[mookie]

so what's the secret or technique for nice looking upside down welds with a mig welder? turning up the wire speed seems to help some but it still sputters and pops and makes stalagtites etc....

[Straightjacket]

Thats a hard one,you can tweek amp,and try different patterns,but keep moving or it'll fall in your face.Other than that alot of practice. Don't forget ear plugs! It sucks when a ball of red hot metal falls into your ear and your trying to finish your weld before the sizzeling stops and the pain begins.

[Pin_Head]

Run fast and cool. Make multiple passes. Basically, don't give it time to drip. As soon as the puddle forms, move out.

[tonkota]

Wear ear protection.

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Originally Posted by tonkota

Wear ear protection.

X2!!! Nothing will put the fear of god in you like hearing your ear wax sizzle from molten metal falling in your ear. That was a close call that I hope to never experience again!

I like to go hot and fast upside down. Hot so you get the penetration you need and fast so you don't give it time to puddle. Also, I tend to do shorter sections, instead of trying to weld the whole thing in one pass.

[D'Animal]

I think I would rather roll my rig over in the shop then weld upside down. I have yet to master it.

[cruiser88]

Yep....cool and fast

[HappyGilmore]

Go to the Miller Welding website and look at their 'tips' section. They go over welding upside down.

[mookie]

thanks guys....one thing i' have learned is to wear a fireproof jacket when laying on your back and welding above you....i was welding like that once and started seeing a light at the corner of my vision, took the mask of and my sweatshirt was on fire!

[astonmartinv8]

Mig is not as critical as Tig, but to prevent or reduce the amount of splatter.. (if i spell that correctly), surface should be free of grease, oil, or paint. Tack weld prevent warp, and finish the weld.

Merry Christmas

[Texx]

It's a way of life here in the oilfield. You just need to learn to stand on your head, and have about 25 years of experience!

[scouthead]

Originally Posted by tonkota

Wear ear protection.

Originally Posted by Arya Ebrahimi

X2!!! Nothing will put the fear of god in you like hearing your ear wax sizzle from molten metal falling in your ear. That was a close call that I hope to never experience again!
.

Originally Posted by Straightjacket

Don't forget ear plugs! It sucks when a ball of red hot metal falls into your ear and your trying to finish your weld before the sizzeling stops and the pain begins.

Glad I'm not the only one dripping magma into my brain.

My welds never look as clean as I would like when they're upside down... but my best have always been when everything was clean, tight, and I bump the flow of the shielding gas on my mig way higher than where it normally would be... and then I only do small areas...
I think I get bumbed out every time I have to do it. Pain in the ass.

[yotawheeler]

lower your wire speed, and dont weave at all, just ring a stringer and if you need it wider, do multiple passes. for protection, i use a hoodie that i dont like with the hood up under my normal leathers, ear plugs if u have them and a mask of course...good luck

[tltaylor22]

Real men weld upsidedown with thier shirts off and wearing welding gogles instead of a mask!

Like has been said, make sure your materials are super clean. Other than that, just practice and see what works for you.

['69 Yota]

Originally Posted by HappyGilmore

Go to the Miller Welding website and look at their 'tips' section. They go over welding upside down.

Thanks for the suggestion. That's an awesome resource. Here's the site: Miller - Resources - Improving Your Skills . I've been struggling to learn how to use my TIG and that's very helpful. Good tips on the overhead as well.

[hzj76niger]

Hello, trouble on the bottom

Well fisrt of all don't feel bad if your, out of position welds don't look good the first few hundred times. This is a skill that does not happen overnight I have been welding for ten years in the Alberta oil field and I still have bad days. Any way here are a few tips. First of all making a good weld is all about being comfortable. Find a position that works for you and like a lot of people have said wear the right safety gear. If you are worried the whole time about burning yourself you will not be thinking about your weld. Second to make a good weld you need to see your weld puddle make sure you have clean lenses and the right shade of lens. Next like some have already said clean the area to be welded (remove oil paint and rust). 90% of a good weld takes place before you even strike an arc. Now you are ready to start welding. In a few of the posts people sudjested to weld cold and fast, well this might not be the right way of putting it, if you weld to fast and to cold you will get what we call cold lap or lack of fusion. More important than a nice looking weld is a sound weld looks will come with time. If you are welding very thin material that will not take much heat, without melting you want to use a push tecnique, ie. push the weld puddle. If you are welding thicker material you can use a pull tecnique. You will notice that in overhead welding gravity is not your friend, so like others have said you want to keep your weld puddle as small as possible and do multi passes if you need a larger weld. When welding out of possition think about which way gravity will pull your molten puddle and adjust your gun angle accordingly. If you have two diffrent thicknesses of metel focus your heat on the thicker piece because it will take more heat before melting. As for your weave tecnique there are a number of options, you can find them online at millerweld.com or Lincolin. The one thing to remember when you are weaving, where you point your mig wire you will deposit metel. Duh you say no doubt. So when you are weaving pause at your edges until you see the weld puddle tie in with the parent metel and go faster over the middle so you don't deposit as much weld material in the middle(because you pass over the middle twice as much as the edges). I hope that helps a little and hey remember you won't get good over night. When the weld starts to get out of hand, STOP, grind off the lump and continue welding. Goodluck and if you have any other questions send me an email I will be happy to answer.



For those of you who have tasted the taste of burning ear canel we salut you.

Pipliners and pressure welders do it in all positions.

[inthewall]

Originally Posted by tltaylor22

Real men weld upsidedown with thier shirts off and wearing welding gogles instead of a mask!

Like has been said, make sure your materials are super clean. Other than that, just practice and see what works for you.

Real men wear polyester when they weld.

I made the mistake of wearing polyester thermals one time.

[chicago]

Ive got a remembrance on my shoulder from welding upside down...My dumb ass was wearing a tank top.
RustyTLC thought that my wife was burning me with a cigarette behind closed doors. We dont even smoke!
When Im welding upside down, Ill roll something up that I can put under the arm pit that I can angle up and lay to the side. My rig is SOA, so I have the space I can do that though.

Chicago

[Gold Boy]

i don't bother, to much pain...

but you could try one of these new fangled welding upside down suites.

[archie]

Using a mirror that you're willing to throw away afterward helps(sparks will melt glass). Look for broken mirrors in the alley and cut up useable sizes. Wearing a wet rag around the neck also helps with sparks getting on your skin. Wear a helmet if it doesn't inhibit access, because you'll move your head so fast when you get a spark in your skin that you'll bump your head against something. The helmet will also prevent sparks on the scalp/hair.