Welding Tips and Tricks

After years of watching You tube and talking the wife into a TIG welder. First weekend of many fun and frustrating times to come.

Looks like a good start!

Welcome.

Really good start!

Welcome to the forum

It’s funny what I didn’t pay attention to in hours of video. The puddle is so mesmerizing. I should have filed the edges, used acetone instead of denatured, not place my parts on mill scale and that’s what I see in a couple of hours with a torch in my hand. I’m saving for 220 in my garage. And I also learned I should turn the gas on before welding. Things not shown in most videos, but I’m going to learn.

a real good start and welcome to the forum. What kind of equipment are you using ??

Prime Weld 225ACDCP. It came with CK 17 flex and an upgraded pedal. The pedal feels like my Chevy.
3/16 purple tungsten, #5 standard cup @ 12 ccm, @ 109 amps.(I only have 110 in my garage), 1.5 sec pre flow and 7 sec post.
Ac frequency @ 120, Ac balance @ 30%. ER4043 3/16" filler from Harbor. Grinding my tungsten on a 120 flapper with out balling the point. I looked at the Miller Multimatic 220 but was veto'd from the wife. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. I also use a small mig welder from Centry.(the red color trick me). I write g-code for large cnc machines, so this is just a Covid hobby for me.

calvarybooks wrote:It’s funny what I didn’t pay attention to in hours of video. I should have filed the edges, used acetone instead of denatured,

Welcome to the forum, sooner or later you have to jump in, no matter how many hours of video there is no substitute for getting under the hood, as you have discovered. It seems that the time spent watching videos has paid off, many have not done so well at their 1st go.
Don't worry about not having used acetone, I doubt if you had, you'd see any difference in the weld. Where it matters depends on the condition of the base metal to begin with.

calvarybooks wrote:And I also learned I should turn the gas on before welding

I've learned that, more then once over the years

calvarybooks wrote:And I also learned I should turn the gas on before welding.

I bet I've done that a dozen or more times just when I turn the gas off as I finish one Weld and then decide I'm going to do something else and forget to turn it back on. Sad part is, my welder doesn't leak a bit and I could leave the gas on for a month and it wouldn't matter.

Welcome to The Forum.

Welcome from one Primeweld owner to another!
Good work there. And on 110v!
A far sight better than anything I’ve managed so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Chris G here from Northern Illinois just wanted to say hello to everyone


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

calvarybooks wrote:Prime Weld 225ACDCP. It came with CK 17 flex and an upgraded pedal. The pedal feels like my Chevy.
3/16 purple tungsten, #5 standard cup @ 12 ccm, @ 109 amps.(I only have 110 in my garage), 1.5 sec pre flow and 7 sec post.
Ac frequency @ 120, Ac balance @ 30%. ER4043 3/16" filler from Harbor. Grinding my tungsten on a 120 flapper with out balling the point. I looked at the Miller Multimatic 220 but was veto'd from the wife. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. I also use a small mig welder from Centry.(the red color trick me). I write g-code for large cnc machines, so this is just a Covid hobby for me.

I hope you mean 3/32 or 1/16. 3/16” would be like welding with a Kindergarten pencil lead