Mig Welding, Push?, or Pull

[zmike]

Guys, I am new to the welding scene, and recenlty purchased a Hobart Handler 135 Mig welder, I have a 40 cu. bottle and have been practicing welding using .30 wire.

I am welding mild steel (basic fabrication, jeep project)

I am getting nice looking welds with decent penetration using the pull technique, however others have told me to use the PUSH technique


the thickest stuff I will be welding is 3/16's mild steel nothing thicker.....

any input on patterns, C's?, or U's, or J's??? would be appreciated, everytime I try the push technique, it get ugly booger welds..

[Seldom]

Hi ZMike,
This attachment should answer your first question. Before I try and answer your second question, what positions are you welding in and are you using just a single pass weld or a weld with multiple layers?

[R. Nelson]

Re: Mig Welding, Push?, or Pull

Originally posted by zmike
Guys, I am new to the welding scene, and recenlty purchased a Hobart Handler 135 Mig welder, I have a 40 cu. bottle and have been practicing welding using .30 wire.

I am welding mild steel (basic fabrication, jeep project)

I am getting nice looking welds with decent penetration using the pull technique, however others have told me to use the PUSH technique


the thickest stuff I will be welding is 3/16's mild steel nothing thicker.....

any input on patterns, C's?, or U's, or J's??? would be appreciated, everytime I try the push technique, it get ugly booger welds..

Thats a great example Seldom posted, but when welding aluminum, you have to push, because the shielding gases have to stay ahead and on the puddle.

[zmike]

Thanks for the pics,

It says in the diagram that a PULL technique will get better penetration, I am guess that it will be a little stronger with a lighter welder than with the pull technique.

I am going to be welding suspension parts very soon, once I get the hang of it.

I have been welding different ways, then letting the stuff cool overnight, then slicing it open with the chopsaw to check penetration, so far I have been getting about 1/2 of the thickness of base metal as penetration, is there a standard?

with a 3/16" plate steel, I penetrate (dig in) about 1/2 way through the base metal with pretty wide heat effected area..

I guess I just need to get the technique down to easy, I keep having the tendency to want to go too fast I guess and get gappy welds with some porosity in it...

I have a relatively smallwelder, but it seems to do the trick for what I have been doing...


any other tips, besides just practice, read, practice, read, practice, read???

[Seldom]

That’s a smart thing you’re doing there Zmike, cross-sectioning a weld is always a good thing to do if you can see the depth of fusion line without an etch. It sounds as though you’re getting all that you can expect.

Other then reading and trying to relate to still photos, taking a night welding class is always the very best thing to do if you have the resources. There is so much to technique that it’s very difficult to explain it and far better for all concerned to actually show it. Possibly you might find a video that would help with instructions. Then there’s networking. Do you know anybody who uses the mig process and is experienced? I you do, see if that person will share some of their expertise with some “hands-on” mentoring.

[zmike]

Yeah, I have a couple of buddys local that do it for a living, both are fabricators,


I does seem that each person you speak with has a different preference as to Pushing, Or pulling the gun..


Just trying to get all of the lingo down.

When people refer to as the "root" are they referring to the joint where the 2 pieces of metal join?...

[Seldom]

That's correct. The bottom of any weld joint and the first pass put in is called the root pass.

[chip hayden]

hope no one minds an amusing story about technique and semantics.
years ago, i took a course at miller in appleton and we were discussing penetration and weld appearance vs. direction of weld.
i referred to relative direction as "forehand" or "backhand". wow! did i get flak from the instructors and the other students. i was informed that "backhand" and "forehand" was lincoln terminology and the correct miller terms were "push" and "pull"! ****, i didn't know what orange ruffey was either.

[Thomas Harris]

if your gmaw you really can get welds that look good and are crap in terms of strength. no penetration to the root and lack of fusion are tough to see from the outside. but they can and do happen with wire welders. I've had some that look ok and could literally be removed intact with a cold chisel. These were quick tacks put down on dirty steel. The little bit of smaw experience I have showed me just how much better these are for dirty/corroded steel. 6010's just blow right through it. Never used the big migs, probably different animal atogether there. Make sparks!