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Backhand welding

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Brad20j

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Nov 20, 2006
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I took a welding class over the weekend. Concentrated on TIG per my request. It was lots of fun, but I see I need much more practice. We welded steel and aluminum, and I got some pretty good beads, as well as some ugly ones here or there, but I felt that I started to understand the puddle and to be able to see what it needed and how much rod to add, etc.


I cut up some tubing and fit it close enough for practice. But here's a question: in trying to weld with the grain, one has to weld from left to right on two quarters of the typical tube intersection. Do you all do this by backhand welding, or do you flip the torch to the other hand? Or do you just weld around the joint in a circle to avoid welding the opposite way.


Welding backhand caused me some problems. Maybe it's a matter or practice, since I didn't do much of it in the class, but my rod kept sticking on the back side of the puddle, and I made some holes inthe tubing wall here and there that I had to fill in.


So what do you do/recommend?


Thanks
 

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