We had used Lincoln's fillet weld attachment in the past with mixed results -not so much the equipment; more the "user friendliness'.
What we found to be easier is to simply cut some copper tubing, insert that into some automotive heater hose, and put that on the flux bucket. We clamp the nozzle to a rod or guide bar so it drops the flux in front of the electrode at the depth we want.
The guys like this better because it's easier to see the electrode positioning without the wire running through the middle of the flux cup.
The only reason for the copper tubing is that it's available, thin, and fits inside the heater hose, and preheat torches don't merlt it. You can use anything - even the hose itself with no homemade "nozzle" on the end. The weld doesn't care how the flux gets there; as long as the flux is in the joint before the arc/electrode gets to that point.
(You could even have a helper dribble flux in the joint with a scoop - but most people don't think that's very professional)
We have used similar set up with flexable conduit. you can shape & bend it around to put flux down where ever you need it, most of the time just in front of the wire.
What do You do at work, Daddy?
I dribble flux with a scoop.
Doesn't sound so good, does it.
I'm glad I made you smile. Not sure what part you don't like - maybe the word "dribble"?
No it doesn't sound so good to say it. Point is that sometimes we don't need a high tech solution for a low tech problem. Keep It Simple, Simple!
Alan
Ogden Engineering, the maker of the "Dart Welder" sells special heads for Fillet welds that may be adaptable to your application. They feature adjustments for the electrode angle, and have roller bearings that keep the electrode centered in the desired spot for 2-F horizontal welds. I have used a 2108 Dart welder equipped with these heads to do stiffener to web welds and web to flange welds. They also have a flux valve. I have also seen home-made variations of this type of weld head used for groove welds, and flat welds. I made my own variant of this type of head for cover plate to flange welds.
I have tried to adapt and fabricate similar guided heads for FCAW operations, but without repeatable success.
Joe Kane
When I worked for a shop in Florida where we built bridge beams, we used subarc for the fillet welds joining the flange plates to the web plates in the 2F or horizontal position. We never used any "special" nozzels and never had any problems with flux coverage that required anything other than the regular round nozzel. The main problem we had was with undercut on the upper toe of the weld. The ussual cause of that was torch angle as is the ussual (not always) cause of undercut under those circumstances with almost any process of welding. Sometimes the plates would pull or distort due to heat input, or slight variation in fit-up. With manual processes of welding the welder can vary the torch or rod angle to compensate and keep the metal flowing into the joint correctly to fill the crater as the weld progresses. With sub-arc this doesn't happen on most welding heads. There may be some newer machines that can follow or compensate for this, but at least with the ones I've had experience with torch angle, and electrode stick-out pretty much are set-up before the weld starts. These parameters can be changed while the weld is progressing, but with machine we had this was hard to do and ussually ended up causeing more trouble. It was ussually better to stop the weld reset what needed and then restart the weld. Bear in mind these welds were ussually from 60'-120' long and the machine was putting in both welds at the same time. One on each side of the web joining the web to the flange. This kept the operator (me on day shift LOL) very busy watching both welds at the same time. The beams were built to DOT specs and there were state inspecters walking around through-out the shop at all times and quality control was very tight. Rest assured that when you drive over a bridge or overpass that was built with beams that came from that shop they were of the highest quality craftmanship. I'm getting off topic sorry, but that I know of there is no need for any special nozzel for sub-arc of fillet welds in the 2F position. There may be some made for this purpose but I've never saw or used one.
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