How to Vertical Weld with both Stick and MIG

If you are searching for tips on how to vertical weld with either Stick or MIG, then I hope these short videos will help you. 

If you think a short course on stick or mig would be helpful, visit welderskills.com

7018 Vertical Uphill Tee joint 

How to Vertical Weld uphill with Short arc MIG

The 2 main things that make vertical uphill welding more difficult than flat welding are:

1. the effects of gravity on the molten puddle
2. not figuring out how to be steady and confortable

The way to overcome the effects of gravity with 7108 stick welding is to use the correct amperage, favorable rod angle,  and to hold a tight arc length.

With Short circuit mig welding, correct voltage and wire speed settings, gun angle, and stick out are the keys.

With both processes, less amperage is needed than what you would use for flat or horizontal.

For example, a 1/8" 7018 electrode can be run at 130 amps for a flat or horizontal fillet weld.

But 130 amps is often too hot for vertical uphill with a 1/8" 7018.

115-120 amps often works much better and is more controllable.

The same thing goes for short circuit mig welding.

MIG settings charts might suggest 20 volts and 450 inches per minute for a fillet weld on 1/4" steel.  That might work just fine but trying to weld uphill with those same settings on 1/4" steel often results in a sagging and uncontrollable puddle.

Simply selecting settings for 1/8" or 3/16" and also reducing wire speed by about 10%  is an easy way to set a mig welder for vertical uphill welding.

You can't always be comfortable but you can try

They say the ABC's of Welding are

Always

Be

Comfortable

Obviously, if you are standing on a ladder, or laying in a ditch under a pipe weld, you are not going to be as comfortable as you are at a welding bench.

But there are usually things you can do to get more comfortable in any situation.

When I was a pipe welder there were many times where the pipe was just high enough off the concrete to make it uncomfortable except for the very bottom few inches.  After just a few inches, I was in a bind and started shaking.

I remember seeing an older welder welding the same type of weld and he was reclining on a wedge made from plywood.  Smart.

After that, I started doing the same thing and I was a lot less tired at the end of a day.