MIG welding upside down, tips needed

[Jim Comet]

I am trying to improve the welds that hold on my sub frame connectors. I have ground the metal clean and am grounding close to the weld area. My problem is the weld nugget just falls off or clumps for the most part. I have tried .024, .030 and .035 wire on multiple heat and speed settings. I am wondering if anyone has a tip to help me weld a bead and not clumped nuggets. Welding on the bench or vertical I am able to lay down a nice bead so I am sure the welder is working fine. I am using argon/co2 mix shield gas set at 25 psi. Thanks, Jim

[machoneman]

Lots here that may help although all I've done is arc welding upside down which is also a bitch!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvjZNTqi_aU

[427Fastback]

This question is kind of like fixing some ones brakes over the phone but I would stick to the .024 wire .I always turn my wire speed up when I overhead weld..

Would need to see pics of your welding to figure things out..
What kind of machine do you have ?

[Hemi Joel]

Have you confirmed that your settings will create proper welds an easy positions?

[Jim Comet]

Yes welder works great on flat and vertical surfaces. It most likely will take more experimentation and patience on my part. I will check the you tube link after work. Thank you and I appreciate the advice and thoughts. Jim

[Heo]

Problem is the molten puddel gets to heavy. Either to hot to
much wire or both try to weld short about 1/2-1 inch passes
and let it cool weld on another spot and go back

[fekbmax]

I use a slow wire speed, small wire and the stitch welding technique. Short burst, well penetrated tacks. It takes a while but oh can end up with a decent looking weld with good penatration.
Tig is really the way to go for overhead but you can get good results with MIG as well.
Good luck.

[Jim Comet]

Thank you for the Video. I cut my hood back even with the electrode and did some experimenting. I am using a 110v Craftsman welder and found if I increased my wire speed along with the High #4 heat setting, I can now lay down a weld bead. I just have to be carefull to keep my electrode at the front of my puddle. Thank you for the video and tips. I don't know that I am ready to lay on my back and weld up a funny car chassis, but I do feel confident the welds will hold up just fine. Jim

[cjshaker]

I use a slow wire speed, small wire and the stitch welding technique. Short burst, well penetrated tacks. It takes a while but oh can end up with a decent looking weld with good penatration.

For mig overhead, I've found this to be the best way. Stitch welds do not build up a big enough puddle to drop if you keep the heat and wire speed down lower. I'll do a sort of "1/4 moon" weld, a quick half circle that builds just enough heat to melt the parent metals and add some wire for for the filling/joining. A quick stop after the single stitch weld, just enough to let it solidify, then on to the next stitch weld. It works very well, but still takes some practice like any welding. I just did a bunch of overhead on my truck welding up my hitch, supports and braces. The most important thing though, is a VERY good welding cape and cap, and make sure your sleeves are tucked into your gloves!

[FERoadster]

My suggestion would be to practice the direction of travel compared to the angle of your wire. You can lead and follow.
I learned to overhead weld by doing a lot of vertical down passes holding the weld bead above the wire. The argon/co2 flow seems to hold it up.
As others have said speed and heat are a key.
Never use HF wire (junk to me I've got a almost spool I now use for tying things together) use a good high quality wire.
My preference is something around .032. Too large wire cools the weld and causes spurts.

From what CJShaker just said -- protection. I also use Kevlar arm sleeves on hot days, they go above your elbow. Used at GM for sheetmetal handling. Got mine from a gal I dated back in the 2000's now I'm not shy to weld overhead.  Body position is also important so you can see what's going "on".

Richard >>> FERoadster

[gdaddy01]

I like to wear ear plugs when welding overhead , keeps the hot stuff out of your ears and makes me more comfortable . sometimes can hear the welding arc better .

[Falcon67]

25 psi?  I believe my regulator is calibrated in CFM.  I use 20 CFM for shielding.  I use .030 wire, crank the voltage up a bit and hit it in spots - bzzz-bzzz-bzzz.  Also helps to jack the car up on that side.  Maybe way up, to get more of an angle than straight down.

[cjshaker]

25 psi?  I believe my regulator is calibrated in CFM.  I use 20 CFM for shielding. 

Same here, 20 CFM is about ideal. More than that and it can start to blow the weld around.

And a BIG +1 on the ear plugs!! It only takes one time of hearing your ear wax sizzle and you'll understand this FAST! I learned this almost the hard way. PROTECT YOUR EARS.

[Jim Comet]

I was doing pretty good and happy with the welds I was getting after some experimenting. Then in the middle of a weld I ran out of wire. I installed a new spool of wire which was a different brand. For the life of me I cannot get this wire to work. It is a spool of Chinese wire from Menards. Yesterday I stopped in and bought a spool of Lincoln brand wire and will try that to see if it is better. Thanks again for the tips. Jim

[Falcon67]

Wire makes a difference.  I buy my spools at a welding supply.  Costs more but it's decent wire.