Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
Post Reply
Brennan Clark
  • Posts:
  • Joined:
    Mon Jan 25, 2016 8:45 pm

My school welding class is having an end of the year competition to win some pretty cool prizes. The test consists of a 3/8 plate & back strap 3g bend test. Any process may be used, however as of now everyone will be using smaw & 7018. I passed this test using 7018 a while ago, however lately I have been doing nothing but tig and therefore would like to try the test with tig. My question is, would there be any clear advantage to using one process over the other? As said before the smaw is 1/8 7018, while the gtaw would be er70-s filler. I can not walk the cup very well yet, so I will probably just go with a set of stringers if I decide to tig it. Any input on the advantages of the two for this type of test, as well as any general tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
  • Posts:
  • Joined:
    Sun May 01, 2016 7:46 am
  • Location:
    Fort Myers Florida

Well if I were you and I was back in school, I would lay it flat, one pass of Sub-Arc and be off chasing girls...I AM JOKING!

This is my opinion. Can't beat the stick for the AWS D1.1, tried and true BUT think of all the variables that come into play when guys fail it...(a) not enough penetration into the backing bar. (b) not thinking ahead stringer lock (c) not getting the toes (d) slag inclusions (e) bad tie-in's (f) undercut

Now line up the TIG against those...definitely increases your chances when they go to the heart breaker.

If you want to really want to impress the instructor, ask if you can TIG open root and fill with Lo-Hy.

Jody has a good video on this exact test with SMAW. Watch it.....use the 5 degree tilt back advice, don't announce it, just do it.

Good luck!
AWS D1.1 / ASME IX / CWB / API / EWI / RWMA / BSEE
Scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality." Nikola Tesla
Post Reply