Klutch MIG 180SG Owner's Manual page 20

6. WELDING TECHNIQUES
EXPOSURE TO A WELDING ARC IS EXTREMELY HARMFUL TO THE EYES AND SKIN!

Prolonged exposure to the welding arc can cause blindness and burns. Never strike an arc or
begin welding until you are adequately protected. Wear flame-proof welding gloves, a heavy
long sleeved shirt, trousers without cuffs, high topped shoes, and an ANSI approved welding
helmet.
ELECTRIC SHOCK CAN KILL!

To prevent ELECTRIC SHOCK, do not perform any welding while standing, kneeling, or lying
directly on the grounded workpiece.
a. Moving the torch - Torch travel refers to the movement of the torch along the weld
joint and is broken into two elements: Direction and Speed. A solid weld bead
requires that the welding torch be moved steadily and at the right speed along the
weld joint. Moving the torch too fast, too slow, or erratically will prevent proper fusion
or create a lumpy, uneven bead.
Travel direction is the direction the torch is moving along the weld joint in relation to
the weld puddle. The torch is either PUSHED into the weld puddle or PULLED away
from the weld puddle.
For most welding jobs you will pull the torch along the weld joint to take advantage of
the greater weld puddle visibility.
IMPORTANT: When MIG welding aluminum materials, a PUSH technique is
required to provide proper gas coverage and weld penetration.
Travel speed is the rate at which the torch is being pushed or pulled along the weld
joint. For a fixed heat setting, the faster the travel speed, the lower the penetration
and the lower and narrower the finished weld bead. Likewise, the slower the travel
speed, the deeper the penetration and the higher and wider the finished weld bead.
b. Types of welding beads - As you become more familiar with the welder and better at
laying some simple weld beads, you can begin to try different weld bead types.
The STRINGER BEAD is formed by traveling with the torch in a straight line while
⚠WARNING
⚠WARNING
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