Before you spend a lot of $ on an autodark shield, I'd suggest you try both autodark and fixed-shade shields. I started with autodark, and it wasn't until the headgear for that shield broke that I tried one of the fixed-shade shields at the school where I was taking a welding course. What a differen...

My favorite are pigskin gloves. They're thin, the leather is somewhat stretchy, giving a good fit, and they used to be fairly cheap, but I don't think Tillman makes them anymore. I got several pairs when Tillman discontinued them. If you can find some, they're nice. Maybe check ebay.

Since most stick welding is already done with so-called "reverse polarity" (DC electrode positive), I suspect you're gonna confuse yourself -- and definitely a lot of us -- if you talk about "reversing polarity" on reverse polarity. Probably save everybody some confusion and grie...

weldin mike 27 wrote:Yep mate, steel, stainless steel and any other material that states DC electrode positive for welding..

If you tig the stainless, you'll probably have a better outcome with DC electrode negative, though...

Somewhere along the line I heard that you should avoid using (some? all?) abrasives on aluminum that you plan to weld because the abrasive grit can contaminate the aluminum, and since some abrasives are aluminum oxide (the same stuff that's in anodizing and in the layer of oxidation that you normall...

If you sharpen your 3/32 tungstens to a needle point, there will be no difference. That's kind of the point. That has not been my experience when welding at real low amperages for the tungsten size in question ... though all I'm using are transformer-based welders (don't know if that makes a differ...

If you're getting a lot of warping and heat distortion, try upping the heat and moving faster. Your overall heat input will be less. And let it cool down in between passes. Normally, I will use a 1/16" tungsten up to about 125A but you can use 3/32" if you have a good grind on it. I suspec...

Remember helium rises where argon is heavier than air...

Oscar wrote:Turn the amperage up from 20A up to 200A.

...and add some helium while yer at it...

What is that, a tapeworm?

Poland308 wrote:Read closely. The seller upgraded to a new welder and that’s why the posted one is for sale.

So maybe they need the space more than they need the money...might be worth a lowball offer.

If you're getting discoloration due to too much heat input, try turning the heat UP -- as much as you can stand it -- and moving faster. Try cranking it up until you can't keep up with it with your filler hand. (This is assuming room-temperature workpiece.) It sounds counter-intuitive but by turning...

I have a Sync 250 and have the same experience to report as Louie above. Not sure what causes it, the moon phase, the tide stage, the alignment of the planets or the activity of the sun spots, but I also ground the tungsten before starting and tell myself that makes it more reliable. FWIW, the manua...

Yield strength is always going to be less than tensile. Yield strength simply refers to the amount of stress the metal can take before it "yields" --- in other words, where it won't spring back to its original size/shape/position. Yield strength refers to how much stress it takes to strain...

Skiddz wrote: Why fixed shade?

The better you can see the puddle, the better you can weld.

cj737 wrote:2. The “coating” is called flux and it is there to shield the arc during the process.

Also, in many rods, most notably 7018, iron powder in the coating melts and becomes a part of the weld deposit.

http://www.esabna.com/euweb/awtc/lesson3_13.htm

Lookin good.

Now try it again with a good fixed-shade shield.

77cruiser wrote:It had diesel in it.

Anything that burns, from nitromethane to motor oil to asphalt, can go KBOOM when you cut or weld on a tank that held it.

More than "a few" people have been blown into bloody pieces doing this. Be careful out there!

cj737 wrote: Plus, it’s dead consistent angles each time.

Does it let you change the bevel angle? I like to use different bevels, depending on how much penetration I want.

I set up a rig like that when I first started tig welding... Regular stone disk on the left, and two diamond-grit cabbing wheels face-to-face on the right (200 and 600 grit). Works well, and I still occasionally use it, but most of the time, I just grind my tungstens on the angle grinder nowadays. T...

Skiddz wrote:I've almost talked myself into buying a Millermatic 210 so may be able to get in even more practice at home by this time next week.

Isn't that a mig machine? If you can run 6010 with that, you're a whole lot better than me!

Stick with it, you'll get it. Really hone in on that puddle. Change hoods if need be (I find a fixed shade gives me a MUCH better view of the puddle) so that you can really see what's going on with the puddle, and maybe get a demo from a few different (competent) welders while watching how they hand...

Would you even have a flame without oxygen in a vacuum? Deep stuff to think about. In an oxy-acet rig, the oxygen is supplied by the oxygen bottle, not the air. As for shielding gas...in TIG, in addition to shielding the weld puddle, the shielding gas also provides a vehicle (plasma, which requires...

I'd have to see it, but either 6010 or 11, probably 5/32" or whatever I had handy, at the amperage that ran right. (I don't use amperages, I use marks on the heat dials on my welders and my eye, sorry.)

Looks like the last guy was scared of the Heat Crank.

When all else fails, give it another 5A and drive on!