Simple MIG Welding Technique - Flat, Horizontal, Vertical & Overhead | Welding Tips & Tricks #MIG

[JODY] Hey, Jody here.

Thanks for watching
another video

from WeldingTipsAndTricks.com.

I've got a lot to cover today so
we're gonna get right into it.

1f, 2F, 3F, and 4F T joint, all
using the same exact technique.

This is part one and part two.

I'll also stack a bunch
of beads using a slightly

different technique,
and then we'll do a cut

net and check and make sure
we penetrated everything.

Let's do it.

This is the technique,
and basically it just traces

the leading edge of the puddle.

Flat, horizontal,
vertical uphill,

and overhead,
same technique,

just traces that
teardrop shape in the

front of the puddle.

First up is flat,
1F flat T joint.

The F stands for fillet weld.

So for the flat,
the 1F and the

horizontal 2F,
I'm gonna be

using a slight pull
angle, a drag angle,

and just from that I
know that I'm gonna

get some comments saying
that I should have been

pushing it, but I'm gonna
keep everything the same here.

I'm gonna use the factory
recommended settings on

this ESAB Rebel 205.

This is the one that does
TIG, AC/DC, as well as MIG

and stick and flux-core.

And I'm going to use factory
recommended settings for

quarter-inch thick steel,
except that I drop the wire

feed speed by about 10%.

Recommended also is
35% on the inductance.

I'm gonna get into that probably
doing some messing around with

that later on changing that.

I already have done a little bit
of changing and running some,

some tests at 100% inductance
on some thin stuff uphill, but,

um, for right now, 20 volts, 333
inches a minute, 35% inductance,

and I'm gonna be using this
technique, which is gonna

keep my arc toward the
leading edge of the puddle.

So I'll be watching that,
that tip of that wire and

try to make those little Vs,
try to keep that up in the front

of the puddle so I can punch it
down into the root of the joint.

Again, I'll do the cut and
etch in a part two video here

to see how we did on that.

With all short circuit MIG
welding, it's important

to watch your stick out,
and that's the distance

from the contact tip
to the arc basically.

And I'm trying to keep that
less than half an inch,

three-eighths probably
even better.

So take a look at your nozzle
and contact setup and make

sure your contact tip isn't
recessed way back up in there.

This is about flush.

Flush works.

I would kind of prefer it
to be protruding just a

little bit because on a,
on a fillet weld like this,

you can only get in there so
close because of the nozzle.

All right, 2F horizontal.

It's almost the same as 1F.

It's just a little
bit different.

It's really no more difficult,
but same exact technique.

I'm gonna be tracing the front
leading edge of that puddle,

get that arc punched down in
there to get penetration.

Same thing,
little bit of

a drag angle.

I've done lots of videos push
versus pull, and there are,

there are definitely
differences, but you

can penetrate using either
one with short circuit MIG.

Pulling seems to
penetrate a little deeper.

When you get into
spray transfer,

that's when I would
say push as a rule.

You can also pull when you
have to, even using spray.

But again, I'm using the little
series of Vs sort of, tracing

the front edge of that puddle,
trying to stay up in the front,

trying to hold a
short stick out.

And I got to mention that
this is probably not the

best technique for looks.

I have found that it doesn't
look quite as good as like

doing a series of cursive
Es or something like that,

but whenever I've done
cut and etch tests,

this technique has always
been very consistent getting

penetration into the root.

Now, I'm sputtering
here like crazy

And I discovered the reason is
I did not get a good ground.

I didn't, I forgot to attach
the ground to a good spot.

So basically I'm grounded
here on this little tree

And I'm grounded through
a rusty plate and it's

transferring through the
table, up through a vice,

and that was sputtering
like crazy toward the end

because of the ground.

So a ground is super
important with MIG welding.

That wire's coming out whether
you got a ground or not.

For overhead,
a lot of people think

you need to turn the
machine down so that

it, the bead won't sag,
and I have found that I

run it pretty much the same
as I do flat or horizontal.

What is really important
though is gun angle.

So if I do use a little bit
of a drag angle, I'm not

gonna use much angle at all.

In fact, after the fact here, I,
I noticed that I was doing a

little slight, slight drag
to start with, but then,

then kind of transitioned
into a little bit of a push, and

then I didn't even realize it.

But you know what?

Dead nuts straight in,
90 degrees is something

really good to shoot for.

You don't want to get carried
away with too much push, you

don't wanna do too much pull.

So shoot for 90 degrees,
you'll be good to go.

Once again,
the technique

is the same,
just tracing

the front edge
of the puddle,

and once again
trying to keep my

stick out as short
as possible without

bumping my nozzle
all over the place.

I think the short stick
out probably helps

more than anything,
as well as the good hot

settings for overhead.

So let's do that.

Couldn't hardly capture
a good, you know, line of

sight here with the camera,
so this is sort of a trailing

shot here, but you can sort of
see that I'm using that same

technique and I'm trying to
keep a really short stick out.

As I mentioned before, um,
on the part two of this thing,

I will also stack two more,
at least two more beads

on each one of these,
probably a lot more

than that actually,
and then we'll do a cut

and etch and then we'll
check the root penetration

as well as in-between layer
penetration on that video.

Now for the vertical uphill,
I am turning this thing down,

and basically I'm just using the
next metal setting down for the,

from the chart that's on
the inside of the machine,

and I'm dropping the wire
feed speed by about 10%.

And once again,
I'm sounding like a

broken record, I know,
but keeping a short stick out,

super important on being able
to punch that arc and that

wire down into the root.

I ran into that grounding
issue on an earlier joint

on the horizontal,
so I've got that bare

copper strand of wire in
addition to the clamp, uh,

clamped directly to the
piece here, so I should

be getting a good ground
from start to finish here.

Sweeping that arc right up into
the, into the root of the joint.

It looks,
it kind of

looks like a V,
especially on the

vertical uphill here.

But again, I'm just, uh,
a series of upside down Vs,

and once again this is probably
not the best way to make the

best looking, uh, weld uphill or
any of the others, but it works

as far as getting penetration.

Just a good go-to technique
if you're in doubt, if you

don't have time to practice
and perfect techniques to

make everything look great.

It's just a good go-to technique
to make a good sound weld, and

that's what's most important.

Hey, just got some
new TIG gloves in,

added them to the store.

Black ones, just like the other
ones except black so they

don't show so much dirt.

Nice then, nice and soft,
no seam on the palm where

sometimes it pops open

And you get a hot spot there.

You could check them
out at WeldMonger.com.

That's my store.

That's how I support
these videos.

See you next time.