Welding Tips and Tricks

For those who might not know, we have started a new segment on the Welding Tips & Tricks Podcast we call "Stubby" episodes that are 10 mins or less where we address some of the questions we get. This allows a short, digestible episode and honestly allows us to give a little more back to the community.

So, I thought I would ask here on the forum if anyone has questions or a list of questions you would want us to tackle on the Stubby episodes. While most are welding related some are also life and business. Post them up and we will get them in the cue.
Jonathan Lewis

where to start..
beginner welders. the advice i got and still pass on is "first learn stick welding".
also avoid "flux core" welders like the plague.
take your time, read, watch videos a lot. it can take a lot to get familiar with equipment and lingo.

"you cannot be good if you do not know what good is". something that applies to all industries.
same thing in my industry, go see how good reputable guys do it. fortunately there is a great range of video content which shows you whats good. a lot of workshops do "good enough" and while thats suitable for their needs, when you think thats good it often leads to issues later on.
recently uncle was hiring for his workshop, had a couple guys in the workshop. one older guy who previously worked at a engineering shop and uncle was shaking his head at his poor welding. he was using a 2" stick out. no prize for who didn't get hired.

variable speed angle grinders. something i picked up off bob moffets video's.
i must say they are awesome. pads in much better shape and fantastic for aluminium. yeah i know some people don't like flap discs for aluminium, but slow the speed right down they work really well and don't gum up.

Basic principles and theories that apply to gas flow in the welding gear set up area, mig and tig, basic reasons behind the design of our cups and diffusers / limitations?

Thank you for those! Anyone have more for the Stubby series?
Jonathan Lewis

Superiorwelding wrote:Thank you for those! Anyone have more for the Stubby series?
Jonathan Lewis

i can't recall what was mentioned in IG.

someone had a good suggestion about gear.
when do you need that fancy gear?
when should you upgrade gear?

how do you handle those idiots in the workshop or management?
i'm sure you guys must have plenty of stories of those types of people.

The single most important thing for new AC TIG welders trying to do aluminum is that they want to TIG any and all sized aluminum with 40A using a tiny TIG torch. IMO this is not emphasized enough. AMPS, AMPS, AMPS, and more AMPS! We see it all the time in the form of new threads usually revolving (in part) around this theme. Like, it needs to be repeated every 5 seconds or else all the amperage dials go counter clockwise! :Lol:

Maybe an overview of how the industry works? Let me try to explain lol. When i first came to welding i expected some type of license was required, then i learned about certificates.
I just did not properly understand AWS. So maybe an introduction into the industry standards and regulations.
Im sure i would learn. It might be too much for a 10 minute clip but it's an idea.
I hold a gas licensee, hvac, and electrical licenses. Some in nj some in mass and i still learn things about my license. Lol
I understand different states, even counties can operate differently but just an intro into what a typical path for say a boiler pipe welder would take or a small fabricating shop owner should have.


Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

What tig torch sizes are compatible with each other. Why you would use one size over another if they share the same size consumables.