How to Weld a Vertical Joint
- 1). Put on safety glasses, a welding helmet, welding gloves, leather shoulder and neck coverings and any other necessary protective gear. Vertical welding places the arc closer to your face than other welding positions, which increases the need to protect your eyes and skin from the arc.
- 2). Prepare the surface of the material you want to weld by using a chipping hammer and wire brush to clean away slag, dirt, rust and paint. That provides a stable arc and the best possible penetration, which is the distance below the material's surface where the metal fuses during welding.
- 3). Adjust your welding machine amperage to about 15 to 20 percent less than you would use for flat or horizontal welding positions. This will give you better control of the puddle of molten metal created by the arc as you weld.
- 4). Strike the arc by taping the welding electrode on the surface of the material you will weld.
- 5). Hold the electrode so that its bottom leads its top 15 degrees in the direction of travel when you weld upward, or vertical up. Work the electrode side to side in an oscillating motion while building a shelf of weld on which to lay the level each time.
- 6). Hold the electrode so that its top leads its bottom 15 degrees in the direction of travel when you weld downward, or vertical down. When welding downward, move down more quickly than you would normally while moving the electrode side to side slightly. The faster travel speed keeps the molten metal and slag from getting ahead of the electrode. Vertical down is easier than vertical up. Due to its lack of penetration, though, it is used only for thin metal.
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