Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey folks,

I have a pretty general welding question about body positioning and breathing habits while welding in different positions. For example I'd like to hear from you all how you deal with breathing smoothly to keep yourself comfortable while heavily focused on the puddle, while perhaps:standing up tig, one handed stick, two handed stick, etc, vs sitting down.

I would like to use myself as an example since I am a beginner and probably have some bad habits and would like to readjust them appropriately. To begin, I mainly have experience with stick welding, but I am also learning to tig weld. I am mainly standing while I am doing it. I have a scrap metal welding practice stand I made out of .5in square bar stock to tack pieces onto for padding beads. The stand is a bit wobbly if you don't let it settle or hold it with one hand.

1G: I find that the pinky thumb technique that Jody has shown really works well for me. I can cleanly weld one handed as well in 1G and breathing and staying relaxed isn't a big issue. My hands and arms are relatively in the same place other than maybe shuffling feet. 1G isn't really an issue.

2/3G: Once I move to 2G or 3G then breathing and hand technique becomes interesting. Now my arms are supporting my hands more and the muscles need to be ready to move smoothly left to right/right to left, bottom to top (7018 vertical up). I find that I hold my breath subconsciously while making a pass. It helps me stay still, but when I exhale it is much harder to stay still, compared to focusing on breathing while making the weld. I feel that the breathing modifications come in only when the arms are supporting the hands while they are at the neck or above if that makes sense. I am almost always mostly welding one handed in 2G/3G so I can steady up my test stand. I have never tried to use the pinky thumb technique in 2/3G due to never having anything to prop on, but two handed isn't the best option due to my stand. Due to this I am now very comfortable welding one handed; my beads come out pretty straight (enough for practice), and I can tell when I am going to slow or too fast and I adjust for the next pass.

Circling back to my question, I'd like to hear about breathing, body positioning, hand positioning, in home environments, but also real world applications. I understand that not all welds can be made on the welding table in the vice in the perfect position so I am sure some of you have good practice making it happen in the worst case.

Thanks!

Wrapping an arm around and grabbing a back pocket or belt loop helps.

Being generally strong and having good core stability is good too. And diaphragmatic breathing through the nose deep into the belly rather than up in the chest helps. There are plenty of youtube vids on that.

Yup, through your nose, not your mouth.

Holding your breath for more than 10 seconds while performing small muscle tasks (finger/hand) actually makes you begin to shake. You may not feel it, but it is true. Slow, natural creating through your nose if the task takes more than 30 seconds, or several minutes is the key. But your dilemma points more to “confidence” than physiology issues.

To weld well, in any process, you must be relaxed. You can be braced and still relaxed, or even standing on one foot with the other hovering over a TIG pedal and remain relaxed. It’s how you will find your natural physical balance. To avoid fatigue, you want to prop somehow.

For Stick, out of position, try making a clamp that you can grab the work piece with, and tack on some flat stock to rest your arm upon, then pinky-thumb. It’s just a simple tool that can move with you, be positioned anywhere, and help you immensely.

I do a lot of position work, in pipe racks or off ladders. And sometimes all it literally takes is resting just one finger against something to steady yourself. I don’t wear a tig finger all the time but I’ve used a small one, on just a pinky finger on my torch hand. Then extende my pinky kinda like a drag/ kick stand. Tig or stick.

bap_ wrote:Hey folks,

I have a pretty general welding question about body positioning and breathing habits while welding in different positions. For example I'd like to hear from you all how you deal with breathing smoothly to keep yourself comfortable while heavily focused on the puddle, while perhaps:standing up tig, one handed stick, two handed stick, etc, vs sitting down.

I would like to use myself as an example since I am a beginner and probably have some bad habits and would like to readjust them appropriately. To begin, I mainly have experience with stick welding, but I am also learning to tig weld. I am mainly standing while I am doing it. I have a scrap metal welding practice stand I made out of .5in square bar stock to tack pieces onto for padding beads. The stand is a bit wobbly if you don't let it settle or hold it with one hand.

1G: I find that the pinky thumb technique that Jody has shown really works well for me. I can cleanly weld one handed as well in 1G and breathing and staying relaxed isn't a big issue. My hands and arms are relatively in the same place other than maybe shuffling feet. 1G isn't really an issue.

2/3G: Once I move to 2G or 3G then breathing and hand technique becomes interesting. Now my arms are supporting my hands more and the muscles need to be ready to move smoothly left to right/right to left, bottom to top (7018 vertical up). I find that I hold my breath subconsciously while making a pass. It helps me stay still, but when I exhale it is much harder to stay still, compared to focusing on breathing while making the weld. I feel that the breathing modifications come in only when the arms are supporting the hands while they are at the neck or above if that makes sense. I am almost always mostly welding one handed in 2G/3G so I can steady up my test stand. I have never tried to use the pinky thumb technique in 2/3G due to never having anything to prop on, but two handed isn't the best option due to my stand. Due to this I am now very comfortable welding one handed; my beads come out pretty straight (enough for practice), and I can tell when I am going to slow or too fast and I adjust for the next pass.

Circling back to my question, I'd like to hear about breathing, body positioning, hand positioning, in home environments, but also real world applications. I understand that not all welds can be made on the welding table in the vice in the perfect position so I am sure some of you have good practice making it happen in the worst case.

Thanks!

I try to rest my arm on block of wood and stand so do not get burn
This works for cutting too

Most time I had to do hard weld I leather hood for very close location

Dave

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

I sing or talk to myself to keep my breathing going. Sounds weird but it's always helped me take the mind off remembering to breath when concentrating really hard and the breathing just happens normally.

Demented wrote:I sing or talk to myself to keep my breathing going. Sounds weird but it's always helped me take the mind off remembering to breath when concentrating really hard and the breathing just happens normally.

I'm starting to worry about you...Do you ever answer yourself?

tungstendipper wrote:

Demented wrote:I sing or talk to myself to keep my breathing going. Sounds weird but it's always helped me take the mind off remembering to breath when concentrating really hard and the breathing just happens normally.

I'm starting to worry about you...Do you ever answer yourself?

Not yet, but thats bound to start happening one day.

Thanks for all the tips and advice.

cj737 wrote:For Stick, out of position, try making a clamp that you can grab the work piece with, and tack on some flat stock to rest your arm upon, then pinky-thumb. It’s just a simple tool that can move with you, be positioned anywhere, and help you immensely.

I will give this a try.