We have been in the welding industry for more than 43 years and have come across a plethora of weld patterns that professionals achieve based on their requirement and some based on their pure passion. Weaving pattern is one such example where to cover the portion of welding the most commonly observed iterations are single weave pattern and the zigzag weave pattern that the above image shows in accumulator welding. Professionals manually do the walk the cup bead which is similar to the zigzag weave.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!But the most interesting part of the welding TIG is the pattern that enhances the bead aesthetics. All the major weld industry covers the weld bead to the predominant level of Radiography clearance from the bead that they get, on the contrary very few are sharply focussed on achieving the design pattern on the bead which can set it apart from the rest and also shows the best form that can be put in place for every such bead width.
Weave bead welding is exactly as it sounds; you will make a weaving pattern in order to cover a larger area. You use this motion to make cover welds over stringer beads (multipass welding). In other words you use this when you are layering welds. It’s used when you make two or more welds on the same seam.
The potential problems that can occur from poor weaving techniques is that you can undercut the weld bead edge as well as have bad fusion. Bead width is of great importance before even deciding the single or double weave pattern (double weave most commonly called as zigzag weave). As the regular norm is weld a single for a gap within 10mm and anything more than that we should be doing multi pass and the the final bead to be done with double weave or zigzag weave that gives a better look and finish. The below zigzag weld bead is achieved by our CYLINDER WELDER.
8 or ZIGZAG Weave Bead Welding Patterns :
The following welding techniques are not all the ones you can use or try. There are many. But these are some of the more common ones that you can practice in addition to the ones above.
Straight-Stepped Weave Technique:
This is a commonly used technique for multipass welding, string beads. You can use this technique in all positions.
The J Technique:
The J welding technique is good for some lap joints and butt welds.
The T Welding Technique:
This is a good technique to use when you are in the vertical welding position or the overhead welding position.
The Circular Weave Technique:
A circular motion can be a good technique for welding in the flat position. It’s also good for other types of welding like surface welds.
The C and the Square Weave Motion:
If you are welding in the flat position or the vertical welding position you can try this technique.
Figure Eight and The Zigzag Technique:
The figure eight and zigzag weaving motion is a good technique for making a cover pass when you are in the vertical welding position of flat welding position.
10 Techniques To Practice!
The chart below includes all 8 techniques above plus two more (the V and the upside down V which can be used uphill). Click the image for a larger view or to print. And for a PDF full letter size version click here.
Multi Pass Welding:
When you are welding thick plate you are going to need to make more than just one stringer bead weld to fill the gap and make it strong. So we do what is called multipass welding.
A multipass is when you lay several beads on the joint. And multipass requires you to use a weaving technique after you lay a stringer bead.
Tip: Make a short pause when you weave to avoid undercutting and achieve quality fusion of your material.
Here’s another multipass welding example on .5 inch plate. If you are going to do a fillet weld on a tee joint and it’s .5 inches thick or more make a stringer bead and then do two more passes as shown below:
Tack Welding:
Basically, a tack weld is used to maintain stability of your metal as you weld. But it’s also a good technique for avoiding distortion. For example, if you are welding square tube you might be tempted to tack weld each corner one after the other. And you should. But you first should put it in a vice, clamp it, or fit it in a jig and then tack weld each opposite corner to keep the gaps uniform around the tube.
Tacked Lap Joints:
Tack Welded Tee Joint:
