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Aluminum was driving me nuts, so I went back to steel. I thought the strain of dealing with aluminum might have improved my steel skills. Looks like that is true. I created sort of a weld today. I'm uploading a photo.

That is not a great weld, and it's still uglier than my MIG welds, but it's closer to success than what I have been producing lately.

I decided to start practicing with the machine off. It seems like TIG is a waltz: puddle, dip, move, puddle, dip, move. I do all the movements while counting it out. I haven't gotten it down yet, but it helps. Timing screwups are my biggest problem. After that I would have to go with pulling the tungsten away from the weld.

The lanthanated tungstens I bought seem a little friendlier than E3. I don't know if that's my imagination or what.
05 03 17 tig practice 125 thou iron lap small.jpg
05 03 17 tig practice 125 thou iron lap small.jpg (54.61 KiB) Viewed 1026 times
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exnailpounder
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You're getting there Chips. Much improved 8-)
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You'll know you have it when you realize it's not all countable timing.

Watching what is happening will become second nature and you'll add a different amount of filler, pause longer, go faster, adjust angle, add/remove amps, etc. - but only as needed - not in a timed pattern.
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MinnesotaDave wrote:You'll know you have it when you realize it's not all countable timing.

Watching what is happening will become second nature and you'll add a different amount of filler, pause longer, go faster, adjust angle, add/remove amps, etc. - but only as needed - not in a timed pattern.
Yep...it just takes awhile. Just remember you chose welding which is a lifelong learning experience.

As for the aluminum. Good choice-it helps-feedin rod especially.
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Chips,

Find music you like in the tempo you want to count your movements in, and build a playlist to listen to while practicing. The natural tendency to follow the beat of a song is great muscle memory training for "advance, pause, dab". Or "advance, dab". I've been welding a lot of aluminum fillets and laps lately, and there's always a pause after the advance.

Steve
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Otto Nobedder wrote:Chips,

Find music you like in the tempo you want to count your movements in, and build a playlist to listen to while practicing. The natural tendency to follow the beat of a song is great muscle memory training for "advance, pause, dab". Or "advance, dab". I've been welding a lot of aluminum fillets and laps lately, and there's always a pause after the advance.

Steve
I second the music tip. I've done some really decent beads to the sound of The Strokes 'You only live Once'.


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Looking good man! Practice pays off.. :)
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Chips O'Toole wrote: It seems like TIG is a waltz: puddle, dip, move, puddle, dip, move. I do all the movements while counting it out. I haven't gotten it down yet, but it helps. Timing screwups are my biggest problem.
I used the pulse setting on 1pps to help me develop a rhythm. It's a confidence builder to see those beads stacked like they were made by a robot.
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Otto Nobedder wrote:Chips,

Find music you like in the tempo you want to count your movements in, and build a playlist to listen to while practicing. The natural tendency to follow the beat of a song is great muscle memory training for "advance, pause, dab". Or "advance, dab". I've been welding a lot of aluminum fillets and laps lately, and there's always a pause after the advance.

Steve
nice tip i have never heard of this. i will try it :D
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mattharris
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Hey Chips,

I'm not that far ahead of you in the process. You are very close to making some great looking welds.

The key piece I found, especially with aluminum is the wire feed hand. I wanted my welds to look better, so I finally broke down and started practicing all the time trying to get my wire feed to be completely muscle memory so that it requires no thought at all. My timing hang ups always seemed to be the fault of my wire feed. I'd either feed wire right into the tungsten, or not feed wire and just dip until my hand was in the fire and then try and catch up.

On steel it makes an ugly weld. On aluminum it makes an ugly hole. :-).

I had a piece of wire with me all the time. I would feed wire on a conference calls, and any other time that I could do it while doing something else.

Anyway once I started getting better on the feed, then I was able to focus more on keeping my arc length consistent and pointed exactly in the center of my joint which makes the weld straight and all of the sudden my welds started looking a ton better with no real changes accept the feeding of the wire. In fact I probably need to practice more during my calls. :-)

Anyway, you are doing great. Keep up the good work!


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Thanks for all the replies. I am definitely working on wire feeding.

Someone said I should try thicker aluminum because it's easier.

Is it okay for a steel weld to be that grey?
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Otto Nobedder wrote:Chips,

Find music you like in the tempo you want to count your movements in, and build a playlist to listen to while practicing. The natural tendency to follow the beat of a song is great muscle memory training for "advance, pause, dab". Or "advance, dab". I've been welding a lot of aluminum fillets and laps lately, and there's always a pause after the advance.

Steve
lookin good there man, now I'm off to buy a boom box for the shop.

c
the heck with the duty cycle on the welder, tell me about the duty cycle on that grinder !!
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I listen to music when I weld but never really tried following the beat or using it as a rhytm.

I listen to metal mostly... Which would get me some whack looking beads :lol:
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Olivero wrote:I listen to music when I weld but never really tried following the beat or using it as a rhytm.

I listen to metal mostly... Which would get me some whack looking beads :lol:
Yeah, that could get jacked up in a hurry (I think there's a pun in there with the hurry. Death metal in particular would work your skills...). Go back to '80s hair band music, or even some Pink Floyd for appropriate rhythms for different materials.

Hell, for aluminum, put on classical waltzes 8-) "one, two, three, one, two, three..."

Steve
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Otto Nobedder wrote:
Olivero wrote:I listen to music when I weld but never really tried following the beat or using it as a rhytm.

I listen to metal mostly... Which would get me some whack looking beads :lol:
Yeah, that could get jacked up in a hurry (I think there's a pun in there with the hurry. Death metal in particular would work your skills...). Go back to '80s hair band music, or even some Pink Floyd for appropriate rhythms for different materials.

Hell, for aluminum, put on classical waltzes 8-) "one, two, three, one, two, three..."

Steve
Haha, I use it more to focus and eliminate the disctractions outside and just focus on welding with someone screaming in my ear...... Sounds funny now that I am saying it like that but helps me concentrate. Like All That Remains new album is pretty good, got some good kind of music getting you to move a bit faster than the slower stuff.
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Acdc is the best music for tigging. Youll probably want to avoid Fear Factory. Beats per minute may be a tad high, lol
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