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LEARNING
TO WELD
Whether you have welded before or not,
it is important that you become familiar
with your new welder, its controls, and
the results achieved at different settings.
We strongly recommend that you
practice with your new welder on scrap
metal trying different heat settings, base
metal thicknesses, and welding positions
for each type and size of wire that you
will be using. By doing this you will gain
a feel for how changes in these welding
variables affect the weld.
Of course, if you have not MIG welded
before, you will need to develop welding
skills and techniques as well.
The self-taught welder learns through a
process of trial and error. The best way
to teach yourself how to weld is with
short periods of practice at regular
intervals. All practice welds should be
done on scrap metal that can be
discarded.
Do not attempt to make any
repairs on valuable equipment until you
have satisfied yourself that your practice
welds are of good appearance and free
of slag or gas inclusions. What you fail to
learn through practice will be learned
through mistakes and re-welds later on.
HOLDING THE GUN
The best way to hold the welding gun is
the way that feels most comfortable to
you. While practicing to use your new
welder, experiment holding the gun in
different positions until you find the one
that seems to work best for you.
Position the Gun to the Work Piece
There are two angles of the gun nozzle
in relation to the work piece that must be
considered when welding.
1.
Angle A (Figure 4) can be varied,
but in most cases the optimum
angle will be 60 degrees. The point
at which the gun handle is parallel
to the work piece. If angle A is
increased, penetration will increase.
If angle A is decreased, penetration
will decrease also.
_\
Angle A
Figure 4. Gun Position, Angle A
2,
Angle B (Figure 5) can be varied for
two reasons: to improve the ability
to see the arc in relation to the weld
puddle and to direct the force of the
arc.
\1
Angle
B
Figure 5. Gun Position, Angle B
The force of the welding arc follows a
straight line out of the end of the nozzle.
If angle B is changed, so will the
direction of arc force and the point at
which penetration will be concentrated.
On a butt weld joint, the only reason to
vary angle B from perpendicular
(straight
up) to the work piece would be to
improve visibility of the weld puddle. In
this case, angle B can be varied
anywhere from zero to 45 degrees with
30 degrees working about the best.
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