- Thread starter Rich#1984
- Start date
Brad93
Member
- Messages
- 19,276
- Location
- Essex, United Kingdom
You’ve got two options to do your first run.
Option 1: A straight up wiggle. This gives you a 3-4mm leg fillet that is a bit peaky. You can then cap this off with a weave.
Option 2: Triangle Method/Xmas Tree Method.
Gives a wider flatter fillet but requires the machine to be dialled in and good eye hand co ordination.
Option 1: A straight up wiggle. This gives you a 3-4mm leg fillet that is a bit peaky. You can then cap this off with a weave.
Option 2: Triangle Method/Xmas Tree Method.
Gives a wider flatter fillet but requires the machine to be dialled in and good eye hand co ordination.
Munkul
Jack of some trades, Master of none
- Messages
- 7,862
- Location
- Cumbria
They don't look far off to me!
I've always subscribed to the christmas tree method, if I try a wiggle or a zig-zag I can't get it to look right at all. Tracing the front of the puddle with an exaggerated inverted V motion and a good pause on each side works for me, although it would take some practice to be confident again.
I'm no expert though!
I've always subscribed to the christmas tree method, if I try a wiggle or a zig-zag I can't get it to look right at all. Tracing the front of the puddle with an exaggerated inverted V motion and a good pause on each side works for me, although it would take some practice to be confident again.
I'm no expert though!
I do less of a christmas tree and more of a slight "n" shape. Pass fairly quickly across the middle of the puddle, then pause on each toe before crossing quickly to the other toe and pausing again. While crossing quickly, I don't go from toe to toe so quick I bring the wire out of the puddle. I've found it very useful to count in my head when weaving uphill, so in my head I count to three. Across from toe to toe is 1, the pause at each toe is 2 and 3, then I start at 1 again when traversing the puddle again. It works for me and get things looking a lot neater.
I would get as many scrap pieces as you can and just do uphill fillets over and over again. Its also good quick practice for the uphill butt as the technique is similar but the fillet requires no plate prep.
The pic below was from several years ago when I was first learning uphill MIG on a piece of scrap as I'd finished my C+G level 1 pieces early. Its not brilliant, but practice makes perfect.
I would get as many scrap pieces as you can and just do uphill fillets over and over again. Its also good quick practice for the uphill butt as the technique is similar but the fillet requires no plate prep.
The pic below was from several years ago when I was first learning uphill MIG on a piece of scrap as I'd finished my C+G level 1 pieces early. Its not brilliant, but practice makes perfect.
I'm a subscriber to the Christmas tree method, I've just finished my level 2 C&G and found that with the small weave I wasn't pausing enough at the edge of the weld.
Once you have the xmass tree technique down it really is therapeutic, I would also say that before we did each of the welds our instructor always made sure we read and understood the criteria of each weld.
They don't have to be 100% perfect every time.
Once you have the xmass tree technique down it really is therapeutic, I would also say that before we did each of the welds our instructor always made sure we read and understood the criteria of each weld.
They don't have to be 100% perfect every time.
A quick run up the middle and a cap would likely be easier to get to grips with but it's all dependant on what your comfortable with!
Either way, just remember to forget about the middle! Sounds counter intuitive but on a t fillet like that the middle will look after itself, it's dialing in the time spent at each point that'll make or break the end result
Either way, just remember to forget about the middle! Sounds counter intuitive but on a t fillet like that the middle will look after itself, it's dialing in the time spent at each point that'll make or break the end result
Brad93
Member
- Messages
- 19,276
- Location
- Essex, United Kingdom
Whatever technique to you use, the weld has to be within some sort of parameters.
It’s no good doing some lovely weave on an 8mm thick piece of steel, but when measured the leg lengths are 10-12mm long. That’s over welded - you’re creating excess stress in the join.
Its also no good if the weave hasn’t penetrated into the root. Depth of fusion is the main thing with vertical fillets.
Whipping across the middle is the main cause of this.
What you need to do is get penetration, this can be checked in a few places along the joint with an etching solution like Nital. You can use naval jelly, stainless pickling solution and oven cleaner. But Nital is instant.
It’s no good doing some lovely weave on an 8mm thick piece of steel, but when measured the leg lengths are 10-12mm long. That’s over welded - you’re creating excess stress in the join.
Its also no good if the weave hasn’t penetrated into the root. Depth of fusion is the main thing with vertical fillets.
Whipping across the middle is the main cause of this.
What you need to do is get penetration, this can be checked in a few places along the joint with an etching solution like Nital. You can use naval jelly, stainless pickling solution and oven cleaner. But Nital is instant.
Mid Wales welder
Welder coding and NDT services
- Messages
- 671
- Location
- Powys, U.K.
That’s not a bad attempt. What size wire are you using? 0.8mm is a lot easier to use than 1mm and 1mm is easier than 1.2mm. We have tested a coupe of vertical up procedures using a broken arc method with 1.2mm wire in spray transfer. This is basically a series of tacks close together and not slowing the puddle to cool off much between tacks. You can use a spot timer if your machine has it, set to around 1.5 seconds on/off.
This makes a good fillet weld with acceptable leg to throat ratio and has excellent penetration.
