feeds that you just put em on auto auto for the speed and arc and they calculate and adjust all by themselves.

 

[Ruark]

Dun a fellow told me the other day they have new wire feeds that you just put em on auto auto for the speed and arc and they calculate and adjust all by themselves.

Interesting. I wonder how THAT works. How would it know the thickness of the metal, the type of joint, etc.?

 

[dun]

Dun a fellow told me the other day they have new wire feeds that you just put em on auto auto for the speed and arc and they calculate and adjust all by themselves.

Sounds like "Beauty Rod", all you did was kind of throw the stinger towards what you wanted to weld and drug it along, made a perfect weld everytime. Fooled a lot of us into thinking we really knew how to weld.

 

[Nowland Farms]

Dun a fellow told me the other day they have new wire feeds that you just put em on auto auto for the speed and arc and they calculate and adjust all by themselves.

Hey, I have one of those. Last year I bought a new Miller 211. You can use it manually or the automatic settings. In auto, you set a knob to the metal thickness and another knob to the wire thickness. The machine makes welding easier. I have laid down some of the best looking welds with this machine.

On bigger stuff, I pull out the Lincoln stick welder and burn 6011 rods.

 

[jkwilson]

It there is any way possible, I pick it up with the loader and make it a horizontal weld.

 

[jedstivers]

I go down with tip up a little but do a steady pull and release of the trigger to keep it from running. I almost always weld with the wire on high speed and the heat almost all the way up. I use a 250 amp Mig. I usually use a side to side motion kind of like with a stick so I can see the wire cutting into both sides to know I'm getting it stuck. Only thing I miss about a stick is being able to feel the rod cutting in and knowing it will hold. 95% of what I weld is 3/16 or or larger, mostly 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4.

 

[Jogeephus]

I go down as well with the rod guiding and holding the puddle. Its easier for me with a wire though.

 

[lavacarancher]

First of all you need the right kind of rod. Like the equivelent of 6011, 6013, etc. Then run your beed from the bottom to the top with just a little side to side weave.

Ya beat me to it. The 6011 is a eutechtic rod which means it has a limited "pasty" range. Welds very well vertically. 6013, on the other hand, always seems to deposit more on the ground than on the metal - at least for me. I think that's the point. If you are a real welder then you can weld vertically with just about any rod or wire. I'm NOT a welder but the wire machine sure makes my welds look like I am. JMO

 

[upfrombottom]

I can weld just as good up, as down, no matter what kind of rod or welder. My technique is to finish strong with a grinder.

 

[Kingfisher]

I can weld just as good up, as down, no matter what kind of rod or welder. My technique is to finish strong with a grinder.

lol Now that is funny! I need to think about it over night before I hire you however........... :kid:

 

[backhoeboogie]

I can weld just as good up, as down, no matter what kind of rod or welder. My technique is to finish strong with a grinder.

lol Now that is funny! I need to think about it over night before I hire you however........... :kid:

Just put in a lot of paint to cover up the weld porosity

After going thru ASME B31-1 training a few years back, my perspective changed quite a bit. A lot of the things we learned in the books at welding school in the 70's aint true. We practiced a lot under the hood of what we were taught. You can look at welds under the microscope and see why it was wrong teaching in "old school" practices.

If it is too thin to stick weld, wire it up. Then go back with a good 7018 overlay. If it is truly worth your time to do, take the time to do it good.

I don't have a lot of faith in the wire feed welding even tho I have the best of machinery to do it with. Automated machine or tig welding is another story.