Trouble With Vertical Welding!

I'm new to welding and doing an evening course at College, Down hand welding is not a problem but vertical is doing my head in. Is it a case of just practice, practice, practice. How far is it necessary to drop voltage & wire speed to stop runs in the weld and building up too much material?

I'm currently doing vertical lap welds.

Thanks guys.

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Nov 03, 2016
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Vertical up NEW
by: Anonymous

I dont know your type of machine but I run a miller 252 and the best setting on it for vertical up welding is 23 with a 300 or so wire speed try counting to make your step up speed the same and your puddle will start to spit or spray at you when it is full you need to lisen to the sound and just keep it the same. I've been talking about dual shield. just say with it your'll get it!

Feb 21, 2016
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vertical velding
by: Anonymous

it is a very long time since i learned to vertical weld mma it was in the days of government training schools. i would spend some time in the morning cutting out test pieces to weld then well them for the rest of the day welding them vertical down was regarded as a furniture makers weld. i had volunteered to take this course was i having problems with vertical up my instructer was giving me as much help as he could but it was an other trainee said "feel the resistance " i was away an other 4 days 8 hours a day and i was told that was pretty good but he others would have to do better they were heading for pipline work shipbuilding. you never now who supplies the vital bit of information you need

Feb 24, 2015
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Vertical welding with MIG
by: nicholas evan

All MIG wire I have worked with is 1.2mm. For mild steel welding CO2 is the gas to use but I guess you could also use gasless wire. I have never used it for vertical up but it is very quick setting and can be driven straight down. You point you nozzle up at about 30 degrees and watch your pool as you travel down. You want to work from side to side, less than vertical up but really you want to place the meat of your weld on the sides and let them flow into the middle. There are a few things you need to be aware of with welding. The mistake many beginners make with welding is in keeping their heads too far away from the weld, fear does this, basically you want your face as close to the weld as possible, you want to look into the weld pool and see what is going on. (I would take it that you are wearing a welding helmet otherwise you will have to learn brail) Then you have to learn to understand what it is you are looking at. You will get to recognise flux inclusion. It stays red after you have moved on. Gasless MIG is much like vertical down with rods and Weldwell PH68 are a quick freezing vertical down rod but OMG if the base material is not perfect, the weld will run and have pockets. Low Hydrogen on the other hand are wonderful for vertical down once you get the angle right. Now vertical up with MIG is interesting as you have no flux and you can see exactly what's going on so you can tailor your amps perfectly. Too cold and the weld lumps, too hot and you blow away your base material. Just remember, MIG is the McDonalds of welding, it's quick food with not much substance, low Hydrogen the organic farm of welding.

Feb 24, 2015
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Verticle welding with rods
by: nicholas evan

This is for rod, 10gauge or 3.2mm for thicker plates, 2.5mm or 12 gauge for thinner.
I have found that vertical welding, once learned will not be lost, like riding a bike. Depends on the thickness you are welding, 10mm or 3/8" plate or thicker will absorb a lot of heat. Any thinner and you have to tone down your current, it's more finicky. You need to vee the edges of your plate to an edge which has about a 2mm flat. With rod, Weldwell PH28 is a nice clean rod & I also like low hydrogen which is very forgiving and a stronger weld but start at the bottom one side and move in a slightly upside down u across to the other. You have to linger on the edges and keep moving across the middle, you are building on weld you have placed. Heat rises so as you work up the plate it will get hotter until the top, this will be your litmus test. If the material at any point starts melting away or blowing through you have to turn your amps down or you might be lingering too long in the middle. Middle is the quickest part of the weld. Low hydrogen is harder to restart once started as the rod burns up into the flux cup deeper and knocking the flux off by tapping it on a concrete floor will allow you to start again more easily. With standard rods this doesn't happen. As you work your way up with ordinary rods (28's) the flux falls away towards you and you need to be placing your weld just behind the falling flux. Low hydrogen as I said forgives, the flux is like water on the weld, less of it than ordinary welding and going over it doesn't seem to interfere but with ordinary it easy to get bubbles and pockets of flux if you don't get it right and it will look like a seagull has been in. Good luck.

Jan 27, 2015
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Vertical MIG
by: Goldtrigger

Do it a lot. Start at the top, Short stick out, close to the work, angle up, reduce your wire speed 10%., watch your rate of travel.

Dec 30, 2014
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Vertical Stick and MIG Welds
by: Anonymous

I weld vertical a lot, but use stick, and with the stick we use Hippi 5P or that's what we call it. It's a fast setting rod and it digs deep. You have to use a mig the same way but quickly and upside down U, I always do or when I can I go from the top down. The current depends on what you're welding, but keep it down and close to the work, to much heat and it will be on the floor.

Aug 07, 2014
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vertical welding
by: Anonymous

I was a mechanic for 45 years and a shop owner for 35 of them I welded a lot but was never a great welder. I told people if I could weld I'd get a good job. If you just keep trying you'll get good at it.
Henry Ford said: If you think you can you are right and if you think you can't you are right. A very wise man. Lloyd Church

Jul 28, 2014
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vertical
by: Anonymous

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice, I now have my C&G level 2 qualification in MIG welding.

Jul 27, 2014
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speed
by: Alan

Yes you do need to weld a little quicker. Actually I need to take that on board . I have to keep reminding my self on that.

Jul 27, 2014
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vertical weld
by: Anonymous

I cut the current down aim the gun up make a pocket on the bottom and keep filling my way up eyes going up and down the weld I also weld a little quicker

Jun 16, 2014
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vertical welding
by: Anonymous

Thanks Rick, I'll give that a go too, just got back from the gym and I'm going to spend 3 hours practicing.

Jun 16, 2014
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vertical welding
by: Rick

I drop the current by maybe 10-15% and start welding from the top down. I angle the gun upward so the gas pushes the metal up and weld going downward. If you travel too slowly, you can still get a run.

Jun 16, 2014
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Thanks
by: Anonymous

Thanks Alan,

I'm using various machines at the college and I have a Clarke pro 90 and a 150 turbo Mig welder at home.

Jun 15, 2014
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Verticle welding
by: Alan Thomas

You have drop a lot and possibly use a fairly short arc. I don't know where to drop to to I have been doing so long I just know where to set the welder . Not much help I know .I take note in the next couple of days. I know I just love vertical welding

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