Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
cj737
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You can use that fillet piece for running some flat welds. Just use the flat surface closest to you.

Postion your head slightly in front of the cup, tilt the cup slightly "back" so the tungsten points towards your head. (If you're right handed, head on left side of cup, tungsten pointing to left). This way you can see the puddle/arc. Move your head down as far as needed to see clearly, keeping it in front of your travel direction.

Strike the arc, get your puddle established, then slide the cup along gently with a rhythm, no filler. Travel about 2" and stop. Examine the puddle. You can scribe lines in the metal every 1" to help you see your speed, or lines along your intended travel direction to help guide you like traffic stripes.

As for heat control, ease into the peddle, and once you see it start to puddle, relax your leg and travel. If you are doing this standing up, it will make foot control more difficult until you gain the coordination. Try being seated so you're not fighting your balance, and have your arms resting and supported. Smooth movements with your forearm, not fingers helps keep things easy.
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Things went better today. I picked up a Harbor Freight welding table so I would be able to sit in a normal position and weld like an intelligent person, and it helped a lot. I apologize if I didn't take everyone's tips. I have a lot of input coming at me, and I'm lucky if I remember to use a fifth of it.

I had an old piece of steel from a treadmill frame, and I took the paint or powder coat (whatever) off with a knot wheel. I decided to try to lay flat beads on it. I put a couple of short beads down, but I had so much trouble seeing where they were on the steel, I decided to weld another piece of metal to it to provide a reference. They just wandered around. I found a chunk of angle iron which I cleaned up and used. I didn't want to play around all day, so I ground it clean with an angle grinder. Really tore it up, but at least the scale was gone.

I put the angle iron on the treadmill piece and managed to tack it down. It went on top of one of the original beads. I was set at 100 amps, and I used the pedal. I started out with a 1/16" rod.

Things didn't go too badly. I never dipped the tungsten, which was a nice change. I gradually got better at figuring out where I was. Then I the 1/16" rod got too short to deal with. I thought I grabbed another 1/16" rod, but I made a mistake and picked up 3/32". I decided to go with it.

Feeding the 1/16" was not too bad, but I had a hard time with the heavier 3/32". I had to stop and practice and start up again. I more or less stayed in the area where the two pieces of metal met. You can see there is a lot more filler toward the left, where the 3/32" started.

I then put another flat bead on the steel, but the torch was getting so hot I decided to quit. I hit the welds with the knot wheel and took these photos. Seems like the welds are always grey. Is that normal? Also, the side of the nozzle facing the steel turned black.

I had a couple of interesting moments when plastic or rubber parts I did not know were attached to the steel started to flame up. I should have made sure nothing was inside the treadmill tube.

I think I need gloves one size smaller, and I need to see the weld better so I can where I am. Nonetheless, these pieces ARE welded together, which is a big step up from my last session, in which I merely decorated the steel with blobs resembling turds.
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03 31 17 TIG practice on angle iron lap weld small.jpg
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03 31 17 TIG practice on angle iron flat bead small.jpg
03 31 17 TIG practice on angle iron flat bead small.jpg (31 KiB) Viewed 1226 times
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exnailpounder
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You'll get there! I know you get lots of input on how to tig and it gets confusing but nothing beats trial and error and ass time in the chair. Just do a small puddle, dip in a little rod, then do another and another. Just keep stacking those little sucess' together and you'll be welding in no time. 8-)
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motox
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try welding on a flat clean piece of steel without filler and watch the puddle
and keep the arc distance very close. that way you only need to learn half
of the equation.
craig
that is the first thing i do with a new type of material to get base
settings.
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PeteM wrote:The weld is what it is, but you sense of humor is rock solid! That makes it easier going forward. In a couple months, they'll be even.

I see this thread is slightly aged but I am with Pete on this one, I cant offer advice because I am in the same boat your in but I will tell you your humility and ability to keep things in perspective are going to serve you well.

most of my trade years were spent running refrigeration, chill water, hydraulic and boiler water piping, 80% of it was done with O/A. when I first started I was blowing holes in everything I touched but once it came it was second nature and the same will happen for you if you put in the time. I have no need to tig weld for work and could easily live without it at home but it is a skill I want to learn because I love just about anything to do with manual welding.

one question, what the hell does this mean ??? Bon vivant ????

keep your head up.

creek
the heck with the duty cycle on the welder, tell me about the duty cycle on that grinder !!
cj737
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Granddaddy wrote: one question, what the hell does this mean ??? Bon vivant ????
creek
Its a French term for a privileged person, or someone who lives with/enjoys life's luxuries.
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thanks CJ, in other words my polar opposite :D
the heck with the duty cycle on the welder, tell me about the duty cycle on that grinder !!
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Your second set of welds look much better than the first, Seat time, practise, practise, practise :) I started tig welding back in the early 90's and I'm still learning as I go!! LOL Have fun with it, you'll get it.

Pete
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I now have gas lenses and a torch holder, so life keeps getting more exciting. I'm just positive I'll be great at this once I've bought enough crap.
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Chips O'Toole wrote:I now have gas lenses and a torch holder, so life keeps getting more exciting. I'm just positive I'll be great at this once I've bought enough crap.
I can make a solid argument for that crap you just said.

The more crap we buy, the more time we spend under the hood trying to make that crap work. Every moment of that is experience. This does not mean A leads to B leads to C. It's not the crap we buy, it's the seat time/hood time invested.

You're not going to buy a magic bullet tomorrow that will make you a great welder, but the more effort you put in with everything you're trying, you're learning things you don't realize you're learning, and you will get better (almost) every time you practice.

Steve S
Farmwelding
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Chips O'Toole wrote:I now have gas lenses and a torch holder, so life keeps getting more exciting. I'm just positive I'll be great at this once I've bought enough crap.
Now you are going to shove a lot of time into it to make it worth the money.
A student now but really want to weld everyday. Want to learn everything about everything. Want to become a knower of all and master of none.
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Nick
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Today I am still laying flat beads on 1/8" steel. I decided to try a #5 gas lens with a 1/16" tungsten, a 3/32" rod, and about 5/16" of stickout. I don't know if that's an appropriate amount, but the web seems to say it is.

I went to a 1/16" tungsten because an online calculator told me to. The 3/32" seems easier to control, but maybe that's just because I've used it more.

I had lots of trouble at first. The weld kept spattering. The farther I went, the worse it got. I thought I was supposed to have the gas at around 12 CFM for a gas lens, so I tried to set it there, but it seemed to slide down to 10 all by itself. I believe that caused the porosity and spatter. I put the straight nozzle back on and got everything working again, and then I went back to the lens, and things worked out. I am now using the lens at {what the Chinese gauge says is} 15, and it looks like it's working.

The magnetic holder is great. I am also getting better at keeping the TIG finger off the garage floor.

Time to order more filler. I can see where this is going.
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Farmwelding
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I use 3/32" on 1/8" all the time-in fact it's all I use. As for filler on 1/8"... Use 1/16". 3/32" is too big. It will work, but not as well. It is all I use as well and I hate it. I just watched Jodys video on it last night and he said 1/16" is probably the best on 1/8" steel
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Nick
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Man, no one agrees on anything! And I just ordered 10 pounds of 3/32 rod.

Maybe I won't cancel the order. I'll need it eventually. The little 1-pound tubes are really tiny.

I can't believe how MIG has carried over to screw up TIG. First I tried to pull the puddle instead of pushing it, and then I held the torch at too big an angle. When I reduced the angle, I stopped melting the rod on the way to the puddle, and I quit roasting my left hand.
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Farmwelding
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That is the thing with welding... Some things can have multiple sides to it. That's why the forums exist-show ideas on how to do something and provide different perspectives
A student now but really want to weld everyday. Want to learn everything about everything. Want to become a knower of all and master of none.
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Nick
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I'm getting 10 pounds of both sizes. I'll need it eventually, and buying 20 pounds for $55 beats buying 20 pounds for $180, one pound at a time.
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exnailpounder
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Chips O'Toole wrote:I'm getting 10 pounds of both sizes. I'll need it eventually, and buying 20 pounds for $55 beats buying 20 pounds for $180, one pound at a time.
You can never have enough tig equipment lying around. It's called tig hoarder disease and most of us have it. Now you will need all the AL fillers, all the SS fillers (there are alot), all the NI rods for cast, SilBr and AlBr for brazing and cast....it's like a snowball going downhill :lol:
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Farmwelding
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And then you will walk into the welding supply store and see specials on gloves and filler and you will have 20 lbs or inconel rods that you have no use for and don't what it is for but you have it if you need it and then you have 5 pairs of mig gloves and another 7 tig gloves. Just don't buy too many helmets if they are on special or machines... They add up the cost really quickly.
A student now but really want to weld everyday. Want to learn everything about everything. Want to become a knower of all and master of none.
Instagram: @farmwelding
Nick
exnailpounder
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Farmwelding wrote:And then you will walk into the welding supply store and see specials on gloves and filler and you will have 20 lbs or inconel rods that you have no use for and don't what it is for but you have it if you need it and then you have 5 pairs of mig gloves and another 7 tig gloves. Just don't buy too many helmets if they are on special or machines... They add up the cost really quickly.
I just bought a pound of N82 rods yesterday. :oops: They are supposedly great for cast iron and even SS. Are you saying there's a problem? :lol:
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cj737
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Chips O'Toole wrote:Today I am still laying flat beads on 1/8" steel. I decided to try a #5 gas lens with a 1/16" tungsten, a 3/32" rod, and about 5/16" of stickout. I don't know if that's an appropriate amount, but the web seems to say it is.
Stickout should be determined by your condition. More to reach into tight corners where the arc distance is critical, less when you are right on top of your work. Tungsten size should be determined by amperage requirements, nothing more. 125 amps is pretty high for a 1/16" but it will tolerate it.
I went to a 1/16" tungsten because an online calculator told me to. The 3/32" seems easier to control, but maybe that's just because I've used it more.
This is to my point above. The 3/32 tungsten will be a more stable arc at higher amps than a 1/16". 3/32 is a great all around diameter. I swap to a 1/16 when I weld below 60 amps, and a 1/8 when I weld above 150 for extended periods. Else, its a 3/32.
I had lots of trouble at first. The weld kept spattering. The farther I went, the worse it got. I thought I was supposed to have the gas at around 12 CFM for a gas lens, so I tried to set it there, but it seemed to slide down to 10 all by itself. I believe that caused the porosity and spatter. I put the straight nozzle back on and got everything working again, and then I went back to the lens, and things worked out. I am now using the lens at {what the Chinese gauge says is} 15, and it looks like it's working.
This sounds like you didn't have the gas lens screwed in tightly and were leaking Argon past the insulator. Also, usually the lens and cups use slightly different insulators than standard collet bodies. Just make sure you are assembling the torch correctly with each different configuration you use.
The magnetic holder is great. I am also getting better at keeping the TIG finger off the garage floor.
Is this your torch holder? Magnets near your work while TIG welding will wreak havoc on your arc. They will grab the arc and cause it to wander and pull the shielding gas off your intended work. Behaves like you have a bad crosswind.
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exnailpounder wrote:You can never have enough tig equipment lying around. It's called tig hoarder disease and most of us have it.
I...I just need one or two more things...I'm sure of it...no, really...
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cj737 wrote:Is this your torch holder? Magnets near your work while TIG welding will wreak havoc on your arc. They will grab the arc and cause it to wander and pull the shielding gas off your intended work. Behaves like you have a bad crosswind.
It's a Riverweld torch holder with a magnetic base. The base is around a foot away from the welding.
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I don't have enough stuff which is my problem, I have to build shit like a caveman sometimes.
if there's a welder, there's a way
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After the initial debacle, I feel like I have to post a photo every time I create something that even approximates a correct weld. The stuff at the upper left doesn't count. It's from earlier sessions. It looks like they made as big a mess under the steel as above it.

Today I started over. I used a 3/32" tungsten, 3/32" rod, the BSX finger thing (sorry), and another piece of the treadmill I took out of the trash. I don't think I'm getting this steel as clean as it needs to be. The powdercoating is not easy to remove. The welds aren't bubbling or anything, but I see tiny brown flakes of something on them. Also, there is some plastic inside the tubing that keeps catching fire. That's interesting. Sooner or later I'm going to have to invest some better metal to play with. This stuff was free, but it's a pain.

Anyway, I think I'm learning some stuff. I'm holding the torch more vertical, and it appears that I need to get used to finding a pedal setting and holding it steady, instead of changing it all the time. Is that correct? Before, I was altering it a lot because it seemed like sometimes the arc was too weak or too strong.

I'm also feeding the rod better, and I'm finally starting to have some sort of rhythm.

I don't know how to manage the duty cycle. All I know is, the torch gets hot after about 4" of welding, so I put it down and rest it for three minutes. Suggestions welcome.

The Flak Finger works really well. Again, sorry!
04 06 17 TIG welding practice small.jpg
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