reb78 Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 As it says in the title really. Is there a special art to this. I'm still doing my rear crossmember and have welded a bet of brackets on to weld the crossmember to. When i am upright i get a good weld. On the same metal (so i know the settings are correct), when i'm upside down i get little penetration on the part i'm welding the bracket to. (The metal is clean) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discomikey Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 if its ARC, you need special "uphill" welding rods, we use these on the farm a lot and they work, it gives a better weld and helps to prevent slag dripping onto you. you should be able to get these from most of the appropriate stores, i got mine from TBF i think HGV direct and some other places do these too. mikey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 if its ARC, you need special "uphill" welding rods, we use these on the farm a lot and they work, it gives a better weld and helps to prevent slag dripping onto you. you should be able to get these from most of the appropriate stores, i got mine from TBF i think HGV direct and some other places do these too.mikey Thanks. I should have said above that its MIG welding. Very frustrating that i can get a good weld on the metal one way and upside down i get a very messy weld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Thanks. I should have said above that its MIG welding. Very frustrating that i can get a good weld on the metal one way and upside down i get a very messy weld. It can depend on the quality of welder you have. The cheaper machines don't have such powerful wire feed motors. Try turning the feed up to stop the weld running back into the gas shroud. If you are still not getting the penetration you need to turn the amps up too. If you get too much spatter the feed is too high. My first welder suffered from all these problems, the more pro type models are rather more consistent whatever way up you are working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmannnn Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Is there a special art to this. Yes. I think you can sell your soul to the devil in exchange for this skill. In theory you need to turn down the heat, heat goes upwards so this should stop the molten metal dripping off. I have never had much success though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewy1984 Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 In my limited experience, i find geting the torch angle's right is abig help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Why cant i weld upside down!? cos your not a ozzie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barmiebrumie Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 make sure you 'push' your weld not 'pull' it & yes it does take a lot of practice, after 25 yrs I've just about cracked it John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I've had limited success welding upside-down, all the above advice is good - you have to angle the torch & push not pull, having a leather apron or something spatter-proof to cover yourself with helps massively too if it is still not playing then you can stitch it in short bursts, not so nice but it does stop you building up too big a drip of metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nas90 Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Do some practice welds at 45°going downhill to keep the weld pool behind the gun. Then steepen the angle until you can weld vertically. Usefull if you can do that downhill or uphill. The steeper the angle the quicker the weld or less power. If you can weld vertically then the next step is upside down. Keep your shirt collar tight and your mouth shut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Thanks all. The trouble is its a tight space, so angle of the nozzle is difficult in places, also because its tight, its difficult to see with the visor on - i cant get my head in the spaces! I am pushing not pulling - getting on quite successfully when i have good access. The welder is a Butters AMT 170C (- i dont think these are bad machines?). Tried lots of combinations of amps and feeds, but think i've got it and it goes naff again! Its not too important as the good weld i've done on the face is the bit that will take the stain oin this bit. The upside down weld was more for cosmetic purposes and to 'seal' the plate against water ingress. The most annoying part is that the good weld will be covered up once the crossmember is fitted and it will be possible to see the rubbish weld if you look close enough (at least i know there are adequate welds on there!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Do some practice welds at 45°going downhill to keep the weld pool behind the gun. Then steepen the angle until you can weld vertically. Usefull if you can do that downhill or uphill. The steeper the angle the quicker the weld or less power. If you can weld vertically then the next step is upside down. Keep your shirt collar tight and your mouth shut If you can drop one side & raise the other so that it's not completely upside down that helps too - maybe leave the bottom seams to the end & do it with one side lifted? Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandyManLuke Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Have a look on www.mig-welding.co.uk, there are helpful tutorials and an active and helpful forum on there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon B Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Have a look on www.mig-welding.co.uk, there are helpful tutorials and an active and helpful forum on there. That's a good forum, MIG is a bit sensitive to this if you can just get a slight amount of dowhhill on it then go downhill you'll be amazed at how different it is to trying to go uphill - as it were!? - I'm not a proper welder by the way! If thats not working get some old plate and practice but it does sound like you've tried this already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Please do not weld MIG downhand....... It is hard enough to get a strong MIG weld without doing that..... What you are trying to do is called overhead. You need the welder set just right and then you need to weld it just right. You should practice on test pieces where you have good access and viewing first. Personally I would suggest using stick instead. It is very hard to get strong welds with a MIG and much easier with stick. It is also easier to work in tight situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GL88 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Suggest you also try it with a solar powered welding helmet because that removes one major source of difficulty. I only paid about £50 for mine (nobody I could borrow one from) and while it wouldn't be up to full time professional use it is great for my occasional needs. It definately helped a lot with the last bit of overhead welding I had to (and it is jolly helpful for 'easier' welding as well). (And if you fill your profile in to say where you are then someone might offer to help.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 Suggest you also try it with a solar powered welding helmet because that removes one major source of difficulty. I only paid about £50 for mine (nobody I could borrow one from) and while it wouldn't be up to full time professional use it is great for my occasional needs. It definately helped a lot with the last bit of overhead welding I had to (and it is jolly helpful for 'easier' welding as well). (And if you fill your profile in to say where you are then someone might offer to help.) I have a solar helmet and it really is a great help. Strangely since you ask, i am also in herts.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Suggest you also try it with a solar powered welding helmet I'd suggest that anyone who doesn't have an auto helmet these days may as well live in a cave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I'd suggest that anyone who doesn't have an auto helmet these days may as well live in a cave LOL, I work in the welding industry. I rarely see a professional welder with an auto dimming helmet. It make no difference when you know what you are doing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 LOL, I work in the welding industry. I rarely see a professional welder with an auto dimming helmet. It make no difference when you know what you are doing.... When you're welding all day, you can weld with your eyes closed, but for random scrabbling round under cars they're fantastic as you don't need to worry about it. A head torch on the front makes it even easier to see what's what before you strike up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 A head torch on the front makes it even easier to see what's what before you strike up. aha, so its not just me that has a little LED headtorch blu-tacked to the front of his mask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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