Welding Tips and Tricks

It is time to refill my tig machine gas. Would a mix help on aluminum and still be okay on other metal?

wish i could weld wrote:It is time to refill my tig machine gas. Would a mix help on aluminum and still be okay on other metal?

Jody has some recent videos on mixing some helium in with his argon.
Check them out.
He welded 1" aluminum together with 175amps in one of them.

wish i could weld wrote:It is time to refill my tig machine gas. Would a mix help on aluminum and still be okay on other metal?

If your wanting helium, bend over. Sure it would help but do you have a need great enough to justify the cost?

I guess your gas choice would depend on your welding requirements, if its called for in a proceedure, thickness of material etc and whether or not you're getting paid.
Hobby welder? Probably not worth it except for the experience.
Thats my call.

Helium/argon blends will work great on steel and stainless. It's not uncommon at all in automated processes like orbital welding. But, as mentioned, there's the cost.

Over time, it's better to have two bottles, unless you're doing aluminum as a high percentage of your welds, with only the occasional steel weld.

Steve S

If you're like me, willing to buy an expensive tool to prepare yourself for that challenging task, get a bottle of helium. When argon isn't cutting the mustard, add a bit. Helium is an expensive supply, use it when needed.