Quote Originally Posted by SundownIII View Post
Pushing the bead will result in a flatter crown with less penetration.

Pulling the bead will result in a more "humped" crown with more penetration.

That's my experience, and it can be confirmed in nearly any welding reference.

I agree with you though, that a slight weave will tend to flatten the bead. Penetration on .120 material should be a non-issue assuming your other parameters are set correctly.

Hmmm... I always get less of a crown with the pull so i had to check some references and alhough it does give better penetration (as stated by you, I and references i have found) the pull technique has always given me a lower profile and less rounded bead. Now i'm not argueing as there's too many variables that can be user/operator related, but just stating that i get lower profile beads with the pull technique when all other settings are the same on the machine and on the same material and joint type.

Sitting here thinking about it I would guess that the reason i get flatter beads is from the amount of stickout I end up running based on the technique i'm using at the time ( i tend to have more stickout when pushing)

As far as the rep telling you not to weave the bead from one part to another, I can't speak from a structural integrity standpoint but i do NOT weave when butt welding thin materials or working with tubing joints. I just use small bursts traveling in a forwad direction to avoid burn through. I should also add that i'm not nearly the weldor that 90% of the members here are, I'm more of a fab guy that welds, so i'm just speaking of what tends to work best for me.