Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey I'm pretty fresh at tig welding and I have a couple questions about welding tubing and welding out of position....

I always wondered what I would do if I found myself in a position where I was laying on my back underneath a work piece or something. How would I operate the foot pedal in such a scenario? If I found myself in that situation should I use a scratch start rig or maybe a torch with the switch on the handle?

My second question deals with welding all the way around a piece of tubing without a positioner. While making my way around the piece of tubing or pipe is it common practice to stop when you get out of position then reposition yourself or the work piece and then begin again or is there a better way? If it's a common practice to stop and restart are there any tips that anyone can share to make the weld look consistent?

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome to the forum. Getting out of position is just a fact of life. On larger tube you will be able to make longer welds but you will still have to stop at some point. Sometimes you just can't make all your welds beautiful, but you can make them strong. Everybody loves that cool stack of dimes look but sometimes it just isn't doable. A torch switch helps when you can't use a pedal so it is nice to have one in the drawer should the need arise. Before I got a torch switch, I have knelt on the pedal and even held it between my legs like a thigh-master. You can be real creative at pedal operation but a torch switch is nice in bad spots. Sitting at a table and getting all set up for a TIG weld usually means you can produce a very nice weld. Laying on your back or climbing into something while operating the pedal with your butt cheeks is another story

Yeah I have the wireless pedal which helps at times but I also have the torch switch ready to go in my box. I've used my foot, knee, legs etc. There is no shame or issue with stopping and restarting....

I can count the times I've used a positioner on one hand, can't tell you how many times I've hung upside down, laying over pipes up against a wall or had to use a mirror to weld

rick
what are your setting when you use that mirror welder...lol
craig

Craig, unless you're Dyslexic you can't read your settings while mirror welding.

Kidding, mine are the same, I find it easier if I can go faster, less time to think too much.

Len

motox wrote:rick
what are your setting when you use that mirror welder...lol
craig

Reversed from a normal welder naturally

MinnesotaDave wrote:

motox wrote:rick
what are your setting when you use that mirror welder...lol
craig

Reversed from a normal welder naturally

Come on Dave .....you know there is no such thing as a normal welder!

exnailpounder wrote:

MinnesotaDave wrote:

motox wrote:rick
what are your setting when you use that mirror welder...lol
craig

Reversed from a normal welder naturally

Come on Dave .....you know there is no such thing as a normal welder!

...hmmmm....you might have something there.....

Statistically speaking, there has to be one guy at the Median...let's assume he's "normal."

Normal is no fun! I have to play normal around my kids and my mother-in-law but I'm pretty sure I'm not fooling anyone. How do these threads get so far off topic anyway?

The trick is to make out of position welding seem as normal as possible in other words weld easy welds like you would an out of position weld. My speedglas helmet falls off if my head is sideways so all I use these days is a $20 plastic bucket helmet- it stays on all positions. I rarely ever use a pedal any more except for thin material on the bench. All my torches are fitted with switches and if you are running hot pulsing works really well.
Do this all the time and out of position is much easier.

southofheaven wrote:Hey I'm pretty fresh at tig welding and I have a couple questions about welding tubing and welding out of position....

I always wondered what I would do if I found myself in a position where I was laying on my back underneath a work piece or something. How would I operate the foot pedal in such a scenario? If I found myself in that situation should I use a scratch start rig or maybe a torch with the switch on the handle?

My second question deals with welding all the way around a piece of tubing without a positioner. While making my way around the piece of tubing or pipe is it common practice to stop when you get out of position then reposition yourself or the work piece and then begin again or is there a better way? If it's a common practice to stop and restart are there any tips that anyone can share to make the weld look consistent?

When tig welding out of position, you can run the pedal between your knees, or with your heel, or elbow, etc etc....

Just be thankful that you don't have sparks falling all over you, like me!!

@akweldshop this is why I don't like anything but TIG lol. No thank you! I normally wish they would let me weld everything at work with the squirt gun, right up until I'm actually laying under there welding the SCam brackets or chamber brackets back on lol

GreinTime wrote:@akweldshop this is why I don't like anything but TIG lol. No thank you! I normally wish they would let me weld everything at work with the squirt gun, right up until I'm actually laying under there welding the SCam brackets or chamber brackets back on lol

Swapping in Euclid brackets for the brake chambers?

Steve S

A bunch of funny guys...lol I dont check a thread for a few days and look what happens. Depends on the deflection angle of the light hitting my mirror as far as settings go.

AK, had to do some of that MIG overhead the other night, I really need to where my damn weld cap more could feel everything hitting me through my hair net (food plant), I dont need any more help losing hair.

Rick_H wrote:A bunch of funny guys...lol I dont check a thread for a few days and look what happens. Depends on the deflection angle of the light hitting my mirror as far as settings go.

AK, had to do some of that MIG overhead the other night, I really need to where my damn weld cap more could feel everything hitting me through my hair net (food plant), I dont need any more help losing hair.

Mig most times throws more sparks then smaw.

Thank you all for your replies. Not only were they extremely informative, but genuinely entertaining as well! Much appreciated guys!