Welding Tips and Tricks

So I am welding steel of about 5mm with a TIG 200 machine and argon gas . I've had a lot of trouble getting started but I think I have a start grasp now .
I searched on here for what my current and gas pressure should be but could not easily find them .
Are there charts to look up anywhere?
I use litres per minute on my guage for argon and have been setting it under 10L/m . Is this suitable?
I did find 10cu ft per hour mentioned but don't know how to convert that . What is that in L per minute?
My guage has a blue section 10 l/m and lower ,green to about 40 and uncolured thereafter.

tytower wrote:So I am welding steel of about 5mm with a TIG 200 machine and argon gas . I've had a lot of trouble getting started but I think I have a start grasp now .
I searched on here for what my current and gas pressure should be but could not easily find them .
Are there charts to look up anywhere?
I use litres per minute on my guage for argon and have been setting it under 10L/m . Is this suitable?
I did find 10cu ft per hour mentioned but don't know how to convert that . What is that in L per minute?
My guage has a blue section 10 l/m and lower ,green to about 40 and uncolured thereafter.

7-15 LPM is the usual range, depending on shop conditions... in calm air, 7 LPM (or even less) is fine.

Steve S

The colored bands are usual on regulators sold as universal - ie can be used on Tig or Mig - each band gives the suggested normal range for each process - they rarely give good consistent control at the lower flow rates used when Tig welding & I avoid them - it's not exact but at the flows we are talking for Tig welding assume whatever you set in Ltr/ Min on your gauge will be double in CFH - ie ballpark 7.5 > 10 in litres is 15 > 20 in CFH - really quite simple - but your gauge is actually reading pressure giving an approximate flow rating if unrestricted - my advice is buy a proper floating ball flow gauge as this eliminates all the guessing if you have a hose / torch restriction resulting in gas coverage issues - also listen to the flow at the torch & get used to what different flow rates sound like - I never worked anywhere that the gauges worked or were accurate ! so have only set it by ear - in much the same way that it's common to set welding current just by experience whether the machine has any sort of indicator which is rarely right !

Thanks both. Its confusing to start . I like the double up!