Welding Small Gauge Steel Sideways

S***ch welding an 18 gauge trans tunnel patch panel in.

Welder is a 220v Millermatic wire feed, which has been excellent for me.

The front and back of the patch welded very nice, welding on a flat surface. Weld puddle easy to read, and move along.

However, I'm having a hard time with the sides. The weld needs to go on the side where it's vertical and gravity is letting little nuggets drop of the end of the wire feed. I can't get a puddle. It just drops like little lava bb's.

If I speed up wire speed, it's just too fast either poking through or pushing back. If I turn down heat, it's not penetrating.

How do weld this patch sideways without losing the puddle?

 

You can do the one-spot-at-a-time method. Put decent tack welds evenly spaced around the panel. Allow the panel to cool, and then go back and split the difference between tacks, with more tacks. Repeat until the tacks melt into each other. Correct any alignment or warping in the process. Let it cool until it is cool to the touch before starting in on tacking again. It takes a while, but the results are worth it, for the not warping it. There is really no need for a continuous bead on sheet metal.

Sand the weld flat, gently, as not to build up heat and warp. Grab a beer, and admire your work.

 

You can also turn your heat up a little and your wire speed down . You will get a good tack and it will lay flater

 

try the tack weld method but pointing the gun tip directly at the spot not on an angle

 

Weld downhill making upside down "V's", this is backward for normal welding where you should push but it works great on thin downhill welds.

 

if you have access to a piece of copper flat stock clamp it to the back of what ever your welding... not only does it act like wax paper ( the weld wont stick to it) it is also acts as a heat sink absorbing the heat from the steel... good luck and have fun

 

Wow, 2 first time posters. Thanks for the tips, I'll fool around a bit with these tips tomorrow and report back.

Cheers.

 

higher heat, less wire speed, and straight point from top of tack to bottom put down perfect tack welds. just had to do it a bunch alternating areas.

i'm super happy with the integrity of the welds, but cosmetically.... i buried it like jimmy hoffa under a smoothing grind and seam sealer. i'll hit it with por-15 and get some dyna mat down!

thanks for the great tips.