val274•4h ago

DAE realize that puddle control is everything for vertical up MIG?

Honestly, I've been struggling with vertical up welds on 3/8 inch mild steel for what felt like forever. Tbh, my beads kept coming out uneven, with either too much penetration or ugly sagging. Ngl, I was about to resign myself to only doing flat work. Then, I remembered an old-timer saying to treat the puddle like it's wet paint, smoothing it out as you go. I slowed my travel speed and focused on keeping a tight, consistent arc length. After a couple of test pieces, the weld profile cleaned up perfectly, with no undercut. It's a minor milestone, but finally nailing that technique has boosted my confidence on site projects.

2 comments

2 Comments

kais131h ago

Caleb, when you said it feels like unlocking a secret level, I totally get it. My first vertical up attempts were so bad, they looked like a toddler tried to glue two pieces of metal together with melted crayons (seriously, it was tragic). I was so focused on the machine settings that I forgot the puddle needs actual steering, like you mentioned. Once I slowed down and watched the arc length, it went from a messy blob to something that almost resembled a weld bead. Now, if I could just stop burning through my gloves every time I overcorrect, I'd be golden.

caleb_price2h ago

That "wet paint" analogy you mentioned... I used to be convinced that wire speed and voltage settings were the only keys to vertical up. But after struggling with my own sagging beads, I saw a guy who made it look effortless by just working the puddle slowly. It completely shifted my focus from machine settings to hand technique. Now I realize that arc length and travel speed are everything, because they let you steer that molten metal where it needs to go. Getting that rhythm down honestly feels like unlocking a secret level in welding.