TIG WELDING...can the old'Dog learn a new trick?

[OS OK]

For several years now I have had the urge to learn TIG welding.
I have no special projects ahead that require TIG & any welding I need done I can do with my Miller MIG or Oxy/Acetylene.
This is about me just wanting to try this out and learn a new skill set.

First move I made many months back was to start watching Y-Tube videos about every aspect...knowledgeable people comparing various 'CHEAP' - TIG welders using this new technology of inverter type machines, their shortcomings & pluses, how to's, tips & tricks etc.
I learn fastest by watching another and observing all his preparations and how he goes about his tasks. I found lots of video showing the actual welding pool with a proper camera filter, that was really helpful to see as the instructor described whatever he was illustrating.

After several months of '101' Y-Tube University, I started looking into a CHEAP machine that'd suffice for my needs in learning.
This brand I selected had set-up selectable capabilities I thought would be handy, AS IN 'post flow gas & post flow decreasing amperage'. Cheap machines are just that...CHEAP...and I can't expect too very much.



There were other components for the TIG system I had to order separately like regulator/flow meter & Argon bottle, tungsten's, filler rod, foot pedal etc. You have to pay attention learning something new like this or you'll spend a lot longer time acquiring all the necessities before you can get started.

First thing I did was to set up a new cart for this little 'lunchbox sized welder'...I decided to place my Plasma cutter and this TIG on the same cart.
Getting started, I cut a slot to slip an 80 cubit foot Argon bottle inside the cart instead of hanging it off the back end. I mounted my air dryer/regulator assembly for the plasma cutter in the rear also.



See what I mean about 'lunch box' size?



This allows the ground clamp cable and torch rig to wind up on the back post of the cart for storage on each side of the cart for both machines. The old plasma cutter cart to the right was too light duty to hold all this new gear I have here...



The two shelves below should be enough space for all the various tools I keep with these machines...squares, clamps of various sizes & types and the consumables for the torch tip maintenance.



I think this will work out and be handy for adjusting the machines...





Now after a couple hours in setup...it's time to get familiar with the TIG welder and make some 'worms'...keep in mind, I've never even held a MIG torch or watched a friend TIG in person...this is all new ground for this old'Dog!
I started out learning how to do everything, like how to carefully 'dip that tungsten' in the weld pool or how to 'carefully coat that tungsten with the filler rod materal'...this takes a special inborn talent I've had for the last 73 years!



Being OPTIMISTIC...and trying to keep a good attitude, I can say this about today's activities..."I can grind a tungsten!" I had 7 opportunities to learn that much!
Well...I have all summer for this and my Bench Rest shooting. I can do one when I can't do the other.

Last year I built some new benches that ought to come in handy...



This is my portable welding & plasma cutting bench...it has to be portable as I dare not make sparks in a shop where I handload and work with wood.

[pworley1]

Nice work on the carts and bench.

[Nobade]

It has a for sure learning curve! Congratulations for jumping in. Once you get it you'll end up finding all sorts of uses for it. You will want to get a curtain or something to stop air currents while you work if you're going to do it outside though. Enjoy!

[CastingFool]

Nice job on the carts!

[DougGuy]

80 or more amps on 10ga metal? There's where your ugly jumped into the picture. Use a thicker material to weld on while you get some technique, the thinner you go with the metal you want to weld on, the more skill and dexterity it takes. AND the less heat!

Your porosity came from pulling away from the molten metal puddle too soon, and oxygen got to it while it was still liquid. When you break the arc just hold the cup close and flow the shielding gas on the puddle for a couple of seconds until it turns solid.

You want to practice "walking the cup" you can do this without adding filler metal, and you can cut the amps down so you can walk the cup on the back side of your 10ga metal.

Walking the cup is done in 2 ways, one is an arc back and forth, left to right, right to left, at the end of your arc, angle the torch and roll it back the other way, the puddle will advance and you get this pretty "bootlace" or "snake belly" pattern to the bead. The other way is making a horizontal figure 8 as you weld, this way the torch advances a pretty good bit each time you get to the edge. Harder to do but makes the cap stand out, especially on stainless.

Think of it like walking an empty 55gal drum. Tilt the drum back toward you, and roll it to and fro. The drum will not advance, you step to one side and advance the foot on that side, now tilt the drum toward that food and roll it. At the end of the arc, stop and set up to go back the other way. The drum will advance, and you keep repeating this and going forward. You can walk the drum across a parking lot if you want, leaving only a zig zag pattern behind you where you rolled it.

Now, think of the drum as the ceramic cup and do the same basic procedure with the tig torch, you will quickly get the hang of walking the cup. Use an 8 or bigger cup for this.

When you can make pretty beads walking the cup, then try adding filler metal, you can hold a wire steady and walk the cup on it, or you can dab and pull back a tiny bit and dab again.

When I was tigging pipe, I would take two rods and tack the end together, lay both on the weld and walk the cup on them, this was my cap pass, fat and pretty..

[OS OK]

Thanks for the tips DougGuy...I've watched a multitude of walking the cup stuff, figured that advanced skill would come after I learned to keep the tungsten clean by staying out of the puddles and away from the filler rod!

It is a beautiful bead though!

[elmacgyver0]

Your tungsten stinger should never come in contact with the metal unless it is a scratch start machine.
The high frequency is what starts the arc without actually contacting the metal.
You must also keep a sharp point on your tungsten stinger.
If your machine is capable of AC, you will be able to easily weld aluminum with it.
Note, AC is not the same as high frequency.
The high frequency is just to start the arc by making a spark jump between the metal and the stinger, like a sparkplug.
You are going to love your new welder.

[KenH]

"Walking the cup" - back in the days when I was stick welding that was called a "stack of nickels" for vertical bead.

OS OK: I admire your "toys" - they talk about us "old folks" need to do things like crossword and other puzzles to keep our minds active, but I'd MUCH rather play with my "toys" as you are. I'm having too much fun and don't have time for crossword puzzles.

That cart you've got is a really nice cart. I've got 3 of them, one used as an electronic test cart with test equip, another holds a Heat Treating oven, and the other is larger and holds a 16 ton hydraulic press for forging.

[sparky45]

OP's post might just be the impetus I need to get a similar rig, thanks for posting. One thing I noticed in your pictures is the "old school" pencil sharpener on the leg of the wooden bench, it's exactly like the one I have mounted next to my Powermatic wood lathe.

[elmacgyver0]

I have a lot of toys, but I still do the puzzles.
It takes a lot to keep my mind active.

[OS OK]

"Walking the cup" - back in the days when I was stick welding that was called a "stack of nickels" for vertical bead.

OS OK: I admire your "toys" - they talk about us "old folks" need to do things like crossword and other puzzles to keep our minds active, but I'd MUCH rather play with my "toys" as you are. I'm having too much fun and don't have time for crossword puzzles.

That cart you've got is a really nice cart. I've got 3 of them, one used as an electronic test cart with test equip, another holds a Heat Treating oven, and the other is larger and holds a 16 ton hydraulic press for forging.

I think that keeping the brain engaged & exercised well daily, us old'Farts should not end up as drooling wheel chair inhabitants...that to me is not quality in life and for me...life should end right there before I need diapers. Outside tools & toys should be the cure so I can go out with my boots on.
I told my wife..."if you ever see the zero turn mower going in circles with me slumped over the levers, just wait till it runs out of gas and then call the coroner!"

Your tungsten stinger should never come in contact with the metal unless it is a scratch start machine.
The high frequency is what starts the arc without actually contacting the metal.
You must also keep a sharp point on your tungsten stinger.
If your machine is capable of AC, you will be able to easily weld aluminum with it.
Note, AC is not the same as high frequency.
The high frequency is just to start the arc by making a spark jump between the metal and the stinger, like a sparkplug.
You are going to love your new welder.

That HF was one of the deal breakers on buying my first TIG machine, didn't want to scratch or lift start. I had trouble keeping the minimum distance between the tungsten and the work piece and I'd dunk it or wet it with the filler (got me plenty of practice sharpening tungstens though) One problem is handling the torch like a MIG torch/stinger...that ain't working....eventually I'll get it.
One problem is getting used to the start switch on the torch itself, I need to discover a more comfy way to hold that thing and have a steady & straight weld. Eventually I'll find a foot pedal for this machine, that was a downside but not a deal breaker, it didn't come with one and locating a non-standard pedal rheostat of 10K-ohm is not easy. I think the foot switch is just that, an 'on-off' switch not amperage control?

The directions written in ChineeeEnglish are difficult at best, especially so about this 2T & 4T business I have circled with the question mark. It looks to be a reduced amperage but I'm in the dark about that...these instructions are online here > https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/06...ref=mechmaster

[elk hunter]

OS OK;

I tell people, "if you can O-A weld you can TIG". It does require a a different touch and practice. I did OK at it for quite a while until I developed "Tremors". At that point fine motor skills all but vanished and I became the world champion at dipping the tungsten in the puddle. Enjoy your new machine and skills.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve been wondering about trying out TIG. Many years ago, I was given the chance to try on some thin stainless I had taken to be welded. I pretty good welding with stick, but there was no way I could do TIG starting on vertical thin stainless. The welder agreed that I should start art on something thicker. I’ve been planning to do that, but now almost forty years have gone by. I still hope to get chance one day.

[OS OK]

I got out this afternoon and tried more practice as DougGuy suggested without any filler rod...



I must have been shuffling my feet with that walking the cup business...going way to slow rocking the cup forward. That big glob just dropped out and rolled across the table and into my lap...boy I was moving pretty fast getting out of it's way!

I just can't seem to work out a position to sit and weld and handle this torch...it just has too open of an angle pointing away from me...you can see I just dipped the tungsten again for about the 9'th time today!



So, just now I ordered a flex-head replacement, I can bend the head down to a 90º angle and this might help to get comfortable?



I have some stubby consumables for this torch, I might set the new flex head up with those? I'll have to go on what you welders recommend here?

[Winger Ed.]

You're on the right path and will be fine.
It's like flying a airplane or driving a motorcycle--- the more you do it, the better you get.

[Ford SD]

Practice Practice Practice

A rule of thumb with tig is 1A of power for every .001 thickness of steel 1/8" = 125A ( Fixed as I can not chew gum and type at the same time ....

the 2 and 4 setting is
2 = on when you press the button and off when you release
4 = on when you press the first time ?????? - ???? 4 time you press the button is off

if Buying a new tig machine look at one with a inverter power supply ... more $$ but better functions

I have a inverter tig and I can set it up so with one push of the button it will do a spot weld exactly the same every time (same amps/ same length of time)

if you have a foot peddle machine you can hold the tig torch between your first 2 fingers with other fingers/ thumb as support

or the other way is between thumb and 1st finger with other fingers as support

a good pair of tig gloves helps as well
as well as a auto darkening helmet

[ulav8r]

Practice Practice Practice

A rule of thumb with tig is 1A of power for every .001 thickness of steel 1/8" = 180A

That rule of thumb would put the amperage at 125A for 1/8 inch steel. That is based on your rule of thumb, not my experience, as I have done no tig welding.

[Jimmynostars]

Clean no scale 1/8 steel 110 to 100 amps is where I would start. 2x pieces of flat to join with a fillet.

Rest your wrist on some 2x4, move the torch in a smooth arc start to stop for a 1 to 2" weld. If not correct reposition.

Tack both ends then torch to start the weld pool. Rest the filler wire into the groove between the 2 flat plates, poke and retrieve into the weld pool think like a wood pecker but not that fast.

Each poke is a "Nickel" same as the "blap blap blap" of a mig. Between each is a wave or push with the Tig torch.

You can fudge a bit with speed of torch, wire feed and torch distance from weld

Kind of a wax on wax off karate kid thing. Practise is king and it's the quickest way to make scrap steel

[john.k]

I been tig welding for 40 years with an old Lincoln 250amp DC bullet.....I hear all the stuff about square waves and pulses and such,but the Lincoln just does what I want .....wont do ally,and Ive never tried to do ally...........you need big power to do anymore than drink cans,and everyone wants you to weld motor bike crankcases and such which are 1" thick at times...Maybe someday Ill get a modern machine.

[OS OK]

I appreciate all the tricks & tips here in the comments but...at the moment, I am a complete NEOPHYTE. I am having to work up from the most basic of instruction and form good habits & techniques.
One of the worst of my problems is 'dipping the tungsten'. "Why the heck am I doing that? So...
I searched around on the Y-Tube to find some free instructional video to correct this problem.

I found this guy in Canada who is a 'TIG ARTIST' (never heard of such a thing!) I thought anyone who can turn out this type of work must have some good basic instruction so I can get past the dipping and into the next stage of learning TIG....



It turns out that he has a couple of videos about just what my problem is & what to do about it...





So...that is what is on the menu for today's practice & I can repeat the exercise of just running the puddle straight and even and hopefully I can improve on this disaster...