With about 5 minutes of training, anyone can run a bead with a mig welder. Thats why its sometimes referred to as "monkey welding"... you know... "so easy a monkey can do it". or "you can teach any monkey how to mig weld." But when it comes to welding vertical uphill and overhead, no monkeys have been trained lately to make good overhead or uphill mig welds. Its hard enough to find humans that can weld uphill and overhead. But with the right voltage and wire feed settings, and just a few good mig welding techniques, you can be confident on your uphill and overhead welding.

There are lots of good mig welding techniques that work. Today I am only going to give you one. But it is the main one, and following it can really improve your welding a bunch. It's a mig welding technique that works for practically anything. If you read closely, and apply what you read, your welding will improve by about 200 percent.

Some come on in and have a seat and see if you can pick up what I am laying down...

It's so simple that you will wonder why it isn't on a placard on every mig welder sold.

Here it is:

"Trace the front of the puddle."

So what is so great about this mig welding technique? Think about it for a second. The front of the puddle is the business end. Its where things happen... its where penetration occurs. And since the leading edge is always advancing, if you trace it in a rhythmic fashion, your travel speed will be just what it needs to be and your ripples will be evenly spaced and you will get a good looking weld that is also penetrated like it needs to be.

• Lets face it, you need both. You don't want to be known as the guy who makes gorilla welds. You know , ugly, but strong.
• You also do not want to be known as the guy who makes pretty welds that you can peel off with a can opener.
• Tracing the puddle gives you pretty welds that are strong too.
• For vertical uphill welds, tracing the puddle might look like an upside down V, or it could look like a rainbow, depending on the joint type.
• For overhead welding, it might look like a series of backwards C's. depending on the direction. No matter what position or what type of weld, it works.

So remember this tip..."Trace the front edge of the Puddle".