Is it better to weld up or down? (2024)

Is it better to weld up or down?

For material thicker than sheet metal, vertical welding generally should be performed uphill. Welding thinner sheet metal can be performed downhill because less penetration is needed, and the faster travel speed produces cooler temperatures that prevent burn-through. But that's a subject for another article.

Uphill vertical welding is the preferred choice when stick welding thicker steel. On pieces larger than 1/8", welding uphill provides better penetration, therefore, good weld strength and fusion.

Generally, flat is an easier position to weld in since you're not fighting gravity. The weld puddle stays fluid and wets into the joint evenly. As a result, operators can typically run hotter with higher deposition rates. You can use any welding process to weld in the flat position.

Work angle: With wire welding, hold the gun at a 10° to 15° angle into the direction you are pushing the weld. With stick welding, maintain a 20° to 30° lead angle in the dragging direction. With a fillet (tee) weld, hold the rod or wire (regardless of weld process) at a 45° angle between the two pieces of metal.

By welding uphill you'll be able to penetrate deeper into the metal, stacking the weld up and giving it time to penetrate into the joint. For thin metal, such as on automotive welds, you can weld downhill and even do a stringer. The big difference comes with the metal thickness.

On thinner-wall pipe, downhill welding enables operators to run “hot and fast,” increasing productivity compared to welding uphill, which is required on thicker wall pipe to increase heat input to ensure complete penetration.

Vertical up tends to give better control of the puddle and better penetration. With vertical down you tend to end up racing the puddle and with stick it is much harder to avoid slag inclusions, although for thin sections with MIG or TIG this can be used to advantage to reduce heat input with a higher travel speed.

Weld from the bottom up.

Like building a house, you cannot start the bricks at the top. Weld metal is a liquid. When it goes in it needs support, that is why we need to always start at the bottom.

Overhead

The overhead position weld is the most difficult position to work in. The welding will be performed with the two pieces of metal above the welder, and the welder will have to angle him or herself and the equipment to reach the joints. One major issue can be the metal sagging from the plate.

The overhead welding position is done from the underside of the joint. It is the most difficult and complicated position requiring a high skill level.

Why can't I weld upside down?

Ignore Engineer's obsession with copper windings, it's like a stuck record and we're all getting very bored of it. The problem you have while welding upside-down is that gravity wants to assist the weld pool in forming nice, red hot globs which have a nasty habit of falling off and landing on you.

Flat Welding Position

Also known as the downhand position, the flat position is the easiest of all the welding positions. A flat position is the common type of weld. It is the first weld that beginners learn. In this position, you are not welding against gravity.

Always pull (or drag) your stick welds. If you try and push your electrode, all you're going to do is trap the protective slag inside the weld pool, where it will be the opposite of protective. It'll contaminate your weld instead.

Causes of weld spatter can be worsened further by factors including poor quality welding wire, overly long or short arcs, incorrect mixtures of gas, poor welding surface conditions, incorrect welding torch angle, improper wire feed speed, grounding location, loss of shielding gas or wind, and moisture in the atmosphere ...

Because pancake welding helmets are made from thin metal and balsa wood, they are light and comfortable, ideal for long days and the strenuous outdoor work associated with pipeline welding.

The types of weld flaws that could have been present since fabrication include: misalignment of the weld joint fit-up; “lack-of-fusion” in areas that have not fully melted and fused during welding; and cracks associated with the solidification of the liquid weld metal.

E6011 is the ideal choice for welding through light to medium amounts of dirty, rusty, painted or galvanized materials. Typical applications include general-purpose fabrication, repair work, galvanized steelwork, structural work and shipbuilding.

The big cons of downhill is that if you do not keep control of the weld puddle, you will end up with slag inclusions and lack of fusion defects. I am sure that other will be able to add to this reply. Typically uphill is regarded as more suitable for higher pressures.

7018 will run downhill pretty good if you get it set up right but it's like 6013 or 7014; you don't get much penetration. Most of the time if you've pulled out the 7018 it's because you're going for max strength and you're only going to get that with an uphand weld.

MMA welding (process number 111) is a fusion welding procedure. More precisely, it is a metal arc welding procedure.

What does 135 mean in welding?

135 metal active gas welding (MAG welding); 136 tubular cored metal arc welding with active gas shield; 141 tungsten inert gas arc welding (TIG welding);

Groove Weld (G): A groove weld is created when filler material is deposited in a groove between two metals. Fillet Weld (F): A welding method for vertically combining two metal parts. The Welding Positions.

The training options for electricians and welders also differ because electricians need formal training through coursework and apprenticeships before they can practice alone, while welders only need enough training to prove their skills for the job.

Job Outlook

Employment of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032. Despite limited employment growth, about 42,600 openings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.

An edge joint is the weakest type of weld join, so isn't suitable for load-bearing jobs.