Joined
·
34,703 Posts
Long leg of the J into the puddle, or ahead into the cold seam? I like to run the long leg of a J ahead to get some heat into the seam ahead, then drop the curve of the J back into the puddle...seems like if I do a C, a D, or a V, I get too convex of a weld, and not enough heat in the joint. If I do a J, I get a lot of heat forward into the weld, and I can shape/fill the puddle with the curve of the J. Gives me a bigger HAZ, and a very nice flat weld profile (not concave, not convex).If I have an "L" shaped area to weld with one of the two sides being vertical I will run a "J" type pattern ware I creat a ramp with each stroke to run up and hold it aginst the vertical piece. This pattern greats a flat stack of dimes.
I have been welding stick for 20 years, 3 of them well, and only started MIG this winter, so I'm trying to apply the same principles of catching both sides of the base material and watching the puddle.
Finally got a bottle of Argon yesterday, so I'm ready to try the Parker TIG. (I scored a couple of empty 15.5 gal SS kegs to cut up and turn into a bbq smoker)