holy sh... serious?tigger wrote:when i first started to practice i had an old cut down guilotene blade
Do you think it had anyone's blood on it? 
Thanks Guys,
I was able to get some aluminum beads on a flat 1/16 sheet, and made some very nice 1/4" steel
welds right out of the shoot. How nice ... twist the knob, stomp the pedal ... its so much easier than a torch. Its a beautiful tool ! At this point, I'm keeping mental notes on settings but I have to start writing it all down. Thats a good tip. I had 3 or 4 good long practice periods. I upgraded from my first table setup to a small, cast iron table saw top with a steel plate on it that I welded to tube to an H. Now I can place my forearms on the table and it is so much better than with hands and arms unsupported. Knowing what to expect, I can now get a better look at the puddle and my tig rod and torch are more stable - it reduced my dipping the tungsten in the pool by 75%. Feeding a tig rod is not happening. I have like a 3 second delay in feeding the rod through my hand, so I just release the pedal so it doesnt get too hot, reposition and start the bead. I know this wouldnt fly for a commercial job but the beads are fine and its practice. I welded up a small 1x1x2" rectangular box from a scrap strip of 1/8" aluminum diamond plate. I can see why the suggestion is to start welding on thicker plate than thinner sheet. The weld area was pretty big compared to a 1/16th thick sheet and with the 1/8th I could get a good look at it. This machine is so slick and I got such a good result, I can why people who do this for a while want to take it to the next level - perfectly spaced stack of dimes. I had a problem finding 2% lan tungsten and I eventually found a Chinese supplier for 2% lanthanated tugsten. I also ordered a complete set of cups and collets for about a buck each and 10 packs 020, 040, 1/16, 3/32 and 1/8. So, I'll be set up in a week or so and I can try other diameters. It looks like I might skip the practice table that I thought I would make and just go right to a regular larger welding table. I can see the benefit of having that right off the bat.
Thanks for the tips. I appreciate it a lot.
I was able to get some aluminum beads on a flat 1/16 sheet, and made some very nice 1/4" steel
welds right out of the shoot. How nice ... twist the knob, stomp the pedal ... its so much easier than a torch. Its a beautiful tool ! At this point, I'm keeping mental notes on settings but I have to start writing it all down. Thats a good tip. I had 3 or 4 good long practice periods. I upgraded from my first table setup to a small, cast iron table saw top with a steel plate on it that I welded to tube to an H. Now I can place my forearms on the table and it is so much better than with hands and arms unsupported. Knowing what to expect, I can now get a better look at the puddle and my tig rod and torch are more stable - it reduced my dipping the tungsten in the pool by 75%. Feeding a tig rod is not happening. I have like a 3 second delay in feeding the rod through my hand, so I just release the pedal so it doesnt get too hot, reposition and start the bead. I know this wouldnt fly for a commercial job but the beads are fine and its practice. I welded up a small 1x1x2" rectangular box from a scrap strip of 1/8" aluminum diamond plate. I can see why the suggestion is to start welding on thicker plate than thinner sheet. The weld area was pretty big compared to a 1/16th thick sheet and with the 1/8th I could get a good look at it. This machine is so slick and I got such a good result, I can why people who do this for a while want to take it to the next level - perfectly spaced stack of dimes. I had a problem finding 2% lan tungsten and I eventually found a Chinese supplier for 2% lanthanated tugsten. I also ordered a complete set of cups and collets for about a buck each and 10 packs 020, 040, 1/16, 3/32 and 1/8. So, I'll be set up in a week or so and I can try other diameters. It looks like I might skip the practice table that I thought I would make and just go right to a regular larger welding table. I can see the benefit of having that right off the bat.
Thanks for the tips. I appreciate it a lot.