"Never Weld Downhill" Nonsense - Real World MIG Welding Tips and Tricks

[@6061]

Primeweld.com code "6061" to save a few bucks. Thanks for watching

[@tomc2748]

I'm really liking these real world welding examples much more than bench welding.

[@ferriswhitehouse1476]

its an unbelievable privilege to get this kind of detailed instructions from such a master

[@martinsaine1336]

Having spent 50 years welding off and on I greatly appreciate your videos. I once heard someone say "he's forgotten more than you know". My response is "If you don't do something because you don't know, or if you don't do it right because you forgot, you still didn't do it! "😂😂😂 Thank you for the educational tips AND reminders! As for downhill mig, many years ago we ran literally miles of downhill dual shield mig on boiler waterwalls in power plants. One plant we were part of the WPS Qualification for downhill dualshield process which performed so well we changed how we thought about this process. Downhill isnt right for everything, but it is right for many things! Good job in this video.

[@shotgun7486]

How is that possible? I thought dual shield wire could only be pushed uphill because of the fluid slag puddle.

[@tanstaafl]

As a Welder waiting at an Airport I pass the time looking at structure and of couse weldments. Always impressed by the ingenuity of others.

[@RyanAUS]

Whoever the goose was with the ‘NEVER’ weld downhill comment is obviously a keyboard welder. 10’s of thousands of pipelines around the world disagree with that statement 😂

[@RobertBeck-pp2ru]

It has its' place.

[@1one3_Racing]

My downhill welds are by far my prettiest! I've seen a few videos where they downhill, uphill and overhand weld then cut and trace them and downhill definitely has the least penetration.

[@6x6Venom]

If I remember correctly they are using cellulosic electrodes which are made to be used for downhill welding pipes

[@LuisHenriqueTSouza]

I think it came from people that only follow what they are told to, without understanding why. If you are stick welding, w 7018 rod, that is true, u have to do uphill. Other rods can do other positions, as well as other welding processes. If you do not understand what u are doing, just doing what u're told, do not tell others what u think they should do...

[@wargamingsupernoob]

We do a ton of downhill at work. 80% faster than uphill. Time is money in a fab shop.

[@tobinthomas8401]

Dude! I am loving this channel! Thank you so much for being so honest with us and taking the time to help us out. I'm hoping to have the cash to get a Primeweld TIG at the beginning of the year, so I'll be watching your vids religiously for years to come. Thanks again man!

[@papaloongie]

I tried the “balance “ trick on some flat bar. I was only out by a little bit. I then tried it on a 12 foot I beam . The doctor says I’ll be out for a few weeks…. Great video. Thanks.

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

🤣🤣🤣

[@rbelang8331]

😆

[@tjviljoen2236]

😂😂

[@GO33155]

Every video you do is helpful and entertaining so thank you, Just keep them coming 👍🏼

[@petem6291]

When I went through the Hobart training program, I remember the instructor saying ( with Arc welding) The key to a good down hill weld is to be ahead of the slag . And there are pipe welding processes that adress down hill welding, for the oil and gas industries. So it’s done every day in certain industries

[@DanLance100]

Yes , like cross country oil and gas pipelines . It's all downhill welding in that business !

[@TurdJesus]

I was taught at my school that you just don’t do it for structural

[@gangleri_0181]

Totally. Watch the bubble. The bubble is your friend. Dont leave it behind. Don't let it catch you.

[@terrypikaart4394]

Down hill mig is my fav, looks good easy!..

[@gangleri_0181]

My first welding job was electrical enclosures/cabinets. We welded downhill on the cabinets all the time. I wanted to see if I could do it in one pass. So, I climbed on a stool reached overhead and welded down, slowly got off the stool and all the way to the floor. Hand was on fire and ruined a pair of heavy welding gloves. Worth it. Primo weld.

[@brianu7313]

Never miss a episode. Thanks !!

[@steveh9106]

We used to weld diesel and oil tanks downhill, corner joint, angle it a bit, and go, one bead and virtually no clean up, some people 😅.

[@BudtheBeekeeper]

I've heard it depends on the situation, a couple of times now, I've also tried it myself. Loving the content Aaron, I always learn something new

[@Preen59]

Downhill is perfect for thin stuff. Great video again, dude.

[@StuPierce77]

Thanks for all the explanation, including the most basic details. Very helpful.

[@SFS13-01]

With 11 ga. (1/8”) and below, I absolutely agree. Nothing wrong with downhill vertical. Anything thicker, I prefer to put the root in uphill. You can always add a vertical down cover pass if you’re going for appearance.

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

Like @RyanAUS commented above, there are thousands and thousands of pipelines around the world with many thousands of miles of same in the US.

[@joeybillings780]

@@Watchyn_Yarwood don’t forget they’re only running downhill on the root and hotpass with 60xx’s. You almost have to be going out of your way to not get penetration with those fuckers. Solid wire is a different animal though. You can lay down a gorgeous looking bead that has absolutely no penetration.

[@treyrags]

It's a little comforting to see that even pros get a little rusty. I've been doing almost exclusively tig the last year or so. I recently needed to do some MIG welding and found myself doubting my ability with it at first. After some practice started finding the groove again.

[@Cptnbond]

I appreciate your content as much as watching Making mistakes with Greg. Nice to see an exercise which is not often shown. I will try that. Cheers.

[@jeffsimonar7161]

I have found that going up to the next setting on my machine works best for downhill 👍🏼

[@adamwest780]

Short circuit hardwire and 6010 rods are things I’ve been taught that are good to weld downhill. It works great to fill gaps and control heat better than uphill/vertical. That being said, there are some things that downhill isn’t great for. Seems like that’s what a lot of people seem to say also.

[@victoriamichellefrances1345]

Hey Aaron, I love your work and I love your vids. Thank you so much. 😍

[@joetuktyyuktuk8635]

As a welder/fabricator with over 30 years in, I can say downhill mig has its places to be used. The issue is, alot of inexperienced users don't adjust settings correctly and or use correct technique. Another issue I have seen is inexperienced welders using downhill welding to save time and using it on material that is too thick for that process to fully penetrate, or using it for welds that need the strength of other welding processes. I've seen lifting lugs that an inexperienced welder had downhand welded, that were ready to let go. I stopped the lift and put the piece back down... called the welder over and showed him where the welds on the lug had already started to crack and pull away, its a good thing I noticed it.

[@WojnarskiWeldingFabricaion]

Liking these video style with explanations. I try to video a project I have and explain it. Definitely makes the videos long.👍

[@jeremyhanna3852]

I been burning metal 20 ish years i still learn stuff from this guy Now I will say on a 50$ bet that I couldn't do it I took 1" vertical plate weld test (3g) i did it completely down hill and passed so it can be done pass prefect got the 50 took the boys to lunch with it

[@jonstone595]

Excellent content as always with insightful narration.

[@charlienewman9824]

Its the welds you want to break apart quickly or easily and they dont give any , then you want a tac to hold and a breeze blows it apart LOL ( If you know you know) Is your middle name ER70S :) Keep up the good content Thanks

[@richarcruz7843]

Thank u for this mig videos very knowledgeable an even more greatly appreciated ur tig videos 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽Primeweld 285 is performing real nice I’ve been thinking about it I just wish Primeweld would come out with a Double Pulse mig Machine 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

[@mikecabral1579]

I was a welder in the late 1960’s early 70’s. As a pipe welder only stick and some TIG for stainless we had to weld uphill. Company policy. Yet all the pipeline welders welded downhill. I only set the welder with Amps and I forget when and why we would switch polarity on occasion. That weld you did here was good and strong. Oh those pipeline welders did more grinding like almost all restarts and did a lot of stringer welds we did weave on caps.

[@jeffschroeder4805]

I am trying to mimic your technique and doing fairly well except for the part involving jumping effortlessly up and down to/from the top of your welding table. I might suggest for other viewers in their 70s that a short step ladder allows me to achieve the same results fairly well. Thank you for your excellent videos. I just subscribed to your training videos. I worked with a pipe welding crew and they welded all, or at least most, of their pipe joints down hill.

[@aj9270]

watch a video on pipeline welding and you will see just about all of the welds on pipelines are welded downhand with the exception of the top and bottom which are flat and overhead respectively and they are x-ray quality welds ... if done properly downhand is every bit as strong

[@tylerhensley2312]

We ran pallets of wire downhill making floor grates at a shop I worked at. Not one single failure to this day.

[@ypaulbrown]

Thanks Aaron…great demonstration ❤❤❤

[@24jh42]

Another grinding tip. Instead of the small grinder with 115 or 125 mm discs. Get the larger 5 or 6" with the possibility of adjusting the speed. Not only will the cut off disc last maybe 10 times longer. It is much easier to keep a straight cut through tubing and reach into corners and tight spaces, plus the speed control means you can use it for buffing, steel brushes, polishing....

[@dirtydave4351]

Thanks for not letting the roorf cave in on me. Been through Salt Lake and Denver airports several times. I was in Logan a couple weeks before you dropped the weld the bicycle around the light pole video to go by Novak.

[@sr20ser.]

What I was taught in welding school was to not MIG downhill on structural items, due to the lack of consistent penetration. They had examples of literally pulling the weld off the parent material and such. Granted, the only time I have seen it in 24 years was at the welding school.

[@RyanAUS]

Is that a left handed plane Aaron? 😂 as always, helpful & entertaining 👍🏻

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

The Milwaukee M12 1/4” angle die grinder is awesome for detailing edges and cleaning off paint and corrosion.

[@steves1592]

Thanks for all your videos 👍

[@Backfire10]

Hi Aaron. Nice work as always Can you show us some work or mods you have done to your mobile machine shop? That mobile unit is awesome.

[@gregrburnett3400]

My old welding instructor has degrees in weld engineering and metallurgy (I think metallurgy, don't quote me on that) and runs a weld consultation business. He told us that vertical down can be more than good enough, but..., all else being equal, a properly done vertical up will be a better weld. They are much harder to get the hang of and to keep on top with that skill. With him having said that, that's what I run with. I HAVE NOT kept that skill up. And I swear, that guy could weld a bunny rabbit to an oak tree and get great results.

[@chiefus3536]

This might be a dumb question. But why do I see so many videos of grinders with no guards on them. I can just see getting a finger ground away.

[@SFS13-01]

That’s what gloves are for. If you want to render a perfectly functional tool useless, put a guard on a grinder.

[@philippericherpepin2825]

If you have leather gloves you can touch the blade it won’t cut you right away you should realize before you cut your finger. the guard is really getting in the way of working with the tool

[@cam509]

I have had 2 wheels blow up on me. First time, I was being very gentle. It truly surprised me. It felt like someone hit my finger with a ball pein and my finger still has a nasty scar 10 years later. The last wheel explosion, I was being aggressive. The guard did its job. I never run without a guard.

[@Jordan-9093]

Another great video, thanks Aaron!

[@schoktra]

Funny, there are countless hundreds maybe even thousands of grates that semi trucks park over and dump their contents through that are all welded downhill by me 20 years ago when I was still welding. To this day none of them have ever been destroyed or replaced for safety concerns.

[@rascalwind]

That sounds soooooo good.

[@jamesa7506]

Nevermind those welds, check out them drawing skills!! Bob Ross would be proud. 👍

[@davidjackson4112]

Arron, thanks for the tips.

[@marshallmazzarelli8797]

UR A OUTSTANDING WELDING CHANNEL BY FAR IN MY OPINION TOP 3 ON KZbin GREAT WORK BROTHER

[@tomuchfunwithgas846]

Like "they" say,never say never. Good life rule. Thanks Aaron.

[@fernandomartins2035]

Before you restart a weld...you feather the edge so it blends beautifully

[@boostedbuiltgarage]

Haha literally did the balance to find centre trick yesterday on a bit of wood I had to cut in half😂

[@smedleypdolittle]

I had a P & H mining shovel brochure, from the 80’s. Downhill at 45 degree’s, was maximum production. If it’s good enough for them………

[@johnkelly7264]

I'm interested in what electrical tools you use and why.. other than the welder which you have mentioned a couple of times recently. I seem to recall you have done that, but I can't find the video. Any help appreciated.

[@onefortheroad2291]

Any advice on welding roll cage nodes in hard to reach areas, like near the roof line? And any problem with mig welding a cage the running back over it with the tig torch just to “pretty up” the weld?

[@davejenkins7909]

Problem? You mean other than poor penetration/,fusion and misrepresenting the quality of the parts that are supposed to keep someone from getting killed in a wreck? 🤔

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

I did a lot of lower class SCCA, mini stock, Pro Rally, NHRA bracket racing, etc from 1990 to 94. All were MiG welded mild steel with most being DOM. I did the ‘roof hoop’ style like NASCAR. I came up with a trick for doing the welds where the RH intersects the main hoop. I would lay a substantial tack on the MH to floor plate joint. About 1/2” of good weld on the MH leg at 12 o’clock and another similar tack at 3 on the left and 9 on the right. The fore and aft CL on the car is 12 to 6:00. With the MH held in place by these tacks I would then fit the RH. I made a ‘fixture’ that I wedged between the floor and the forward portion of the RH. It had a threaded adjustment to wedge the RH back against the MH. Once the RH was fitted I would weld as much of the RH to MH joints as I could easily reach with the mig torch. This would leave about 1/3 of the joint needing welded. . Now I would use a ziz wheel to cut the 3 and 9 tacks at the floor plates. The 12 o’clock tacks are now hinges to allow you to rotate the MH forward. This lowers the joints so you have easy access to do the last portion of the weld.

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

After welding the last portion of the joints you can rotate the assembly back into position and wedge the RH up against the inner structure of the A pillar and windshield opening using the "fixture" mentioned above. The substantial tacks will be securing the MH feet in place. Now fit the front legs and tack them, then the rear legs, etc. Back in the day we weren't using any braces across the RH open area like they do nowadays. These would need to be fitted and tacked before lowering the assembly for final welding of the inaccessible sections of the joints.

[@44hawk28]

Take this for what it's worth but I welded for 40 years. And I always welded downhill. But I never started at the top and welded all the way to the bottom. I started at the bottom and I weld down and then I backstitch it and I go about it and I will go back to that Stitch and continued on that way up the seam. Even as an apprentice I was told you couldn't weld downhill and pass a bench test and I showed the instructor that it most certainly could be done. But I would not show that procedure to anybody else because if you don't figure it out on your own and know how to do it exactly right meaning if you get part of the instruction wrong you can cause a problem, especially with structural parts. I don't know how you missed it but when you turned your voltage down and left the wire speed the same you were actually the heat because within a certain parameter increasing wire speed actually increases heat on a MIG. I don't know how you forgot that. When you decrease wire speed you decrease Heat. It doesn't work the same as a stick welder where if you slow your feed of the stick it actually increases the temperature of the weld

[@ralphkrekel644]

I would like to see you gas weld aluminum. I have dune some in a past life and would like to see how you do it.

[@MET90LX]

I’ve noticed in a lot of your mig videos. You strike a quick arc at the end of a bead. Is that for post gas? I know the cheap little millermatic 140 we have at work doesn’t have post flow for mig. But do any machines? Seems like something they probably should have. Disclaimer I’m not a welder I’m a diesel mechanic. But sometimes I have to weld which is why I watch a lot of welding videos to try to get better at it.

[@AJVAN_]

I weld downhill when welding upright positions and never had an issue.....uphill can be an issue sometimes

[@jonbob585]

You ought to get a gig making warp speed space travel clips and use that bit from 9:38!

[@wizrom3046]

I weld MIG downhill, but I hold the nozzle pointed straight in at 90 degrees. (Nozzle pointed horizontal) You has your nozzle pointed up, which I find blows too much of the heat uphill so the weld fusion is not as good at the front (bottom) edge. I just use the nozzle at 90 degrees and adjust the travel speed. Of course a lot of the technique depends on the material thickness and how the heat needs to get into it.

[@johnhagerty7998]

Would you explain the correlation between wire speed and voltage when MiG welding how one adjustment effects the other

[@tipkoala6171]

I was hoping that you grind any of the restarts, when i weld downhill i have to grind every end because it forms a crater...and that does not happen when welding uphill...i still not figured out why yet...

[@padmanabhaprasannasimha5385]

Curious why you don't use a guard with the angle grinder?

[@MET90LX]

Call me old fashioned but. But I like the old manual hand file to de burr something like flat stock after cutting with a cutting wheel. I find it doesn’t take much longer and I don’t like using cutting wheels to grind for the reasons you mentioned. I don’t like when stuff explodes unintentionally.

[@Theopheus]

My hands have never been steady and they're not getting any better with age. I hate mig welding, but I can do it well enough I passed a cert when I was in my 20's. What helps me is those silver fiber shields they sell that slip over your glove. I put them on my off hand and use it to brace. The brand doesn't seem to matter, mostly. They all have the same weakness, which is the little band that goes across your palm (usually made of some elastic), which will eventually get burnt and break.

[@pbmachines972]

I’ve done tons of real world welding even the hardhat high viz vest folk couldn’t break 👊✌️

[@HSKFabrications]

I laugh at all those "never downhill" comments. I guess they don’t know thousands of miles of petroleum pipelines are all welded downhill 😂

[@ke6bnl]

what is your thoughts on sandblasting part b4 welding

[@MeshkaLepeshka]

What about AL downhill? According to my company wps and my welding mentor and guru (an my experience) it`s not allowed to weld AL downhill? Any vids in near future or past about it? (edited) oil industry, oil platforms LQ from AL.

[@Hood_Tyme_Fab]

Great video again👌

[@titusmoschkau7631]

I work in a sheet metal shop anything that’s vertical pretty much has to be down hill to not blow a massive hole. Mig or tig

[@jesscneal]

I always weld downhill. Had some old timer/boomers tell me not to but I didn't listen.

[@jonathanconway7256]

I always do downhill cuz my uphill is horrible.

[@fredlambert4392]

Back step your mig welds and they will always tie in better and it will minimize distortion. The reason it always looks better might welds always start up cold and end hot so it helps to tie in the hot stop to the cold start/ back step

[@YourFriendlyHoodVampire]

Can you do this with stick welding as well?

[@ZRace67]

I do a lot of stainless duct work that asks for MIG welding. We run everything we can downhill. The KZbin CWI's lose another one

[@PANTYEATR1]

I've always heard welding downhill having a negative stigma for weak penetration. I never had a problem with downhill. It's easier, gravity helps and all of the muscles in the body pull which makes for a smoother torch pull 😎

[@robertshoulette1318]

Can we see one with 7018? I have a friend that goes down hill with it

[@christopherferrara2923]

Look up pipe welding. 6010 root 7018 fill and cap.

[@Comet-hn3gm]

I have built many, many forms to pour concrete into to make electrical vaults. From small to Very large, most of my welds have been down hill when they are vertical, not all but most. They are handled with amateur crane and forklift operators, dropped, run into and beat on with hammers 5 days a week and do not break. Up hill must be better.

[@Kashed]

Watching it at 2x speed you can really see how much the part is affected by the heat input, even though the downhill method imparts less heat.

[@Kashed]

@6061 I agree, there is no way to avoid some kind of warping. I just thought it was interesting. However, I thought that the downhill vs uphill argument was debunked and that tests have proven that they are equal in strength and they both produce a quality weld nugget in cut and etch tests? Am I wrong?

[@jspriver]

I’m self taught and have always welded down hill

[@terryvaughn5066]

Haha, after welding career (30 yrs) with DOD. Anyone that can't weld downhill should just quit, lol many did. 🕊️🇺🇸 Ps. Not everyone is cut out to be a welder. Welders are a special breed, thinkers and listeners, they can build and repair most anything. Only downside, they despise a coat of paint & a job w/o benefits 😊.

[@futten3230]

considering there are spesific certifications for down hill welding i dont see the problem in downhill welding on certain things

[@williamchristine1384]

my API mig qual is in downhill with 100% co2 its for production

[@MHolt3573]

It's crazy you can see it warping in the time lapse.

[@Ghis1964s]

Myths are produce too often by people who can't realize the how of what they've done, no matter if they do it right or wrong. That's sad. As example: They'll use the cutting-wheel the right way to remove the burr, without even realizing it. And then, since it did not blow-off doing that, they'll start using it to grind, til it goes up it the air or worst etc. I'm often time working along others, and they sometime use my tools. I try to keep an eye on how they use it. Or if I suspect someone use my tools while absent, I inspect it quickly. Sadly often times I'm short on cutting-wheels and I'll try to wear it out slowly til it passes the bad spot. That is, also sad. Sorry for my sad comment 😂 ;)

[@tcs9787]

Tips and tricks 🎉

[@mattyd337]

It shouldn't be done if you're using anything with heavy slag, like 7018 or fluxcore. 6010 and MIG are good to go. Downhill with MIG is easier than uphill. Just run it hotter than you would uphill and you're good to go.

[@willsatterwhite4378]

Remember when someone says to never do something they likely never have either and couldn't tell you why as a result.

[@jordanarmijhoo5645]

Good stuff

[@eclecticcustoms]

Umm...I guess I missed the memo? I've been doing downhill for years....

[@moshegalimidi2302]

thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@illtryanything1]

Pinky out like for a nice cup of tea

[@nch8]

My litmus test for someone who's a legit fabricator is whether they use a guard with a cut off or a hard rock. Yup.

[@Demonlord468]

I've never really heard you cant weld downhill with hardwire MIG. Now 7018 Stick and Dual Shield Flux Core MIG you are always suppose to run Uphill Vertical Welds but, thats because they are meant to be run uphill for better penetration because their meant for heavy structural and heavy equipment fabrication. And even then Stick welding they actually make Downhill only Rods. Hardwire MIG if your using high amps and .045 wire downhill welds even on Structural will work just fine. In fact its damn near impossible to run Hardwire uphill with .045 wire .025-.030 is much more suitable for uphill but, really only necessary if you have a weaker machine not capable of welding hot enough. Same principle with pushing hardwire and dragging dual shield flux core its really no where near as important as people make out in fact you can get way better appearances dragging hardwire in alot of case especially outside corner joints for example. And when I weld downhill MIG I always do the same stringer motion I do on horizontal welds to get the similar appearance.

[@michaelc9507]

I know it can be done and I have but it’s the last choice I would make. On something non critical absolute correctly it’s very simple running downhill MiG the technique is something you just learn. Cool video

[@6061]

So what if it's critical that you minimize distortion? The term "non-critical" gets used way too often.

[@michaelc9507]

@ if I am welding one inch thick plate steel and this is something I do one inch and below most time it is SMAW. But same time I have chose to MiG weld additional steel to this particular pieces that is in a quarry feed box lined with AR 450-400 plate. I’m not being critical of your work any way hope you are not offended by or how I said this.

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great

[@kathysarmcandy1992]

I use minimum wire speed and make tight e's with 50% overlap, in tight places. Down.

[@brianb5779]

Heck yeah

[@malglasspool9302]

I thought wfs was heat/amps not voltage? Voltage was more arc length bead profile? Can you explain the effect of wfs vs voltage? Great videos😊