Forney MIG 180FI, Operating Manual

Page: 21 / 38

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There are two basic types of weld beads, the
stringer bead and the weave bead.
1. The STRINGER BEAD (Figure 12) is
formed by traveling with the gun in a straight
line while keeping the wire and nozzle cen-
tered over the weld joint. This is the easiest
type of bead to make.
Figure 12. Stringer Bead
2. The WEAVE BEAD (Figure 13) is used
when you want to deposit metal over a wider
space than would be possible with a stringer
bead. It is made by weaving from side to
side while moving with the gun. It is best to
hesitate momentarily at each side before
weaving back the other way.
2. The HORIZONTAL POSITION (Figure 15)
is next in difficulty level. It is performed very
much the same as the flat weld except that
angle B (see HOLDING THE GUN - p.19) is
such that the wire, and therefore the arc
force, is directed more toward the metal
above the weld joint. This is to help prevent
the weld puddle from running downward
while still allowing slow enough travel speed
to achieve good penetration. A good starting
point for angle B is about 30 degrees DOWN
from being perpendicular to the work piece.
Figure 15. Horizontal Position
Figure 13.
Weave Bead
WELDING POSITIONS
There are four basic welding positions: flat,
horizontal, vertical, and overhead.
1. The FLAT POSITION (Figure 14) is the
easiest of the welding positions and is most
commonly used. It is best if you can weld in
the flat position if at all possible as good
results are easier to achieve.
Figure 14. Flat Position
3. The VERTICAL POSITION (Figure 16) is
the next most difficult position. Pulling the
gun from top to bottom may be easier for
many people, but in some instances it can
be difficult to prevent the puddle from run-
ning downward. Pushing the gun from bot-
tom to top may provide better puddle control
and allow slower rates of travel speed to
achieve deeper penetration. When vertical
welding, angle B (see HOLDING THE GUN -
p.19) is usually always kept at zero, but
angle A will generally range from 45 to 60
degrees to provide better puddle control.
Figure 16. Vertical Position