Aluminum Welding

This welding training exercise uses 2 common joints included in most aluminum welding training curriculums.
The Lap joint...and the Tee joint welded in the 2f position.
2f means horizontal fillet.
...and thats kinda weird because it seems that because they are on the welding bench right in front of you, that they are in the flat position.
But flat position or 1g would actually be done with the piece on a 45 degree angle where the weld is deposited in a trough.
I understand the need for proper welding terminology but when it comes to welding training, I think its a waste of time to begin with tee joints and lap joints in the 1g or flat position.
2g horizontal is no more difficult and once you master it, you can certainly do flat position laps and tees.
Aluminum welding training exercises like the lap joint and tee joint can use up a lot of aluminum.
Its expensive.
So in order to get the most out of each piece of metal, it helps to use a joint like I used in this weeks video.
A lap and Tee combo joint. Both sides of the tee joint are welded and you dont stop there. after both sides of the Tee joint are welded, 2 more beads can be welded that offer really good practice in stacking beads properly...and in heat control as the weld gets thicker and the heat saturates the aluminum joint.
And if you are not already running pretty good looking aluminum welding beads, back up and do the aluminum drill.Aluminum pretty much exaggerates everything that happens when tig welding steel. Arc length and angle have more effect than on steel, touching the electrode to the puddle makes a lot more difference than on steel, varying amperage using the foot pedal is harder, the puddle characteristics change more quickly due to conductivity, even gas flow rates require more care.