Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
Caution Tig Welding leads to collecting parts
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RocketSurgeon wrote:"Say, man. You got any tugsten? Help a welder out, brother. What about a cup, dig? I'll even take a collet."
Why did I hear Tyrone Biggums voice when I read this? :lol:

So true though. I just ordered the stubby gas lense bundle from Jody and picked up two more torches, a weldtech 9v and 17v myself :roll: .
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Captainbeaky
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Hi,

Err,, my name is Mike...
It's been 2 days since I bought my second TIG machine...

I'm ok - I can handle it..
It's just that I've got a cold...
(Readers in the UK will remember this reference if they are 40 plus years old...)

This is addictive stuff, this TIG.
From the moment I struck my first arc on my little Clarke machine about 2 weeks ago, I was hooked.
I'm now on my second machine, and just finished a 10litre gas bottle!
And I haven't actually produced anything useful!

But I have to admit - it is really relaxing and therapeutic to practice though...

I'm recovering from an acquired brain injury after contracting Viral Meningitis 18 months ago, and I suffer extreme fatigue and migraines. It's only in the last 3 months that I have been able to pick up the hobbies again. I've made up my mind to make more time and effort for the hobbies, and enjoy them, no matter how long a project takes.

Learning to weld aluminium was something I wanted to learn, and I wanted a TIG...
But I'm hooked - it's wicked....
And I am a kit freak anyway, so chocks away..

Next stop is a water cooled torch ( and home made cooler...)
I don't like the bulky torch that came with the Rtech machine.

But I have to make a welding trolley first...

Does it end?

Mike.
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Captainbeaky wrote:
Does it end?

Mike.
I hope not. It is quite addictive all the same.

I was in the same boat. For about a year I had a debilitating infection and almost lost my left arm because of it. I have since recovered and I'm finally starting to act like my spry old self again, thankfully. I wish you a speedy recovery and happy welding.
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Captainbeaky
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Yes, one day at a time - I have good days and bad...

Yesterday was good, I practiced my way through the last quarter of a tank of argon, then I unpacked my new 1973 sewing machine, and checked that it all worked..

I want to make new seat covers for my old Landrover, and a few other bits, like a canvas cover for the seats on my VW buggy etc,. So I bought the same sewing machine that my mum taught me to use many years ago, a 1973 Frister & Rossman 502 that is only one year younger than me! Like me, it is also really well built and heavy...

Today - not so good - I came home from work, and hid in bed!
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hey_allen
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I almost hate to admit it, but I ended up with a nice 250 cf bottle of argon off of CL, to go next to what I could have sworn was an 80 cf bottle. Once I put it down in the garage, after much mutter and grumbling about moving it in and out of my car at the LWS, I realized that the 'little' bottle wasn't nearly as short as I was remembering.
Measuring the bottle revealed it to be a 125 cf, and I realized that I was thinking about the cute little ones that we use at work with our fixtured tig machine.

Long story short, too much time hanging out here on the forum, and not enough on the torch in the garage! :D

Result is plenty of argon to practice with at home, though...
-Josh
Greasy fingered tinkerer.
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R0gueSp3ctre18 wrote:Why did I hear Tyrone Biggums voice when I read this? :lol:

So true though. I just ordered the stubby gas lense bundle from Jody and picked up two more torches, a weldtech 9v and 17v myself :roll: .
After the wife and I finish moving into the new house and she has it the way she wants it, I'll start on my crack house...er, shop.
My other lover (my TIG200) is calling me. Begging me to burn... ;)
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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dirtmidget33
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hey_allen wrote:Result is plenty of argon to practice with at home, though...
Can never have enough argon. just think if you had one of these babies instead of making purge cabinets we could make a purge room to weld in. Entire projects could be done in an inert atmosphere with a type of space suit for ppg. :ugeek:
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why use standard nozzles after gas lens where invented. Kinda of like starting fires by rubbing sticks together.
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Even better: Dry, pure, He.
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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nathan
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dirtmidget33 wrote:we could make a purge room to weld in. Entire projects could be done in an inert atmosphere with a type of space suit for ppg.
I have daydreamed about this before. And welding in space. Space welding would be so cool. You know, SpaceX is gonna need a welder or three when they go to Mars... Rocketsurgeon, you gonna go?
Instagram: @nathanppiatt

Owner/welder at Homegrown Metal Fab

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nathan wrote: I have daydreamed about this before. And welding in space. Space welding would be so cool. You know, SpaceX is gonna need a welder or three when they go to Mars... Rocketsurgeon, you gonna go?
I already have my space suit with a #10 gold shade.

Fun Fact: It would not require and arc. It's called Cold Welding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_welding
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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RocketSurgeon wrote: Fun Fact: It would not require and arc. It's called Cold Welding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_welding
Ohhh.. That's cool :!:

Can imagine it's a highly annoying issue to design anything significant that does need to move/rotate/slide out in space without seizing up though! :lol:

It's not like you can just 'lube up' joints out there.. Most regular lubrication probably would not survive the conditions out there for long (vacuum, huge temperature swings) without needing it's own protection.. :roll:

Bye, Arno.
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Delrin is a wonderful material for such applications.
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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Boomer63
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So right, Dirtmidget! For me, it started out innocently enough with a small tackle box for holding all of the individual parts in their own cubby holes. Then I moved on to a larger box. Then it was individual boxes for each type of torch ...

You know how it goes. Hiding boxes full of parts, lying about where you have been and what you were doing when in fact you were sorting out TIG parts.

With help, I have cut back to only parts for machines that I currently operate. I don't have spares anymore for other machines. (Mostly). [Hey, it is 'just in case']!!
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Hello, my name is Chris. It's been less than 24hrs since my last fix......um, TIG parts purchase.

I'm about to order more (#17 stubby gas lens set). I don't need an intervention. I'm OK. I swear. I can quit anytime I want. I REALLY need these parts. Really! I have to fill in a hole on a repair. It's legit.

I now have 3 TIG torch heads, over 100 pieces of consumables for EVERY situation imaginable and I'm about to purchase my third different bottle (He). Ok, one of them is for MIG.

I don't need help with my addiction. I need help moving all my stuff around though. :lol:

BTW, pawn shops are good thing and a bad thing. All at the same time.
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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I recently purchased this:
https://www.gasandsupply.com/i/GAS-SAVE ... WD3GS418-P


(I know, I know. I'm weak willed and just couldn't stay "clean" for very long. :lol: )
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
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There is a stubby version you know...

http://www.amazon.com/CK-D2GS332-P-Gas- ... detailpage

For when withdraw starts kicking in ;)

-Sandow
Red-hot iron, white-hot iron, cold-black iron; an iron taste, an iron smell, and a babel of iron sounds.
-Charles Dickens
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Sandow wrote:There is a stubby version you know...

http://www.amazon.com/CK-D2GS332-P-Gas- ... detailpage

For when withdraw starts kicking in ;)

-Sandow
Now I'll have to go and buy a 9 or 20 torch. YAY!.......I mean, DARN! :lol:
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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I just picked up another CK 20 torch, when I found a local who's company has a mandated time change interval on their torches.

I couldn't resist when offered a 25' set of superflex hoses for $30.
Despite trying to keep my equipment safe and protected, but you never know what will happen when you are working in the shop, and a pro-active spare parts purchase may well prevent Murphy from messing with my working torch. :D
-Josh
Greasy fingered tinkerer.
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hey_allen wrote:I just picked up another CK 20 torch, when I found a local who's company has a mandated time change interval on their torches.

I couldn't resist when offered a 25' set of superflex hoses for $30.
Despite trying to keep my equipment safe and protected, but you never know what will happen when you are working in the shop, and a pro-active spare parts purchase may well prevent Murphy from messing with my working torch. :D
You lucky....I mean, turn away from temptation brother!

(Got any extra? C'mon man, hook a bruthah up.) :lol:
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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hey_allen
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RocketSurgeon wrote:
hey_allen wrote:I just picked up another CK 20 torch, when I found a local who's company has a mandated time change interval on their torches.

I couldn't resist when offered a 25' set of superflex hoses for $30.
Despite trying to keep my equipment safe and protected, but you never know what will happen when you are working in the shop, and a pro-active spare parts purchase may well prevent Murphy from messing with my working torch. :D
You lucky....I mean, turn away from temptation brother!

(Got any extra? C'mon man, hook a bruthah up.) :lol:

Well, he said he'd have more in a bit, but all he has left right now is a 12' set.
If you want it, he's asking $20, and I could drop it in a USPS flat rate box.

The 25' set that I picked up got allocated to the friend who got me started with TIG, despite intending to have a spare on my shelf. So I'm waiting for the seller's work to purge another set in a few months, at which point I may buy more than one from him!
-Josh
Greasy fingered tinkerer.
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SOLD!!!!!
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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Least honorable
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RocketSurgeon wrote:SOLD!!!!!
got a question for you rocketsurgeon, you seem to know your war around the crackhouse, uhmm, welding shop. ;)

and from what i read you got a metric crapton of the stuff that you tried, and all that stuff, so ill cut to the chase, my welder is arriving in 2 weeks, (everlast powertig 250ex) and all i have now is a good ol' flexloc 150 with both 9/17 heads that i can swap out, and im already thinking of getting a watercooler so that i can pump out 250 amps! :shock: so my quick question, do you think getting a 250 amp #20 torch is worth the bucks, along with its watercooler? i estimate it will run me about under 1k$ 500 for cooler, plus about 200 or so for the torch (i believe) and, since i live in canada, 700 turns to 900 not included shipping. anyways all that to say, its pretty pricey, but on the brightside, with a #20 torch, the accessories are smaller, so more room for parts! :twisted: thats my logic, but do you think its a good expense?

Noah
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Least honorable wrote: got a question for you rocketsurgeon, you seem to know your war around the crackhouse, uhmm, welding shop. ;)

and from what i read you got a metric crapton of the stuff that you tried, and all that stuff, so ill cut to the chase, my welder is arriving in 2 weeks, (everlast powertig 250ex) and all i have now is a good ol' flexloc 150 with both 9/17 heads that i can swap out, and im already thinking of getting a watercooler so that i can pump out 250 amps! :shock: so my quick question, do you think getting a 250 amp #20 torch is worth the bucks, along with its watercooler? i estimate it will run me about under 1k$ 500 for cooler, plus about 200 or so for the torch (i believe) and, since i live in canada, 700 turns to 900 not included shipping. anyways all that to say, its pretty pricey, but on the brightside, with a #20 torch, the accessories are smaller, so more room for parts! :twisted: thats my logic, but do you think its a good expense?

Noah
I buy cheap stuff so I can test it out for myself. Torch series, air or water cooled, different collet types, etc. I'm still looking for what works best for me and the work in front of me. Personally, I prefer a lot of shield gas and a cool torch that I can crank the heat up, if needed.
I purchased a cheap #18 torch (350A) since I have access to a cooler at work. We primarily use #20 torches, but the engineer is curious as well about the #18 due to the extra amps it can take (we are welding .500" and .625" Al plate).

I have a lot of cheap stuff that I've tried out because I don't know how it will behave in my hand. Once I find something I'm comfortable with, I buy the real version. If it doesn't work for me, I'm only out a few bucks instead of a few hundred.

As far as water coolers, they are AWESOME for welding with high heat or extended beads. Keep in mind that a cooler has to be maintained and the wrong coolant will shorten the life of the $200 torch and/or $1000 pump. Also, pumps have moving parts which wear out as well. Just some food for thought. Not trying to sway you.

Let me introduce you to my pusher........um, supplier ;) :
http://www.ebay.com/
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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These are just my #17/18/26 parts. (I haven't organized my #9/20 parts yet.)
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Yes, I'm OCD when it comes to my tungsten sizes. ;)
Chris
NASA is not the enemy of the American taxpayer.
AWS D1.1, D17.1
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RocketSurgeon wrote:These are just my #17/18/26 parts. (I haven't organized my #9/20 parts yet.)

Yes, I'm OCD when it comes to my tungsten sizes. ;)
Damn that's a nice e collection I got, this to start off:
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Is there any significant difference between the alumina cups, and the 2 other types (high strength ceramic and silicon cups)

I beleive those are ceramic, but not 100% sure, so is it A good idea to keep buying better quality ceramic cups instead of alumina cups?

Thanks

Noah
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