[nathan]

Ha!

Every time I pause for more than a minute, I turn it off at the bottle. And I am constantly painting all of my connections with soapy water, checking for leaks.

Resigned to the cost now. Chalk up one more very expensive hobby!


Kym

I've got a leak somewhere. I'm gonna go through and Teflon tape everything but the power block. Til then, I am fine to run for 20 minutes then turn it off at the bottle.

As for the topic at hand, if I could practice for an entire day, I would. Practice, to me, includes research. So if I could read specs, go over WPS's, test welds, actually weld, watch videos, converse with someone more experienced, I wrap that all in the category of "getting better."

When I was in school, I went over 40 hours a week for the last two months. Up to 10 hours a day, and sometimes when my instructor wasn't there. I would read and do my print reading homework then.

[robtg]

Teflon tape is for pipe fittings. Anything else will cause problems.

[nathan]

Teflon tape is for pipe fittings. Anything else will cause problems.

So, what do ii use for a leaky torch connection? I was going to put it on the gas line where it connects to the reg and where it connects to the power block. Not where the torch connects to the power block though, because that is an electrical connection.

[hey_allen]

Teflon tape is for pipe fittings. Anything else will cause problems.

So, what do ii use for a leaky torch connection? I was going to put it on the gas line where it connects to the reg and where it connects to the power block. Not where the torch connects to the power block though, because that is an electrical connection.

Most of the fittings in a torch shield gas run are tapered seat fittings, so running them down snug but not over tightened should eliminate the leaks.
I've not had to chase one on my torch, but in other industries with the same sort of plumbing I would apply pressure and check for leaks.
If any are found, drop pressure and work the fitting a little bit back and forth, but not applying gorilla strength. Just a bit beyond hand tight, using the wrenches.

(If you want to get exacting, there are torque specs for the various sizes of fittings, and the military required that we use them, but I'm not working airplanes now, so...)

If you find the leak on a hose fitting on a hose barb, you may have to remove the hose from the barb and trim back a little before reinstalling it. If you do, make sure to not over tighten the clamp, as that can occasionally cause it to deform and leak as well.
You can also strip the gear in one of the screw clamps, if you go too far, or if it's just a junk clamp in the first place.

[Arno]

For leaking threaded fittings (tapered or not) Loctite and other brands do various thread sealant types (eg. Loctite 565 or 545 for highter temps).

These are not a threadlock (although some can have locking properties if required), but thread-sealants made to fill the voids in threaded connections and create a gas-tight seal once cured. A drop on the thread, fit together and let it cure for the time required and you pretty much have a guaranteed leak-free connection.

Just be careful with oxygen connections in oxy-acetylene setups as some of the products may not oxygen-safe.

Bye, Arno.

[subwayrocket]

After a couple of weeks, I try to time my practice session to use up about one filler rod before taking a break. Any longer than that, and my attention starts to wander and I get sloppy.

What time of day are you practicing ? I find that sometimes after work if i'm tired and try to practice, I get sloppy , un focused, just like you describe. When that happens, I just turn it off . I figure that at that point, i'm just going to start to engrain bad technique into my welding . A buddy of mine who was a pro motocrosser told me that i'm better to just do very focused 20-30 minute drills , rather than riding hours long practice . Another "AA" rider buddy also told me that if i'm having a bad day riding just go home because you're just putting bad technique into muscle memory . I believe them because the same thing is true with music, which I have a reasonable skill level in, and I know it to be true. I would imagine it's the same with anything else that requires a high skill level, hand/eye coordination . I just started welding this year and on a good day, i'll usually do 4 - 8 rods on Alum sheet, T-joints , tubes ...take a break , then do some steel sheet metal butt welds , maybe 1-2 rods er70 , then something oddball like breaking a small cast alum part, prep and weld it ...usually 2 hours , sometimes 3-4 hrs if im feeling good . Try and hook up with a scrap yard , find some things that you'd be interested in fixing or building ...cut them up (or break them) and weld them back together . While I still do Jody's drills, I find that this keeps me interested too . Good luck !

[Boomer63]

What time of day are you practicing ? I find that sometimes after work if i'm tired and try to practice, I get sloppy , un focused, just like you describe. When that happens, I just turn it off . I figure that at that point, i'm just going to start to engrain bad technique into my welding . A buddy of mine who was a pro motocrosser told me that i'm better to just do very focused 20-30 minute drills , rather than riding hours long practice . Another "AA" rider buddy also told me that if i'm having a bad day riding just go home because you're just putting bad technique into muscle memory . I believe them because the same thing is true with music, which I have a reasonable skill level in, and I know it to be true. I would imagine it's the same with anything else that requires a high skill level, hand/eye coordination . I just started welding this year and on a good day, i'll usually do 4 - 8 rods on Alum sheet, T-joints , tubes ...take a break , then do some steel sheet metal butt welds , maybe 1-2 rods er70 , then something oddball like breaking a small cast alum part, prep and weld it ...usually 2 hours , sometimes 3-4 hrs if im feeling good . Try and hook up with a scrap yard , find some things that you'd be interested in fixing or building ...cut them up (or break them) and weld them back together . While I still do Jody's drills, I find that this keeps me interested too . Good luck !

Most of the techniques I use for practicing welding are the same items I used when I was learning to play trumpet. Not to brag ... but I used to be/am/mightbe a nearly top notch jazz player. But the learning is about the same. Concepts are the same. I try to 'dove tail' as much into learning as possible
Gary

[dfarning]

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback and suggestions. I also come from a music background.

For me personally, the biggest change came when I started switching hands. I run a bead with my dominate hand and then switch to my weak hand. For some reason things just started to click.

I try to divide my practice time into:
1. Warm up drills. Usually a 2 inch by 6 inch pad of beads. Maybe 80% concentration. I am still paying attention but letting muscle memory do its thing. Since this pad goes straight to the scrap bucket, I do a lot of experimentation.
2. Easy joints. Then I take a piece of ~ 2 inch by ~ 12 inch scrap and cut it into 2 inch by 1/2 inch pieces. This give me enough pieces to do 20 to 25 butt and lap joints. 100 % concentration. Rather than experiment, I trying to dial everything thing in to get a good set of joints.
3. Hard joints. My goal is lightweight electric vehicles for endurance events which are made of thin wall tubing. I try to prep about 5 joints from 3/4 inch tubing. Most of my effort here is learning positioning and propping. A lot of dry runs trying to get my hands and wrists to bend the right way at the right time to follow the contours of the joint.
4. Projects. Finally, at the end of the session, I try to work on a project. This is usually stuff like simple repairs that I have accumulated over the last 40 years :) or the requisite welding cart.... These are not critical joints, but they are permanent stuff that I will have around the shop/house so I try to make them look good.

The good news is that I can keep the torch moving forward at a pretty steady rate and dab filler rather than move, stop, and dab as I was doing. I sometimes use a metronome app on my phone to help set a beat for dabbing filler. Otto suggested listening to music while practicing to set the beat. There are several running websites which will help you select music with the right tempo to match your cadence.

My current quirk is lingering. Everything can be going smoothly, but for some reason I seem to slow down resulting in a elongated blob rather than a nice bead. I think it is because I focus too much on the leading edge of the puddle and the puddle diameter rather than what is happening on the back side of the puddle. Does anyone else run into this?

Thanks again.
Dave

[Gene.243]

I don't get much past one filler rod before my torch is too hot to handle then I take a break. If I am just practicing laying beads. I have a ladder designed with lap joints that I will weld soon.
Gene

[subwayrocket]

I don't get much past one filler rod before my torch is too hot to handle then I take a break. If I am just practicing laying beads. I have a ladder designed with lap joints that I will weld soon.
Gene

Gene , I had the same problem and it was the reason I switched to a CK20 water cooled . You can weld Aluminum all day, terminate the arc and grab the rubber torch head bare handed ...and it's cool . I made a TIG cooler with a 10 gal stainless pot, shurflo pump ...all for about $190 ...it's very quiet and has been working very well . Good luck with the ladder ...what type Alum are you using ?

[cornmuse]

"Till you get it right!"

What happens to me sometimes is, when practicing, I will lay down really nice beads (tig), go eat lunch (or whatever) come back & be unable to do anything right. Only difference is, its two hours later, didnt even turn the machine off. Frustrating.

-c-

[Braehill]

A little something I found when using an air cooled torch that gets super hot, straighten out a tig finger and slip it over the handle, it'll let you go a little longer. If you go up on tungsten size it will let you weld longer before your torch gets hot. Practice running hotter than you normally would so you spend less time getting through the weld. A stubby gas lens lowers the max amps a torch can handle. Short stick out and a tight arc also lessens the heat input to the torch head.

Just a couple things I've learned using mostly a scratch start tig outfit.