[MillwrightRWG]

Here's my experience I was amazed how easy the arc was started and stayed going the outside corner was pretty cool I just made little circles and melted parent material in to the weld adding filler was way harder than I thought . I didn't expect it to stick like it did when I didn't place it directly into the arc .when I get done here I will watch some more of Jody's vids . Inside corner really sucked the travel speed and filler placement is tough. Heres my questions my tungsten seamed to over heat quickly does th argon help with cooling . I was running 20 cfh I'm sure my diping didn't help either .I need to make some motor covers tomorrow out of 14 ga so that will be some more practice
3/32 tungsten (red)

Here's my goal I want to be able to do some SS plumbing work in our plant and on our trucks to get rid of leaky poly crap fittings and I think tig might be the answer if I can get a handle on it and maybe some of my sheet steel work could be done with tig also if I'm out of the wind ,who knows

Thanks
Ryan

[TamJeff]

There is no substitute for practice. By the time one gathers all the scrap and materials to practice on or with, it ends up being less expensive and time consuming to take a welding course somewhere with the added benefit of having an instructor present. When I went to welding school, I got to burn rods for 5 hrs/day almost every day and that's what it took for me and most other people in the course to become entry level welders and we were in school for 18 months. The TIG course alone was roughly 3 months of that.

I ended up welding aluminum full time after all that. Even with the training I had in school with all of the other welding processes, if I were to start TIG welding stainless or steel with any regularity now, I would still take a night refresher course to cut the re-learning process way down. I may even still at some point just to keep from losing it altogether and this is from someone with 25+ years of TIG torch experience.

If you can't do that and learning on the fly or by video is the only choice you have, then more power to you and I know it's possible to learn that way as many people do. But if you are serious about TIG welding steel or stainless or anything for that matter, especially for money, at least consider this option. Videos and even watching someone directly makes it look a lot easier than it is by a long shot.

This is the era of the DIY'r. If you really want to get a jump on the art of TIG welding, this is the best advice I can give you or even myself or anyone else at this point.

[Otto Nobedder]

Jeff has a good point.

I first learned AC stick, entirely self-taught through trial and error, then DC stick under loose guidance. Then MIG, again under loose guidance (in both those cases, the bulk of effort to learn was mine, again through trial and error). Then Flux-core (dual-shield)... Took a cert test without ever having done it before... examiner was sympathetic, and talked me through the basics so I passed, but after that, T&E again, with a CWI and a grinder as "teachers".

The reason I took this path, rather than formal training, was simple. Welding was something I could do that paid the bills while I pursued other interests (like four years of college studying industrial electronics). It was a few more years to realize that welding, and the related work I've done, is what satisfied me.

Then, I went on the road, making real money for the first time in my life, and was hooked. Then came TIG. A great fellow I was fitting for (who already respected me for the other things I could do on an industrial job beyond welding) would hand me the torch, and say, "Now, you try it," and watch closely and coach. I learned TIG on sch. 5 & 10 SS, socket and butt, with no amp control and a gas valve on a -26 torch. I was fortunate for the coaching, and the years of previous "other" welding experience, and picked it up quickly.

That said, if those are your first TIG welds, you'll do well. Jeff is right, it's a much shorter learning curve with formal training, but if you have time, patience, and access to material, you can do it without.

Steve S

[MillwrightRWG]

Thanks for your replys
I know that schooling would be the best way to learn these skills but I have good job in a growing company simply because I can fix things and make my coworkers jobs easier . I don't think my bosses really know what a tig welder is . My wanting to learn these new things is to further my self and my abilities . I'm not just doing this with welding when we hire electricians I alway looking over there shoulders and asking a hundred questions so when something breaks on the weekend or at night I might be able to get us going again or at least find the problem .same thing with Diesel engine service guys . And you guys are my welding experts I can ask a hundred dumb questions to . And don't worry about scrap steel when I do rebuilding in the grain plant I use a lot of 11 ga making transitions and there made from a lot of triangles so there's lot of small pieces left over .
After work I can stick them back together
So give me a few reasons why my electrode maybe melting to fast or tell me where to look
Thanks
Ryan

[MillwrightRWG]

Boys learn best through repition and trauma

[Vince51]

Hood time makes it happen.

Vince

[Otto Nobedder]

Boys learn best through repition and trauma

I been asking for a while, "Where's the 'LIKE' button..."

[TamJeff]

Very few people get the practice time in unless they are just starting out and quite young and have some years to burn. Whenever I see someone is interested in welding, I always try to encourage even part time school like night classes. It's first and foremost, the right answer to most of the questions posted here on WT&T. I see a lot of potential here on this forum, which is why I recommend that almost as a disclaimer.

I started at home and was always running out of metal and rods just as I was starting to get the hang of it.Then I would have to wait weeks to do it again and would be almost completely cold starting again. Just out of the first quinmester of welding school, I helped build a monster truck trailer for a guy who had been stick welding this and that on his farm for years. He was ok, but not great. My freshly school learned 6010 dime welds where far superior and he let me weld the entire trailer and learned to correct his ways in the process. He had no idea what a "whip and pause" was in practice. He was more "whup'n and hope'n" all that time.

[Otto Nobedder]

You say you're melting tungstens? As long as the ground clamp attached to your torch is on the "-" terminal of the machine (and by inference the stinger you're grounding the table with is hooked to the "+" terminal of the machine), you shouldn't be melting tungstens. Sure, they'll round over some when you "dip" them, but on a good day, I can TIG the better part of 8 hours without a sharpen.

If the attachment is correct, it's possible you're using too small a tungsten for the job, or may have mixed some pure tungsten in with your alloyed stuff. That machine will probably be happiest with 2% thoriated, or 2% lantanated.

Steve S

[MillwrightRWG]

Ok thanks Steve
I think I might of made it 8 minutes between sparpenings today , doing a little better. I was wondering how long they lasted for you guys . I turned down the amps today and tightened up the arc and that helped a lot after a bunch of practice runs I even welding up a pin hole in heated power washer coil for a friend pressure checked it and it was good . And got some practice with thin stuff puting the shield back on I think it was 18ga . Did a vertical up on some 3/16 flat stock really amazed how well it went I just power washed ,degreased to get rid of fuel oil soot and ground out like I was going to mig weld .
And yesterday I was grinding the tungsten the wrong way ,i got that fixed today and the arc goes where I want it . Just a really amazing process . With out welding tips and tricks I would of never tried to run a tig from the Lincoln eagle on my service truck . I think it's pretty damn cool
Thanks
Ryan

[MillwrightRWG]

Ok few problems today I think I can blame it on my crappy clean up . Mill scale and freshly lubed snap clamps
Would that contribute to tungsten degrading quickly ? So I could sleep tonight I built a tray for my service truck after work tonight and cleaned everything very good probably to cold on the long welds but the ends are nice , it will be fine for holding rulers and pencils

[Braehill]

Ryan,
I too have been having an issue with my tungsten melting. It looked lke in the picture of your welder that it was a generater type machine, correct? If so are you scratch starting your welds? I did see a trigger on your torch but I'm assuming no High frequency. I'm using an old transformer welder and definitely have it hooked up right and I'm scratch starting on carbon steel.

I've tried Thoriated ,Lanthanated, and Cerriated and all have melted faster than I thought they should. I'm welding new meltal with light rust, in all positions, even literaly standing on my head, sorry that's when I fell off the step ladder, it's 1/8" angle and I'm welding at around 65-70 amps. I've ran my argon anywhere from 15 to 25 CFH without much difference.

Because of the places that I'm welding, like at arms length @ the top of a extension ladder and using my torch hand to both hold myself up and weld, I've been dipping my tungsten quite often. That's not an excuse, it's just a part of the equation. I'm making an enclosuse inside of a large plant building. What I did find is that when I can get a chance I strike the arc like a match off the filler rod and not the angle, I pick up less crud on the tunsten and it stays pointed a little longer without melting.

I'm using a brand new CK flex-loc torch with a stubby gas lens and a #8 cup. I tried a #6 cup but there are alot of drafts in the building and I don't know if I'm not keeping the electrode cool enough or what. Also to Steve's point I'm using a wedge collet that can't twist and I only have 3/32 parts on hand.

When I weld at home I too can go most of a full day without sharpening my tungsten, but I have HF and a foot pedal or thumbwheel to start the arc with. Next time I have a carbon steel project at home I'll try sratch starting and see if I have the same problem.

Len

[MillwrightRWG]

Thanks for the reply yea I'm scratch starting the arc my switch is not hooked to any thing I'm welding 14 ga and switched to 1/16 red electrodes now I want to try some small filler how much smaller I'm not sure so I will get a little assortment of sizes
I'm having a little trouble lately with sharpening a electrode and starting a arc with out turning the gas on first so I spend a lot of time grinding . I'm not super frustrated yet because when it goes well its worth it . This is mostly a test to see if I want to go to the next level with a full blown tig setup
Thanks
Ryan


I will try the match start next time