Overhead MIG question

[gangel99]

I'm an amateur welder with a 115V Mig, welding up a metal railing out of square tube. I noticed that in the overhead position the sound was intermittently that nice 'frying pan' spatter sound and that I got a ball of molten metal at the end of the wire. Other positions worked just fine.

Tube is .0925 steel; wire is.023 steel. My mig does not have real wire speeds and amperages - but the settings were correct according to the chart.

After awhile it occurred to me that the Argon/CO2 mix is probably heavier than air and so maybe I was losing some of the shielding. Do I have that right? If so do you turn the gas up or use a different welding process?

Thanks for the help.

[precisionworks]

You need a cooler arc for the puddle to freeze overhead ... before it drips

Turn back the volts/wire speed at least 10% from the setting you use for flat position welding. Your normal gas setting (20-25 CFH) should be fine.

[Billet Benny]

Don't go over kill with the volts, but INCREASING your wire speed will actually help.

[Faberimicator]

Yeah I wouldnt adj. voltage just bump up the wire speed a bit. Overhead can be a lil tricky and takes lots of practice

[Pile Buck]

I personally think the biggest problem people have with overhead is the “fear factor” . The sooner you realize you’re going to get burned no matter what you do the better off you are. Depending how the over head is to be done, say standing up. Always wear a belt, tighten it up. Why? If those little ballllls of fire roll south of your belt you’ll know why!
If you have to tilt your head to the side very much, turn the brim of your cap over that ear. Or wear some ear plugs. I personally don’t like ear plugs, because I like to hear the weld.

Far as settings, I use all of the above, just depends on what the puddle requires at the time.

[scratch built]

If done right it's the same as all other positions. Just go faster so your puddle doesn't bunch up.

[Coalsmoke]

I personally think the biggest problem people have with overhead is the “fear factor” . The sooner you realize you’re going to get burned no matter what you do the better off you are. Depending how the over head is to be done, say standing up. Always wear a belt, tighten it up. Why? If those little ballllls of fire roll south of your belt you’ll know why!
If you have to tilt your head to the side very much, turn the brim of your cap over that ear. Or wear some ear plugs. I personally don’t like ear plugs, because I like to hear the weld.

Far as settings, I use all of the above, just depends on what the puddle requires at the time.

can't you hear with plugs still? or has all that pile banging taken its toll? I generally wear earplugs for everything but tig.

[Pile Buck]

has all that pile banging taken its toll?

WHAT! WHAT’D YOU SAY?

Nope I never wore earplugs when driving pile. I always wanted to hear exactly what that hammer was doing. I could be in the back of the barge, and just by the tone of the hammer I could tell if it needed adjusted . You want a tone like a hammer hitting an anvil!

[bretsk2500]

If you have to tilt your head to the side very much, turn the brim of your cap over that ear. Or wear some ear plugs. I personally don’t like ear plugs, because I like to hear the weld.

yeah... getting weld spatter in your ear really sucks and is suprisingly loud.

[dandimand]

overhead requires a little more wire speed that is about it .

[Engloid]

I agree with the others.....more wire speed.

Also, you may need to travel a little faster to keep from sagging.

[BigEd36]

yeah... getting weld spatter in your ear really sucks and is suprisingly loud.

So it the yell you give out when it happens!!

[Pile Buck]

So it the yell you give out when it happens!!

Yeah, ever have it actually give you a headache for the rest of the day?

[J hall]

Yeah, ever have it actually give you a headache for the rest of the day?

I hate those headaches... They come shortly after the frying sausage sound, which I also hate

Ever wonder what happens to the burning dingleberry that fell in there?

[bretsk2500]

So it the yell you give out when it happens!!

you know, the first time it happened, it took me a minute to figure out what had happened after the blinding pain in my ear susbsided.