Work angle: With wire welding, hold the gun at a 10° to 15° angle into the direction you are pushing the weld. With stick welding, maintain a 20° to 30° lead angle in the dragging direction. With a fillet (tee) weld, hold the rod or wire (regardless of weld process) at a 45° angle between the two pieces of metal.
Looking at the gun from the end of a seam, the angle of the gun to the work is called the work angle. For a butt joint, 90 degrees is ideal. For a 90-degree fillet weld, you'll normally hold the gun at 45 degrees, although you may need to modify this for thin metals.
When you start welding, angle it 10-15° toward the direction of travel until you complete the weld and terminate the arc. For butt weld (joining two pieces of metal butted together), first hold the electrode so that it is pointing into the joint of the workpiece at an angle of 90°.
Put in simpler terms, you should be pulling the rod towards you when using any welding process that produces slag. This includes submerged arc welding, electroslag welding, flux-cored arc welding and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), more commonly known as stick welding.
The results show that as welding angle increases, the longitudinal weld gradually transforms from a linear shape to a cross shape. A larger welding angle will not only reduce stress triaxiality and strain rate in the main welding zone, but also increase area of the dead metal zone, thus leading to poor welding quality.
What Type Of Weld Is The Strongest? TIG welding is often considered the strongest weld since it produces extreme heat, and the slow cooling rate results in high tensile strength and ductility. MIG is also an excellent candidate for the strongest type of weld because it can create a strong joint.
A general rule of thumb is you need 1 amp of power for every 0.001 inches of steel. Stainless needs 10-15 percent less current, and aluminum needs around 25 percent more. So, how many amps does it take to weld 3/8 steel? For 1/8-inch mild steel, which is 0.125-inch thick, 125 amps would be a good place to start.
The challenging overhead position is performed with the torch at a 45-degree angle, and the 4G and 4F welding positions are appropriate for groove and fillet welds. Remember, the metal can sag from the plate, causing a crown, so keep the molten metal puddle small to avoid this.
Depending on the type of shielding gas being used, there are further sub-classifications into metal inert gas welding (MIG), process no. 131, when an inert gas is used and metal active gas welding (MAG), process no. 135, when an active gas is used.
It is a vertical-up position used for both butt and fillet welds. While welding, the angle of the torch is set at a 45° angle. The welder uses the metal from the lower part.
Several issues in the MIG welding process can contribute to excessive spatter, including: Insufficient shielding gas. Dirty base materials, contaminated or rusty weld wire. Voltage or travel speeds that are too high.
A good rule of thumb is to keep the welding wire stickout at 5/8 inch or shorter for small diameter wires. It helps control amperage and with it, heat input and more. Too long of a stickout lowers the amperage, which reduces penetration but fights against the voltage setting used.
An edge joint is the weakest type of weld join, so isn't suitable for load-bearing jobs.
The author notes that four of the most difficult metals to weld are aluminum, cast iron, brass, and stainless steel.
TIG welding is the hardest form of welding to learn for a variety of reasons. The process of TIG welding is slow and takes time to get used to as a beginner. A TIG welder requires a foot pedal to feed the electrode and control the variable amperage while maintaining a steady hand at the welding torch.
Steel is the easiest metal to weld, which explains why it is the most prevalent metal for welding. Carbon steel is also the cheapest metal on the market, enhancing its popularity. Steel is essentially iron and carbon with trace amounts of other things, and MIG, TIG, and stick welding work well on it.
Common causes of weld undercut include excessive voltage with too fast of travel speeds and improper gun angle. When the voltage is too high, the arc tends to push the molten weld pool out of the joint. To prevent the problem, lower your voltage and reduce your travel speeds.
Characteristics of a Good Weld
The sign of a quality and secure weld is that you will not see the weld at all. If there is any visible evidence of a weld, it will be in the form of a bead that has no holes or cracks and is uniform overall. A high-quality weld is made using high-quality materials.
Take Precautions Against Electrocution
Electric shock is one of the most important topics for welders to be educated in, as it can pose an immediate and serious risk. To avoid electrocution, welders must always inspect the electrode holder for damage before starting their weld.
While both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, uphill is generally preferred for its higher quality and better penetration, especially in thicker materials. However, downhill is faster and can be used for thinner materials.
It should be remembered that welding over weld metal is actually a very common occurrence. Multi-pass welds after all are manufactured by welding over weld metal! There are also many accepted procedures in which welds overlap.