Welding Tips and Tricks

My TIG in the past has been 99% aluminum, so it wasnt an issue for me,
Do you guys keep your tungsten's, cups, collets etc segregated so the ones
used on steel dont get used on aluminum or the other way around??
If so, how anal are you, collets, bodies/gas lens, cups and tungsten's or
combinations like cup and electrodes only etc?

Hello Jim
Been TIG welding for many years, pipe, aerospace, semiconductor industries, stainless, duplex, monel, titanium, and aluminum. I've never done that or worked with anyone that has done that. Wire brushes, yes.

I normally don't even change the tungsten if it's still clean when I go from one to the next (beauty of an inverter machine) . I've had issues where aluminum royally fucked a gas lens and it was no longer serviceable, same with taking tungsten swimming in a bead that is pulling oil from the inside of a piece of tubing that you forgot to clean.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

GT
i miss your dads comments lately
is he on vacation?
craig

Thank you folks,
I live in the world that "If it can screw me, it will" so I take precautions
trying to get off on the right foot

Jim,
After reading some of the other posts about making sure you have clean underwear on, disinfecting your hands, wiping your genitals down with Acetone, Scothbrite your tungsten, only grind with a store bought tungsten grinder to some made up angle, I can see where you'd get the idea that Tig welding involves this level of OCD. It shouldn't. Oh, sorry, I almost forgot the one that requires all the micro-scratches left from the 60,000 grit sandpaper all go in the linear direction with the tungsten's length.

Most of the welds being performed on nuclear plants and high pressure piping throughout industry are being done with consumables that have been dug out of the bottom of a job box and sharpened on an angle grinder (same one used for everything on the job). They're separated mostly by a half inch of grinding dust and whatever else may have been thrown in there. Seems to me though if you need to weld something really important, say like a header for a $1500 1.8L Honda, you'll need to do all the afore mentioned things. For public safety reasons of course, we can't have critical welds like that fail.

Craig,
I wish I had that much vacation. I transferred back to my old plant and picked up maintenance on 3 new ones in January and it doesn't afford me as much time on the computer. The other reason is, I went back to mostly lurking when I brought some ill mannered asshole to task awhile ago and was told that my comments where "over the top" and " can't be unsaid". Seems my political incorrectness has affected some people's feminine sensibilities and are not welcome. That's fine, I was brought up being told you have two ears and one mouth so you can listen twice as much as you talk. Good news is I still read most of the questions and research the answer, bad news is I only use the knowledge I garner for myself again.

It's nice to know that someone misses my comments and thanks for asking.

Len
P.S. Has anybody heard from that other valued contributor lately? Just wondering.

Also, sorry Jim, didn't want you getting off on the wrong foot.

Your wisdom is always welcome & real guys call it how they see it - others should learn to deal with it or go elswhere - speaking of absent members it's very quiet on the AK front - I miss his posts too.

len
maybe some need to stop sipping nipple milk and
step up to a beer...metaphorically speaking that is...lol
glad your back....
craig

motox wrote:len
maybe some need to stop sipping nipple milk and
step up to a beer...metaphorically speaking that is...lol
glad your back....
craig

Sipping nipple milk is now a whole semester in most of the better welding schools. If it matters..I miss you too Len.

I missed you too Len. I thought your your commentry refreshing incitefull and well defended. Also funny, gave me a laugh.

Kinda ironic every one missed Len and not whoever thought he was a hard ass.

Welcome Back

Braehill wrote:Jim,
After reading some of the other posts about making sure you have clean underwear on,

I have to wear underwear?
Welder for sale in the classifieds

Smartasses, I'm gonna like it here

Braehill wrote:

Craig,
I wish I had that much vacation. I transferred back to my old plant and picked up maintenance on 3 new ones in January and it doesn't afford me as much time on the computer. The other reason is, I went back to mostly lurking when I brought some ill mannered asshole to task awhile ago and was told that my comments where "over the top" and " can't be unsaid". Seems my political incorrectness has affected some people's feminine sensibilities and are not welcome. That's fine, I was brought up being told you have two ears and one mouth so you can listen twice as much as you talk. Good news is I still read most of the questions and research the answer, bad news is I only use the knowledge I garner for myself again.

It's nice to know that someone misses my comments and thanks for asking.

Len
P.S. Has anybody heard from that other valued contributor lately? Just wondering.

Also, sorry Jim, didn't want you getting off on the wrong foot.

Damn it, Len, I never dreamed that li'l drama was why you've been so quiet. I assumed you were busy as hell, as happens to us grown men from time to time. I wish you'd spoke up, or at least PM'd me. This might not have been an issue that required executive action, but I'd certainly have taken a closer look at it.

Please don't let one anomalous asshole keep you quiet here. The community will most certainly be on your side.

Steve S

Lol...I was just thinking what happened to Len. @Braehill

As far as consumables the only ones I keep seprate is my sanitary stainless stuff, otherwise I swap from material to material and never look back.

Just brushes are dedicated, and in separate plastic sleeves.